The colour is medium yellow. On the nose very intense, with a sweet sensation of peach and honey, accompanied by toasty elements. In the mouth very tasty and interesting, reminding of a crème brûlée, with a long lasting aftertaste that recalls tawny Port.
This Cava de Paraje Calificado (a premium category of the DO Cava) is made with 60% Xarel.lo and 40% Parellada grapes from the family Ferrer Sala estate vineyard at Sant Quintí de Mediona. The wine spent nine years on the lees and all the production process has been carried on as it used to be in the old days. The grapes are pressed using an original, classic, Champagne press dating from the year 1900. The secondary fermentation is done in bottles sealed with natural corks. Once ageing is completed, the bottles are placed on “pupitres” and turned by hand. Disgorgement is also done by hand using the traditional method of “dégorgement à la volée”.
I was surprised to find such a unique wine at Freixenet, a winery better known for its mass production of (very) cheap cava wines, sold mainly under the labels Carta Nevada and Cordon Negro at 5.45 EUR, resp. 6.95 EUR. Although a wide variety of labels are produced, these two flagship products make up the vast majority of the 80 mio. bottles produced annually by Freixenet, by far the biggest Cava producer.
At Freixenet winery in Sant Sadurní d’Anoia, Can Sala 2007 sells for 77 EUR and I find it well worth the price.
Country: Spain
Region: Penedès
Grapes: Xarel·lo, Chardonnay
Type: White
Vintage: 2007
Producer: Freixenet
Price range: Extra (50-100 US$)
Pascal’s Enjoyment Index: 4/5