Marques de Gelida 2002

Marques de Gelida 2002 Reserva
Penedes, Spain ($13)

In the past few months, I've gotten engaged, bought a house, and have managed to find a great value sparkling wine to toast the afore mentioned achievements. When you can't afford champagne for every celebratory uncorking, I find cava to be just what the doctor ordered. Generally less expensive than California sparklers and drier than most proseccos I've tasted, I'm rarely disappointed with the Spanish bubbly.

This particular bottle has an eye catching label, the stamp of quality from Jorge Ordonez, and it breaks the boring non vintage stereotype of cava. This 2002 is a reserva blend of 35% Maccabeo, 30% Xarel-lo, 20% Parellada, and 15% Chardonnay. There was 3000 cases produced and I assume there's not much left floating around by now.

Aromas of green apple and bread. Tight little bubbles with a pale yellow color. this wine wakes up my whole palate and refreshes with a complex spectrum of earth tones. The finish is lengthy and stimulating. By far my favorite sparkler under $15.
My grade: A-