This week at the SAQ #10

We recently had the pleasure of serving this grand Cava during a tasting of vintage wines. Since we rarely come across traditional Spanish methods aged for 80 months on lees, we will be delighted to see this one available this Thursday.

The Cusiné family is one of those winemaking families that are sincerely in love with their audience, and for Joan, Quebec has always been a loyal market. For years, we have seen their entry-level Cava in the network—a serious and reliable sparkler that remains affordable.

This Cava is a different beast, with a blend of 80% Xarel-lo supported equally by Chardonnay and Pinot Noir. The white grape varieties are vinified together in stainless steel, while the Pinot Noir spends two months on lees with frequent stirring for a palpable addition of texture.

The final aging on lees is long and transforms the wine, giving a capital C to CAVA… Named in honor of the women of the estate, and particularly the daughter of Maria-Elena and Joan, born with the first vintage in 2002, you will want to take a break to appreciate this wine.

A deep yellow color and timid bubbles, which favorably betray the extended aging, will lead us to a mouthfeel that is ample and silky, as only patinaed bubbles can provide. Dried fruits, candied orange, and toasted almonds will take you on a journey from Barcelona to Vilafranca del Penedès on the train of taste-based pleasure.

Serve well chilled for a great evening with serious bubble lovers.

• To pair it with: Salad with fresh figs and buffalo mozzarella, quality olive oil, and a drizzle of aged balsamic,
• Fun fact: The estate has been in operation since 1790, but it is truly the two wives of the Cusiné brothers, Maria Elena and Marta, who are behind the quality leap of the estate with their expertise in viticulture and winemaking,
• To better understand sparkling wines: Stay tuned for our next workshop on bubbles of the world,
• For an exploration of the Parés Baltà family: Indigena Garnatxa 2021 for $25 at the SAQ (13565502)

Lovers of the Montreal restaurant scene remember the Plateau Mont-Royal with nostalgia before the neighborhood became a gentrified suburb. Back then, at the height of the late-night culinary scene, the Continental shone under the guidance of Laurent Farre and Alain Rochard. The former is still active for our sensory pleasure, but the latter has been dedicated for the past twenty years to creating the wine he once served.

Originally from Saumur in the Loire, he spent time in Minervois with his Domaine du Loup Blanc, only to return to his roots this time with Julien Fouet to present a blend of Chenin Blanc and Grolleau.

This Fouet, representing the sixth generation and also working organically, is an expert in Chenin Blanc with several vintages available at the SAQ, including his irreverent 'Pour ma gueule'… It is the Grolleau Gris (the red Grolleau more commonly used for rosés) vinified here as a white that brings a special touch to the wine and gives it its biting acidity.

It’s fresh with citrus and stone fruits. Pour it as an aperitif, and you’ll realize that 750ml is very little wine when it’s done this well…

• To pair it with: A salmon croquette in a burger or as a salad,
• Fun fact: Cavalierly, Robert Parker once suggested that Loire winemakers rip out their Grolleau vines to replant with Cabernet Franc… Fortunately, the winemakers turned a deaf ear, and today we still find 460 hectares of Grolleau Gris in the region…
• To better understand the Loire: Stay tuned for our next workshop on the matter,
• For more on the theme: Saumur blanc ‘L’ardillon’ 2022 for $24 at the SAQ (13585407)

We introduced you to the appellation in the second chapter of this blog last March. It is uncommon and sought-after, with its 550 hectares and its recent classification as the 10th cru of Beaujolais some 35 years ago.

Today, it is Guy Breton and his visionary work that leads us to present this top-tier Gamay. At the origin of the Beaujolais renaissance, by ostracizing the 71b yeast (the one that gives banana aromas…) from his cellars, he was quickly associated by the merchant community with the "Gang of Four."

Lapierre, Fouillard, Thévenet, and Breton would be at the head of this movement that sought to achieve better grape ripening, work organically without chaptalization, and, above all, take the terroir into account for more precision. The result? We quickly moved away from those watery, caricatural Beaujolais that tasted of English candy, to closer Beaujolais wines that, even if taut and still refreshing, rely on a texture of spices and a spectacular vein of minerality.

Liquid pleasure that we would like in a magnum, given how our glasses seem to have holes in them…

• To pair it with: A salad of red beets, Chioggia beets, golden beets, and all the beets, with roasted sesame seeds for texture,
• Fun fact: Guy Breton is nicknamed "P'tit Max," not because of his height, but in reference to his father,
• To better understand Gamay: Stay tuned for our grape varietal aperitif on the matter,
• ·To go further in your quest for Breton: Morgon 2021 for $37 at the SAQ (12258885)