2006 Cava Brut de Brut Serral del Vell Gr. Reserva Recaredo

Outstanding - Lime leaf and crystallised lemon aromas. Full of delicate energy, with a mouthfilling blossom of very fine mousse. Finishes elegant and refined, with notes of herbs and lime. Still delightfully youthful.

The 2006 Brut de Brut Gran Reserva Brut Nature is, since 2006, sourced from a single vineyard, the Finca Serral del Vell, which now appears on the label. This vintage was a blend of 53% Xarello and 47% Macabeo aged in bottle with the lees for 89 months (7 years and 5 months), a very long period for this price level. Each bottle is disgorged at different times, and all the back labels specify the date of disgorgement and the number of months on lees. In this case, the minimum was when the first bottles were disgorged, after 87 months. The long aging obviously provides plenty of yeast and bread dough aromas which live with the citric freshness (I thought 2006 was very warm, but the wine doesn't show it). The palate is compact with well- integrated bubbles and lively, intense acidity to make it able to develop in bottle for a good five years.