NV Rimarts Brut Nature Reserva 24 Cava Penedes 750 ml

Spain’s Answer to Champagne

This is no ordinary Cava. If you were to take Champagne’s most strict production standards and do one better, you’d arrive at what Ernest and Ricard Martinez have in their Rimarts Reserve Brut Nature Cava. The brothers carry on a history of making traditional Cava—but not the way it is permitted to be made—rather the way they feel it should be made, adding extended aging and riddling bottles by hand, exacting traditional Champagne methods, then, incredibly, hand-disgorging bottles individually to order. The result is a beautiful, crisp, and complex bubbly with mouthwatering lemon curd, tropical fruit, brioche, and creme brulee. A tiny 240-bottle just-disgorged allocation is up for grabs exclusively for Wine Access clients.

Times have changed since the word “Champagne” was used in the U.S. as a clumsy synonym for sparkling wine. Prosecco has made massive inroads, and now dominates the fun and frivolous part of the sparkling market. On the serious side, awareness of traditional-method Cava has exploded: Nearly 20 million bottles are sold in the U.S. annually. Due to huge demand, Spain’s number of Cava producers has tripled since 1980. Not surprisingly, overall quality has dipped, and the introduction of international grape varieties like Chardonnay and Pinot Noir has diluted the Cava tradition.

Not at Rimarts. The Martinez brothers and a small group of dedicated producers—Cava post-modernists—are pushing back by eschewing international influence and streamlined techniques in order to make the wines that made Cava unique in the first place. At Rimarts, pupitres are not just props. They hand-riddle for real, not just for photo ops. Xarel-lo, Macabeo and Parellada—the traditional grape varieties rule, and a deliciously true Cava of extraordinary complexity results.