SAQ Priorat DOCa El Tribut de Scala Dei 2022, Cellars de Scala Dei

Follow this link for SAQ: https://www.saq.com/fr/12885379

Starting out Christian to do some good

Through its incestuous relationships between religion and power, the history of Spain is as disturbing as it is fascinating. Thus, in the Middle Ages, if you had any aspiration to live past thirty, joining a monastic order was a very sound career choice.

What followed was the establishment of monasteries here and there to spread the faith and push back the Moors still present on the peninsula. It is within this logic that the Carthusian monastery of Scala Dei was founded in 1194. In rhythm with Catholic, Francoist, and ultimately European Spain, the estate's winemaking vocation would mark the evolution of Priorat, turning it into a region prized today by lovers of great Grenache-based reds.

Before the Palacios, Perezes, and Barbiers who put the region on wine maps in the 80s, Scala Dei was already producing these Grenaches with character on licorella (slate) soils. Now renovated and owned by the Codorniu group, efforts are being made to maintain the winemaking tradition while quietly adopting a certain modernity thanks to the good care of Ricard Rofes, who oversees the estate's 70 hectares.

This entry-level wine from the estate highlights an intensity less common to us, both in its chewiness and its alcohol content. Fortunately, the terroir speaks for itself, and the floral and mineral notes make the palate pleasant and long.

An affordable tribute to the region's terroir and the estate's history.

• To pair it with: Take out the marinated veal flank steak and grill it on the BBQ,
• For the anecdote: One might expect the stairway to God leading to the Charterhouse to be a long road... Unfortunately for climbers, you only have to climb 283 steps, a little less than those of St. Joseph's Oratory...
• To better understand the variations of Grenache: We are impatiently awaiting the schedule for our varietal happy hours,
• If the geometry of the circle fascinates you as much as the roundness of Grenache, we recommend the Priorat DOQ '2 Pi R' 2021, Gratavinum, $37 at the SAQ, especially at the Fabreville location... (11307163)