NV Bodegas Escudero Dioro Baco Brut Rosado Pinot Noir Cava 750 ml

Rioja purists might question Bodegas Escudero’s sanity.  

Making a sparkling rosé in the heart of Rioja, a region practically synonymous with long-aged reds? Using gentle Pinot Noir in the land of muscular Tempranillo? On its face, the idea might seem absurd. But in the glass—it’s a compelling argument that the region’s foothills were made for bubbly. 

Escudero’s 94-point Dioro Baco Brut Rosado has everything we look for in a quality Cava. Its aromas are heady and enticing, with notes of strawberry, pomegranate, rose, and brioche. A sip reveals crisp raspberry sorbet, cranberry, and blood orange zest, underpinned by minerality and balanced acidity. And its versatility at the table is off the charts, which has landed it on the wine lists at multiple Spanish MICHELIN-starred restaurants. 

To make Cava in Rioja, you need the right terroir—and the Escudero family definitely has it. Their vineyard in Grávalos sits on the rugged foothills of the Iberian mountains. At 2,600 feet in elevation, the winds here are stronger, the soils stony and poor, and the region’s abundant sunlight seems filtered through a sieve of cooler air. It’s perfect for Pinot Noir, which thrives in milder temperatures, coaxing out the grape’s bright acidity and nuanced aromas. 

Yet sparkling wine wasn’t simply a whim for the Escuderos. It’s their identity. The family’s patriarch Juan began making wines in a small cave dug into the Grávalos hillsides, but it was his grandson Benito who started making and selling traditional-method sparklers in the 1950s. In the decades since, the family has honed their techniques, and today, those techniques have yielded a Cava with tremendous energy and grace.