Cava Privat (Carmenet)
 Cava (Spain)

The Estate
Cava Privat  (Carmenet Winery) is located in the Penedes region of Spain, south of Barcelona, in the town of Sant Sadurni D’Anoia. This Cava producer, unlike most others, makes sparkling wine from Chardonnay and Pinot Noir grapes. 

The Vineyards
Currently, the winery owns 8 hectares of grapes and produces 20,000 bottles, or 3,200 cases (6/750ml), annually. 

The Wines
Production is broken down into three specific wine types:
        A.     Privat Evolució, Brut
        B.     Privat Opus Evolutium, Cava Gran Reserva, Brut Nature
        C.     Privat Laietà, Cava, Brut Nature (Organic)
Many of the grapes used by the vineyard are grown organically and the date of disgorgement is noted on each and every bottle (the notation “A.D.” on each label is the abbreviation for “disgorgement date” in Catalonian). Some of the Cavas are given Catalonian names, such as Laietà, the name of an ancient Iberian tribe that settled in and around Barcelona in pre-Roman times, while others are given Latin names, such as Evolutium. All these sparkling wines are flavorful and toasty and remind one of Champagne, not Cava.

shelf talker

#S4EE349000CHS
UPC code: 7 84585 00307 5
N.V. Cava, Privat Laieta, Brut, Carmenet  6/750ml
Pale golden straw color with a greenish tint and plenty of fine, persistent bubbles. Green apple and dry grass aromas over a pleasant yeasty background. Fresh and creamy on the palate with crisp acidity and good fruit. An excellent cava. It comes within an eye-candy gift-set.  


"This outstanding Cava is 100% Chardonnay made in a Blanc de Blanc style. Green apple, spice, and yeast notes lead to a creamy, dry palate. The flavors are crisp and refreshing, the wine balanced and long."
- Wine Advocate (Issue 175, Feb 08), 91 pts

National Retail Price: $34.95 / bottle

shelf talker

#S4EE349001CHS
UPC code: 7 84585 00312 9
N.V. Cava, Privat, Opus Evolutium, Brut, Carmenet 6/750ml
This cava is made from 100% Chardonnay and produced with a "Methode Traditionnelle" and an ageing process of 30 months minumum.  This is an excellent Blanc de Blancs.

"The non-vintage Cava Privat Opus Evolutium is a high-class if expensive sparkling wine comparable to non-vintage Champagne in style and flavor. It offers up good brioche and pear scents, a steady stream of small bubbles, and full intensity, crisp flavors. It would work well on the table with Spain’s spectacular shell fish. Imported by Kysela Père et Fils, LTD." - Wine Advocate (issue 169), 90 pts

"Bright yellow. Fine, persistent mousse. Smoky, mineral-driven orange, pear, white peach and anise on the nose. Deep, dry and powerful , with vivid pear and apple flavors, a hint of smoke, and intriguing notes of magnolia and acacia honey. Wonderfully pure and bright, with a suave texture and a broad finish. There's elegance here that I seldom find in Cava." - Stephen Tanzer's International Wine Cellar (Sep/Oct 2006), 90 pts

National Retail Price: $39.95 / bottle