This week at the SAQ #22

Monsant is one of those appellations that still allows for great discoveries delivered by serious estates. Advantageously located around the renowned Priorat, for the past twenty years it has benefited from the generosity of major producers but also from the momentum of young winemakers who can afford the foothills rather than the mountain.

Less than 200 km from Barcelona, this young appellation (DO in 2001) is home to the Marçà estate and its Acustic project. We are dealing here with a 42-hectare vineyard (owned) that is dedicated to the variations of Grenache in red and white. This cuvée is composed of old vines (40 to 80 years old) planted at altitude on clay, pebbles, and sand. The Grenache, predominating, will provide structure and character, while the Macabeu and the Pansal will provide finesse and fruit.

Aging on lees for seven months in stainless steel, large casks, and amphorae will provide complexity and texture while keeping a summery freshness and liveliness. Another fine product that one will not hesitate to present at varied tables during the holidays.

• To pair it with: chicken breast Florentine,
• For the anecdote: the unique shape of the region recalls a fritter surrounding the Priorat and makes the terroir very diverse,
• To better understand Mediterranean Spanish wines: stay tuned to the newsletter, which will announce this theme in the winter of 2025!
• To continue exploring Monsant, but this time in red, we will test the Mas Collet 2021, Celler Capçanes at $21 at the SAQ (642538)

Few things are less Californian than a grape variety like Picpoul de Pinet. Randall Grahm and his winemaker Nicole Walsh work it by putting acidity in the forefront and keeping the alcohol under the 12% mark, also making you forget all the bad experiences you might have had in the past with the Languedoc appellation.

Originally destined to be blended into his Cigare Blanc, this Picpoul represents a small part of the 25 hectares of the variety that are planted throughout the state. Recognized only since 2004 by the wine authorities, Grahm brings it here to the pinnacle of pleasant Californian wines for this season.

Even if he sold most of his brands a few years ago, Grahm still consults for the estate and brings here his characteristic touch with a whole-cluster vinification, stainless steel tanks with a slight passage on lees to round off the edges without, however, diminishing too much of the variety's natural acidity. Green apples, lemon, and even salinity will make you appreciate the thing as an aperitif.

• To pair it with: beautiful oysters on the half shell,
• For the anecdote: Randall Grahm is famous for his Californian variation of Châteauneuf-du-Pape through his Cigare Volant. The wine takes its name from a legislative decree banning the use of flying saucers (called flying cigars in the 50s) over the region's vineyards... The law is still in effect today...
• To better understand Picpoul whites, you won't want to miss our workshop on Languedoc-Roussillon where we will also discuss the Hérault and its Picpouls...
• Bonny Doon is also its famous line of Cigares Volants declined in several ways, including the Cigare Blanc (non-vintage) Central Coast at $20 at the SAQ (14602900)

Directly from Lombardy, we find this rarity: this 100% Croatina red. Even though it presents us with a red classified as IGT, Tenuta Fornace, which has been in the wine business since 1823, specializes in Oltrepò Pavese, an appellation 45 km south of Milan, bordering Emilia-Romagna and Piedmont.

Out of the 23,000 hectares of Lombard production, we see, all in all, few wines from this appellation at the monopoly. The reason is likely a heavy cooperative history that diminished the qualitative appeal of the wines. It is even less common to encounter a single-varietal Croatina (even if, with 3,000 ha, it is the most planted variety in the region), as the latter is generally used for blends. It is also nicknamed Bonarda in this corner of Italy (different from the Piedmontese Bonarda), and it is an indigenous variety that survived the post-phylloxera invasion of European varieties.

Organic with little intervention in the cellar, this Croatina will exult with raspberries and ripe black cherries. The tannins will be supple and balanced, providing great drinkability. Do not be fooled by the stocky shape of the bottle, for we suspect its contents are quite agile in the glass…

• To pair it with: penne alla puttanesca,
• For the anecdote: the label design refers to Alice in Wonderland as conceptualized by the daughter of Andrea Rossi, owner and winemaker,
• To better understand Northern Italian wines: we begin with Veneto and its Croatinas with our workshop on the subject
• Because it was our second choice of truly interesting Italian wine this week... We could try something completely in the south, in Sardinia, the Carignano del Sulcis 2022, Sella & Mosca, $25 at the SAQ ( 15182046 )