De Nit is the signature Rosé sparkling wine by Raventós i Blanc, coming from vineyards called la Barbera, Plana and el Viader that have deep calcareous soils with a sand-rich loamy texture.
These soils date back to the oldest period of the Penedès depression some 16 million years ago are rich marine fossils giving salinity and mionerality to the wines.
The blend is the typical Cava blend made from local grapes, specifically here: 37 % Macabeu, 37 % Xarel.lo, 18 % Parellada, and 8 % Monastrell (the only red grape providing the color).
The Monastrell plot on the lower terraces of the El Serral hillside have a major role in defining the personality of the De Nit wine.
Vineyard are managed according to biodynamic principles.
So how good is this 2014 Raventos i Blanc de Nit ?
Tasting Notes
This bubbly comes in a delicate and rather-pale salmon color, with almost more orange hues than pink ones. This gives it an appealing, intriguing (because this is quite rare for sparklings), and classy aspect.
Quite unexpectedly for a rosé, the nose is on the savory side rather than being frankly fruity and with a fresh berry smell.
Hay, lily flower, and walnut dominate the aromas. It is still intriguing, and I am still intrigued at this stage of the tasting, and perhaps beginning to be charmed !?!
The palate is both very dry, and full-bodied. Solid acidity marries a big oily texture. They’re both (acidity and texture) joined towards the finish by delicate drying tannins. The whole underlines and highlights the savory approach to a sparkling rosé this wine takes.
It feels like a Blanc de Blancs approach to a sparkling rosé, in the sense that it delivers its complexity and elegance in a very mineral, almost austere way. Taste it blind and you’d most certainly think this is a white bubbly.
Only the finish betrays the presence of a small proportion of a red grape: Monastrell, providing roundness, a touch of sweetness and a feminine finesse to the palate on the back of your mouth.
There is a definite harmony to this blend though, taking you through fields of dry hay, exuberant tropical flowers, pear tree orchards, and blooming strawberry plants.
This is a light and joyful walk through nature’s delightful scents.
The palate is also somehow austere but also balanced and charming.
Intrigued I still am after tasting it, but definitely charmed also by the wine’s presence and raw complexity.
I am more intrigued at how well this would be paired with fine dishes (which it wasn’t unfortunately while tasting). This is a wine built for gastronomy, for pairing with refine foods thoughtfully matched with it.
If a sommelier ever recommends a Raventos i Blanc de Nit sparkling wine with a dish (and he knows what he’s talking about), make sure you follow him as you’re unlikely to be disappointed.
Enjoy
Check out how de Nit looks with this Video
Please let me know your thoughts