Published by Jeremy.
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We have to admit, we have a bit of a love affair with Pares Balta, particularly their Cava Blanca Cusine– an often aged Cava that comes packed with incredible flavor.
Since we loved the Blanca Cusine so much, we naturally wanted to try their Rosa Cusine- the rose equivalent in the same aged Cava series made with Grenache. While it may be less common to discuss aged rose, for this one, eight years of age was just starting to show its true potential.
Pares Balta Rosa Cusine is Perfect With Age
This rose Cava was medium pink-orange in color with medium aromas of grapefruit, orange rind, yogurt, strawberry, cream, almond, orange marmalade, golden raisin, and honey.
On the palate, it was dry with high acidity, medium alcohol and body, a creamy mousse, and a medium(+) flavor intensity and finish. We had notes of lemon, lime, orange marmalade, nectarine, grapefruit, dried strawberries, dried raspberries, cream, wet stone, ginger, and yogurt.
As you can see, there was a lot going on in this wine, and it is the kind of glass we could keep finding more flavor notes in. It was just that complex in all the best ways possible.
Rose Cava Food Pairing – Scallops in Red Pepper Sauce
We paired this lovely rose Cava with seared scallops in a red pepper sauce. The richness of the scallops with the brightness of the peppers caused a wealth of cherry flavor to pop in the wine as well as more expression of minerality. The cream notes also were heightened slightly; however, to less of a degree than the others.
That said, sparkling wine and rose can both hold up to most foods, so you'll be hard pressed to find a bad pairing for this gem.
Score: 4.5 / 5
We want several bottles of this one.
As with Pares Balta Cava Cusine, their rose version of this bottle is simply spectacular. Great intensity of flavor with a wide breadth of flavors on the nose and on the palate. It is really hard to go back to anything else after drinking this one. As such, we want many bottles.
Pares Balta is located in Penedes, Spain. We purchased this bottle from a local distributor and enjoyed it in 2024.
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