Recently, Ryan and I were inspired by both Lenndevours and Spittoon, two wine blogs on either side of the vast Pacific Atlantic, for creating simple and straight-forward articles on wines they’ve tasted, and at times, just haven’t had the opportunity to share with others. Due to a large quantity wine notes slowly slipping through the cracks and not seeing the light of day, we’ve decided to follow suit, by also sharing wines we’ve tasted, despite the fact that we may not have visited either the winery or the region. Consider these little breathers away from our normal mammoth-sized educational posts. When possible, we’ll try to include some information on the wines availability and any relevant facts that came through in the press releases that accompany them.

A few weeks ago, we were sent two wines from a winery located in Begues, Spain, not 15 miles south of Barcelona called, Montau de Sadurní. Descendents of the Sadurní family – possible namesakes of the Cava capital, Sant Sadurní d’Anoia – the winery has been makign wine wine since the 15th century, evolving from a bulk wine producer into a private label winery. Currently, they are producing 3 labels: Arrels de Montau de Sadurní, their mid-range line composed of blends; Senor de Montnegre is made up of younger fruit-forward wines; and their high-end line called, Mantau de Sadurní, featuring two Gran Reserva cavas.

We had tried both the 2004 Arrels de Montau de Sadurni Crianca and their Gran Reserva Brut Nature. Made from 100% Chardonnay, the Crianca (or Crianza), oddly enough, did not list a vintage anywhere on the bottle or cork. According to the tech sheet, however, it was a 2004 vintage fermented in stainless steel and aged for 6 months in oak. For me, the wine gave off a brilliant pale golden color with a funky savory nose laced with bright aromas of green grass and herbs right after a rainstorm. In the mouth, the wine shows tame but integrated acidity with a medium body and medium short mature pear and light wood finish. Summed up by Ryan, “Not an explosive wine, but nice and simple.” Neither of us would rush out to buy this.

The Gran Reserva Brut Nature, on the other hand, was incredible, showing tiny vivacious bubbles which dance in a dark golden brew. While Ryan found more expressive lemon and citrus notes on the nose, I found it to be yeasty with hints of caramelized honey, musty cellar, raw almonds and butterscotch. In the mouth, this is a toasty and rich with loads of lemon and citrus notes. Full and complete, we really enjoyed this wine for its overall balance, medium acidity and medium short finish of mature ripe apple and bread notes. Worth checking out and would make a great start to any “rooftop bbq”!

I would highly suggest checking out their blog as well, as they not only publish regularly, but also write in German, English and Spanish – a rarity in Spain.

Cheers,

Gabriella Opaz