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Freixenet NV Spumante Sparkling (Cava)

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Expert Reviews

Light, powdery, sweet and citrusy on the nose, this becomes fairly creamy on the palate. It’s aggressively sweet tasting but not cloying, with orange and mango fruit and a finish stocked with enlivening acidity.

by Michael Schachner

Smells a bit pickled and green at first, with a thick and sweet palate that’s not easy to wade through. Sweet lime and orange-mango flavors set up a pithy finish.

by Michael Schachner

Pale and low on bead, but if you like a Moscato-style wine, this isn’t bad at all. The palate is sweet, fleshy and smooth, with lychee and melon flavors. Lively but easy on the finish, with a final wave of lychee fruit and Malvasia-driven sweetness. Unusual but pretty good.

by Michael Schachner

Aromas of carpet cleaner and stems constitute a strange mix, while the palate shows good weight and zest along with flavors of candied white fruits and orange peel. Abundant sweetness thickens the finish, and overall it seems like a strange style for everyday consumption.

by Michael Schachner

Probably not a Cava for wine snobs. But who says all wines have to be super serious and complex? This one shows cured meat, tarragon, sweet tea and Muscat aromas, while the flavors are pure lychee and honeydew. Frothy and sugary, but that’s the spumante style. Best with birthday cake, etc.

by Michael Schachner

Very round and candied, with a ton of vanilla on the nose. It’s made in the supersweet style, as if it’s supposed to go with wedding cake or caramel bon bons. Yet there’s enough balance to keep it on an even keel, which should make it perfect for those raised on candy-sweet wines and their kin. Certainly not to everyone’s liking but not a poorly made wine by any means.

2010 Mira Stanly Ranch

Winemaker Gustavo Gonzalez left Robert Mondavi to do his own thing, and…

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