Totus Tuus Cava
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James
Suckling -
Wilfred
Wong
Product Details
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Winemaker Notes
Totus Tuus Cava shows bright aromas of peach, lemon, and orange zest, with a touch of licorice. The wine is concentrated, tactile and dense in the mouth, with a sappy, stony character to its citrus, pit fruit and anise flavors. Shows richness and vivacity in the mouth and the bright finish is long.
*Please note, the label for Totus Tuus Cava is in the process of changing. You may receive either of these two labels featured above. Specific labels cannot be requested.
Professional Ratings
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James Suckling
Attractive, toasty, autolysis warmth on the nose with honey and nougat on the palate, and sweet pastry, too. Builds to pears and light lemon pastry to close.
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Wilfred Wong of Wine.com
COMMENTARY: The Totus Tuus Cava is fresh and appealing. TASTING NOTES: This wine exhibits fresh apples and mineral notes. Enjoy its smooth palate as a bubbly by itself. (Tasted: April 11, 2020, San Francisco, CA)
Alberto Orte is the producer of Totus Tuus Cava. Alberto Orte Espejo was born in Madrid and now lives in El Puerto de Santa María (Cádiz) with his family. In 1999, at the age of 24, he partnered with his friend Patrick Mata, a native of Malaga, and created Ole Imports. Alberto handles the selection of wines and winemaking in Spain while Patrick manages the commercial and marketing part of the business in the USA. +
The Latin expression Totus Tuus, means: “everything for you” or “all yours”. In the same way the wine Muti is made in honor to Patrick Mata's mother, Totus Tuus is made in honor to Alberto Orte's mother.
A term typically reserved for Champagne and Sparkling Wines, non-vintage or simply “NV” on a label indicates a blend of finished wines from different vintages (years of harvest). To make non-vintage Champagne, typically the current year’s harvest (in other words, the current vintage) forms the base of the blend. Finished wines from previous years, called “vins de reserve” are blended in at approximately 10-50% of the total volume in order to achieve the flavor, complexity, body and acidity for the desired house style. A tiny proportion of Champagnes are made from a single vintage.
There are also some very large production still wines that may not claim one particular vintage. This would be at the discretion of the winemaker’s goals for character of the final wine.
What is Cava?
Spain adopted the word, cava, which technically means ‘cellar’ in Catalan, to describe their sparkling wines made using the traditional method. While this style was first created outside of Spain in the 1600s, its birthplace inside of Spain came in 1872 when Jose Raventós of Codorníu first produced traditional method sparkling wine in the town of San Sadurní d’Anoia. Uniquely, the Cava denomination isn’t restricted to one geographical area but rather, it spans eight total wine regions. However, about 90% of Spain’s total production of Cava, Spanish sparkling wine happens within Catalonia, and about 75% is produced within the borders of San Sadurní d’Anoia, inside the smaller Catalan region of Penedès. In 2019, Spain registered nearly 38,000 hectares of vineyards for Cava production, compared to just under 34,000 in Champagne.
How is Cava sparkling wine made?
Cava, like many other sparkling wines of the world is made using the traditional method, or "Champagne method," or método tradicional in Spanish, in which the second fermentation (the one that makes the bubbles) takes place inside the bottle. With this method, spent yeast cells remain in contact with the wine during bottle aging, giving it a creamy mouthful, a toasted bread or brioche quality and in many cases, the capacity to age.
What are the Cava wine grapes?
The mainstay Cava grape varieties include Macabeo, Parellada, and Xarel-lo. Macabeo, also known as Viura, lends pleasant aromatics to the blend, while Parellada adds acidity and finesse. Xarel-lo is the grape that gives body, earth and greengage characteristics to Cava. Occasionally Chardonnay is used as a blending grape or sole variety in making Cava wine. Governmental inclusion approval was awarded in 1986 but still, Chardonnay makes up only a fraction of total vineyard area. For rosé, in Spanish called rosado, the local Trepat and Garnacha can be used, along with Pinot Noir (first permitted in 1998 for rosado and in 2007 for white Cavas).
Cava Tasting Profile
Since Cava is a sparkling wine produced on the Mediterranean where temperatures are warmer and there is more sunshine compared with Champagne, you can expect that Cava sparkling wine will generally have a gentler acid profile compared with its French counterpart. Furthermore, especially when the indigenous varieties are used, common Cava flavors will include citrus peel, fennel, wildflower, lemon blossom and flint or saline. Most Cava is produced in the Brut style, so dry, with a slightly rounder finish that balances brightness with brioche notes and supple fruit. Brut Nature or Zero Dosage examples are bone dry, whereas Extra-Dry Cava will be slightly sweet and a Demi-Sec Cava will have the highest sweetness level.
Cava Pairings
One of the best things about pairing Cava wine is you can drink it on its own or with just about any food! But if you want to focus on bringing out Cava's uniquely brilliant bouquet and citrus notes, rich or seafood-centric dishes are perfect food pairings for Cava. Try Cava with butter poached lobster, seafood risotto, puff pastry and caramelized onions or fried chicken.