In the glass
Aroma: ripe apple, lemon, fresh almond, toasted bread
Palate: dried fruit, creamy lees, saline minerality, long finish
Indigenous-trio Gran Reserva Brut Nature aged 42 months on lees from the 70-hectare Finca Nadal de la Boadella organic estate. Ripe apple, lemon and toasted bread over dried-fruit lees depth.
What it pairs with
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Iberian ham
Find iberian ham on TableJourney →
Long-lees Brut Nature partners Bellota-aged ham; almond register echoes the cured pork. -
Bacalla a la llauna
Find bacalla a la llauna on TableJourney →
Salt cod with paprika finds a partner in the wine's saline drive. -
Aged Manchego
Lees-toast almond complexity matches aged sheep's-milk cheese. -
Roast partridge
Gran Reserva long-lees Brut Nature handles gamebird with red-fruit jus.
History
Especial is Nadal's mid-tier Gran Reserva Brut Nature, 42 months on lees, between the volume Brut Nature Reserva and the long-aged Salvatge. The wine reflects the estate's organic farming on 70 hectares at El Pla del Penedes.
- 2000 — First Especial Brut Nature vintage
- 2019 — Nadal founding member of Corpinnat
Facts
- Producer
- Nadal
- Grapes
- Xarel-lo (50%), Macabeo (30%), Parellada (20%)
- Classification
- Corpinnat
- Oak
- Stainless steel; minimum 42 months on lees in bottle
- ABV
- 12.0%
- Price
- EUR 22 to 35 at retail
- Drinking window
- 1-10 from vintage
- First vintage
- 2000
- Biodynamic
- Biodynamic Practicing
- Organic
- CCPAE
- Vegan
- Yes (no animal-derived fining)
Frequently asked about Especial Brut Nature
What does Nadal Especial taste like?
Ripe apple, lemon, fresh almond and toasted bread on the nose; dried fruit, creamy lees, saline minerality and a long finish on the palate. Medium-bodied with high acidity and a long elegant finish.
When should I drink Especial?
Drink between 1 and 10 years from vintage. The 42-month lees ageing delivers full autolytic depth; the Brut Nature dry edge holds well in cellar conditions.
What grapes are in Especial?
The three indigenous Cava varieties from the 70-hectare organic Finca Nadal de la Boadella estate: 50 percent Xarel-lo, 30 percent Macabeo and 20 percent Parellada. Gran Reserva Brut Nature aged 42 months on lees.
What food pairs with Especial?
Iberian ham, bacalla a la llauna, aged Manchego and roast partridge. The Gran Reserva long-lees depth rewards Catalan and Iberian savoury cooking.