Parés Baltà V Brut Cava 2023 (Spain) - Wine Review

Tonight's sparkling wine review is a lovely, vegan, and organic Vintage Brut Cava. It is brand-new to the LCBO, arriving in-store and online in the recent March 7 LCBO VINTAGES New Release Collection, and was also featured in the release as part of the thematic on Women in Wine.

It is produced by Parés Baltà, a well-respected and family-owned estate winery situated in the Penedes wine region of Spain, just 50 km south of Barcelona. The family has a long winemaking history that goes back to 1790, when the first vineyards were planted on the Parés Baltà estate, surrounding the manor house where the winery is located.

As the son of a family of winegrowers, Joan Cusiné Hill was born in 1917 in a small village in Penedes and dedicated his entire life to the cultivation of vines and creating the finest quality wines. During the 1980s, Joan Cusiné Cusiné, son of Joan Cusiné Hill, took over the winery and produced their first white wine that has become a classic at the winery. His wife, Maria Angels Carol, has always been by her husband’s side and supported him to get Parés Balta table wines and sparkling wines recognized and admired across the globe.

Today, Parés Baltà is led by the third generation of the Cusiné family. Brothers Joan and Josep head the winery with the unconditional help of their parents and their wives, María Elena and Marta, two women that fell in love with the brothers while learning about the world of wine. After working their first harvest, both women decided to study oenology at the University of Tarragona (Spain) and upon their return became lead winemakers at the winery, a position they have now held for more than 20 years. Their primary challenge was to combine tradition with innovation, ultimately sparking a revolution that converted their vineyards to organic and biodynamic certification in the span of a decade. Together, they have shared values and a vision that is invariably linked to respect for nature and care for their environment, a family legacy that was inherited from the first generation, Joan Cusiné Hill and Rosa Cusiné.

Faithful to their grandfather and father, the Cusiné brothers continue to produce high-quality organic and biodynamic table wines and sparkling wines with the premise of leaving the land that they inherited in peak condition for future generations. They continue to use their old cava cellar, which was constructed stone by stone at the beginning of the twentieth century. This cellar is located 10 metres underground and has a natural and constant temperature of 14–15ºC, conditions which are perfect for ageing cavas.

This sparkling wine is a blend of the three traditional grape varieties from Penedes: Parellada, Macabeu, and Xarel·lo. The Parellada comes from 59-year-old vines at Viñas del Pi and Viña de Cal Pons, on the foothills of the highest mountains of the Penedes - the Ancosa Mountains, between 610–635 metres above sea level, where loam and gypsum are the most highlighted components in the soil that was formed during the Triassic period. The Macabeu comes from 44-year-old vines at Vinyes de Macabeu, from the foothills of the Prelitoral Mountains at 230 metres above sea level, on loam soil with low permeability and good water retention, which makes it difficult to suffer from water stress and loss of aromatics. The Xarel·lo comes from 44-year-old vines grown in the Penedes Central Valley at 254 metres above sea level on loamy soils and continental sediments whose origins are from the Pleistocene and Holocene epochs of the Quaternary period. To this wine, Parellada contributes the floral freshness, which is preserved from its special microclimate, while Macabeu brings fruit and Xarel·lo provides the body to the final wine, and together, they complete this special cava.

As a 2023 vintage traditional method bubbly, this is crafted using a blend of 59% Parellada, 33% Macabeu, and 8% Xarel·lo. The grapes were hand-harvested from vineyards that were organically and biodynamically farmed. It underwent its first fermentation for two weeks in stainless steel tanks at 16°C. The wine underwent its second fermentation in bottle, following the traditional method, with a minimum ageing of 12 months, and without any oak ageing.

The vegetative cycle for this vintage begins in October 2022, when it had lower-than-usual rainfall and was the warmest October in history. The winter months were warm and wet, while drought set in from the end of February to the end of April, as there were 61 consecutive days without rain. May and June were warm and quite rainy, while July featured a heat spike that reached a record 40.2ºC. In August, there was an intense and persistent heat wave, while a short harvest was completed over about 7 weeks from August to September. This was a low-yielding vintage where, unusually, the red varieties ripened earlier than the white varieties. From an excellent vintage for sparkling wines, let's see how this 2023 Brut Cava from Spain is tasting tonight...

Tasting Note:

PARÉS BALTÀ V BRUT CAVA 2023 - Vegan, Traditional Method, DO, Spain (#650648) (XD) - $17.95
This organic sparkling wine is a blend of 59% Parellada, 33% Macabeu, and 8% Xarel·lo with medium+ intensity aromatics offering enticing lemon, floral, apple, and autolytic notes with touches of peach and brioche. The mid-weighted palate is dry with a creamy mouthfeel and delicious pear, apple, lemon, floral, and autolytic flavours in a gently tangy profile. More savoury with leesy minerals on the mid-palate and touches of spice on the back-palate. Acids are bright and lively, while the mousse is well-balanced. Leesy mineral notes linger on the long, savoury finish. A delicious, highly recommended buy! Score: 89 pts

Other lovely wines by Parés Baltà can be ordered through their Agent - Noble Estates Wines & Spirits.