Do you ever have those moments where you do/eat/drink something and you wonder why you don’t more often? I always have that sensation with sparkling wine which, whilst I very much like drinking them, rarely seem to make it into my shopping basket. I intend to remedy that this year and try to rotate a new sparkling wine in once a week; oh the burdens I must bear in pursuit of knowledge. Cava is the obvious choice living, as I do, a short train ride from San Sadurni d’Anoia and the heartland of Cava production. It’s nice to shake things up from time to time, however, and Clos Lentiscus is not a bad producer to hold hands with if you’re feeling like a walk on the wild side.
The vineyards of Clos Lentiscus have been around for a while, yet they spent most of their history selling the grapes to larger producers and only really got going as a quality project when Manel Avinyo took over in 2002, after the death of his father. They’re located quite near Sitges and are one of Catalunya’s most famous producers of ‘natural’ wine. However, as they make sparkling wines using the traditional method, here’s where it gets interesting.
To make a traditionally made sparkling wine typically requires cultured yeast of some sort, to complete the all-important secondary fermentation. However, the use of cultured yeast strains are very much against the idea of ‘natural’ wine-making, so what’s a winemaker to do? Well, after the base wine has been made, they gather any ambient yeasts left in the tanks and add them together with their own bee honey as a sugar source for the secondary fermentation. If that sounds odd to you, it’s because it really is! Still, I’ve had far, far more delicious, interesting wines from this producer than the occasional overly oxidised wine, so they’re definitely doing something right. I was in Cuvee 3000 buying some beautiful Gabriel Glas glasses and couldn’t resist plucking this off the shelf; Clos Lentiscus Sumoll Reserva Familia Blanc de Noirs Brut Nature 2013. Quite the mouthful!
Tasting Note
100% Sumoll from their own estate, aged for 60 months on its lees. 2nd fermentation completed using ambient yeast and their own honey. Yes, you read that correctly. Honey. No dosage. 12.5% ABV
Despite being a Blanc de Noir, this is quite an interesting orange colour. Then on the nose there’s an abundance of bitter orange peel, pomegranate, brioche, raw honey, roasted almonds and blossom. Lifted and fresh initially but then quite nutty and bitter on the finish. Soft and surprisingly creamy for a wine with no dosage. Not your typical sparkling wine and a long way from a typical Cava! If you don’t mind slightly oxidised notes in your wine and enjoy something a little different, this is a well priced, well made wine. I personally love the distinct bitter orange flavours – very moreish! 90pts
Purchased from Cuvee 3000 for €13.40