2022 Hispano Suizas Tantum Ergo Chardonnay Pinot Noir Brut Nature

The Cavas of Hispano-Suizas are among the most beautiful in Spain. We agree, and international wine critics share this opinion. As with top-quality Champagne, they only work with vintage wines, so the Cava comes from a specific year. It's one of the Cavas made from the exact same grapes as Champagne: Chardonnay and Pinot Blanc (Blanc de Noir), a practice rarely seen in the Cava region. The wine is also made using the Traditional method, with double fermentation, so it can rightly be called a "Spanish Champagne" (interesting detail, but historically, it's even true that monk Dom Pérignon, the "inventor" of Champagne, got the idea of ​​using a cork with a muselet to seal the bottle while visiting Spain).

We're up for the challenge, as Suckling and Decanter, among others, endorse, and enjoy Hispano-Suiza's Cavas. But try them (blind) alongside a good champagne and you'll experience it for yourself. So incredibly good, with impressive perlage. So fine that the bubbles are barely visible, yet on the palate, they are so wonderfully refined, releasing all the fresh fruit.

For this quintessentially Spanish "Champagne," the finest grapes from low-yielding vines in the company's own Chardonnay and Pinot Noir vineyards are selected. The grapes are collected in special 15 kg boxes. Harvesting takes place only in the very early morning to maintain the optimal temperature for the grapes until they reach the winery. Once in the winery, the full boxes are stored in cold rooms at -10°C for three days.

The varietals are vinified separately, and at the end of fermentation, the grapes are separated. The Chardonnay is destemmed and crushed. We place all the resulting grape paste in a stainless steel tank with a cooling system to allow the grapes to undergo a unique cold maceration (8°C) for 24 hours.

Pinot Noir is dyed very cold directly in the pneumatic press, allowing for a light pressing of no more than 0.5 bar for the white grape must. We opted for grape juice that is statically extracted from the press for 36 hours and then only needs to be fermented cleanly from the must portion. Fermentation takes place in new American oak barrels with a capacity of 400 liters at a temperature of 16°C.

Once fermentation is complete, it is left on its lees until the final filtration. The second fermentation takes place in the bottle at a constant temperature of 16°C to achieve a very slow fermentation that allows for perfect CO2 integration, reflected in a very fine bubble in the glass. The lees are aged for a minimum of 22 months, and disgorgement is entirely manual.

In the glass, the Tantum Ergo has an intense golden yellow color. On the nose, aromas of white fruit, reminiscent of ripe fruit, with hints of pastry and dried fruit, and a light vanilla note. On the palate, the Tantum Ergo Chardonnay & Pinot Noir is powerful, creamy, with plenty of breadth and complexity, delivering balanced acidity and a long finish. This is all complemented by beautiful perlage.

ABOUT CAVA & HISPANO SUIZAS

Cava has been a protected designation of origin since 1972. The name cava first officially appeared in 1959; before that, the Spanish simply called it "champán." The production process is therefore identical to that of champagne. Historically, the monk Dom Pérignon, the "inventor" of champagne, even got the idea of ​​using a cork with a muselet to seal the bottle while visiting Catalonia.

Cava production is carried out according to the standards of the "méthode traditionnelle" (traditional method), identical to champagne production, with two key differences: the region or terroir where the grapes grow and, above all, the grapes used.

CAVA production indeed still takes place mainly in what is today the territory of the DO Penedès, but there are now also many other regions where cava can be made and which also legally belong to the Cava appellation. And near Valencia there is also a small unique area that belongs to the DOP Cava.

It differs from this region near Penedes (Barcelona) in that it has a continental climate with Mediterranean influences, and the soils consist primarily of calcareous clay. Another difference is that the vineyards are situated a few hundred meters above sea level and still have to work hard to find water and minerals from deep within the ground. There is also a significant difference between day and night, which gives the grapes good acidity. All of this is ideal for the production of elegant, fresh sparkling wines like this top-quality Cava.

FACT: In the "Attachments" tab, you'll find the official fact sheet for this fine wine. We'll automatically send it to you when you order it. The wine is stored in our climate-controlled Wine Warehouse, and if you pick it up, you'll often receive a nice discount . You'll see your discount immediately when you select "Pick up" at checkout. We're located in Dordrecht, just off the A16 motorway, with ample parking. Click here for our address.