Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
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Wine & Spirits
Parxet is one of the oldest and most traditional wineries in Catalonia, and it's the most famous in the small D.O. Alella, north of Barcelona. Its Cavas are notable for their elegance and balance. This 100 percent pansa blanca (aka xarello) has a rich, creamy feel, decorated by spices and notes of ripe fruit. The texture stands out for its softness, but also for the way it sustains the acidity, mixing it subtly between the bubbles. A great choice for clam chowder.
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Representing the topmost expression of a Champagne house, a vintage Champagne is one made from the produce of a single, superior harvest year. Vintage Champagnes account for a mere 5% of total Champagne production and are produced about three times in a decade. Champagne is typically made as a blend of multiple years in order to preserve the house style; these will have non-vintage, or simply, NV on the label. The term, "vintage," as it applies to all wine, simply means a single harvest year.
A superior source of white grapes for the production of Spain’s prized sparkling wine, Cava, the Penedes region is part of Catalunya and sits just south of Barcelona. Medio Penedès is the most productive source of the Cava grapes, Macabeo, Xarel-lo, and Parellada. Penedes also grows Garnacha and Tempranillo (here called Ull de Llebre in Catalan), for high quality reds and rosès.