2017 Avinyó Cava Blanc de Noirs Reserva, Penedès, Spain

Avinyó Cava is a premier, hand-made, artisanal sparkling wine house which stands in stark contrast to the status quo of the industrial Cava machine. It begins with their location in the Catalan countryside in the remote village of Avinyonet del Penedès, where the Esteve family traces their history to 1597 with the building of their Masia (Catalan farmhouse) named “Can Fontanals”, the traditional family home. Their spirit of innovation and respect for traditions, driven by an undercurrent of constant self-improvement and a relentless drive for quality, are the defining characteristics that set Avinyó Cava apart from others.

The range of wines produced at Avinyó falls into two categories: traditional and innovative. Their traditional line of Cava, which includes the Reserva, Brut Nature Reserva, and single-vineyard Gran Reserva selecció La Ticota (from their grandfather’s original plantings in 1940) always respects the traditional Catalan grape varieties xarel-lo, macabeo, and parellada. This is the spiritual center for Avinyó and no foreign grapes are ever added to these blends.

Such is the dedication to quality at Avinyó that the minimum aging for their “entry-level” Reserva cuvée is 24 months, with many of their bottlings receiving at least 36 months of time on the lees. Each shipment of wines is disgorged on-demand for refrigerated transport to the US, so flavors are always fresh and vibrant. In addition to being produced solely from organically certified (since 2019) estate-grown grapes and with extended lees-aging in bottle, all Avinyó Cava is from a single-vintage, clearly labeled on the bottle. No reserve solera wine is used here to alter either the expression of the vineyard or correct for a “house-style”. Avinyó is about transparency.