Pago de Tharsys, Utiel-Requena (Valencia, Spain) 2013

 This house makes amazing bubbly from Bobal, and though a $45 price tag will make almost anybody wonder if they shouldn’t be buying Champagne instead, this will prove completely convincing as a superior purchase for anyone lucky enough to find a bottle.  Treated to a lavish 40 months on the lees from the second fermentation, this is marvelously complex, with both autolytic and oxidative notes perfectly complementing the still-fresh fruit, which has a delightfully striking (but not obvious) similarity to apples or applesauce.  I hesitate to even note that similarity, as premium sparkling wines should really be rather restrained, and any suggestion of overt fruitiness could send the aforementioned “anybody” over to the Champagne aisle in a retail shop.  But trust me, this manages to be both restrained and expressive, which is no small feat.  Buy this wine.