1+1=3 Cygnus ALBIREO Cava Brut NV
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Wine Review Online
My experience with this wine was love at first sight (and whiff and taste). Although I love its sibling “Sador” Brut Nature Reserva just a bit more, this is even less expensive while being just as delicious in its way, and consequently an even better value. (The value of both is remarkable given that they are certified organic and vegan.) This has only 8.5 grams per liter of residual sugar, so it is a truly Brut wine rather than one that is off-dry, yet it offers very open and expressive fruit flavors that are beautifully off-set by notable mineral undertones. My preference for the “Sador” Brut Nature is that it seems a bit more detailed to me, and reserved but not “austere” despite its non-dosage crafting. Another way of expressing my preference is that the “Sador” simply doesn’t need any dosage to achieve its obvious deliciousness. However, having had my say, I grant that out of 100 hypothetical tasters, the preference split might well be 50/50. These “Cygnus” bottlings from U MES U are among the most exciting “finds” for me as a reviewer during 2023.
Michael Franz Jan 2, 2024
The new release of the Cygnus “Albireo” Cava Reserva Brut is made from a blend of forty- five percent Macabeu (forty-nine year-old vines), thirty-five percent Xarel-lo and twenty percent Parellada, with all of the grapes grown organically. The wine was aged fifteen months in its fine lees prior to disgorgement in July of 2022. The wine offers up a refined bouquet of lemon, tart pear, wild fennel, salty white soil tones and a topnote of lemongrass. On the palate the wine is crisp, precise and full-bodied, with a good core, excellent mineral undertow, frothy mousse and lovely length and grip on the impeccably balanced finish. I do not know what the dosage is for this bottling, but it seems quite low and perfectly suited to the wine. A lovely bottle. 2023-2040.
John Gilman – Issue #103 January/February 2023.
Aromas of lemon curd, orange blossom and croissant set the scene for flavors of pineapple, lemon-lime sorbet, marzipan and rose water. This wine is lightly effervescent on the tongue and has a bright lemon zest finish. M.D. – November, 2022
This is a reserve bottling from the winery that produces the popular and humorously named 1+1=3 Cava that is widely available in the D.C. area. While the basic cava is exuberant, this is more restrained and complex, with aromas of white flowers and flavors of green apples and pears. Certified organic and vegan. ABV: 11.5 percent.
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