2008 Colet Navazos Reserva Extra Brut

The Sergi Colet/Equipo Navazos partnership started in 2003 when the two producers began discussing the parallels between Sherry and Champagne (chalk soils, the significance of reserve/aged wines, etc.). The conversation quickly turned to how one could produce Spanish sparkling wines that somehow incorporated the terroir of Sherry country. After a number of trials, the model was set. Colet-Navazos sparkling wines fall under the Penedès DO and are produced in the Champagne method from Xarel.lo and Chardonnay base wines sourced from Colet’s organically tended vineyards in Pacs del Penedès and Sant Marti Sarroca. The Sherry-country presence is felt in the secondary fermentation—which uses a small amount of flor yeast—and in using different La Bota Sherries for the dosage. The Extra Brut sees roughly three years of lees aging, whereas the Reserva ages on its lees for a further year. The program also includes a bottle-aged library, from where three of the wines below have been selected. These are some of the most unique sparkling wines on the market—there is nothing else like them. As a general guide, the wines are vibrant, enthrallingly fresh and elegant, as well as intellectually stimulating. The best of both worlds! Luis Gutiérrez of The Wine Advocate has described them as Champagne with a Sherry spirit, and the Reserva ages beautifully, taking on more and more complexity and savour as the years go by. Needless to say, they work beautifully with a wide range of foods.