2006 Casta Diva Alicante Muscat

90 points from Robert Parker's Wine Advocate: "The 2006 Casta Diva “Cosecha Miel” Moscatel undergoes barrel-fermentation in new oak which is gradually arrested for bottling in the following spring. The nose offers up floral notes and honey along with peach, apricot, ginger, and marmalade. Medium-sweet, intense, and long, this tasty elixir will pair well with fruit desserts." (Feb. 2008) 91 points from Wine Enthusiast: "Honey and corn syrup aromas tell you this is rich, but what you don’t realize so easily is how complex and expansive this Muscat is. The flavors of honey, banana and clover start out as sweet and unctuous, but then they unfurl to show depth, complexity and length. In the end you realize that this is all about pure, unrefined power and purity. Drinking it is like a rush of natural sugar to the brain." (4/1/2008) Felipe Gutiérrez de la Vega started this winery in 1987, converting an old mill into a contemporary winemaking facility in the remote village of Parcent. While the cultivatiom of dry-farmed cabernet and monastrell at vineyards in nearby Jávea are showing potential, the regional specialty is still muscatel. The Ca sta Diva Cosecha Miel, or "honey harvest," is late-harvest muscatel romano that lends itself to a rich, ginger-spiced dessert wine, which ranks among the greatest of its kind.