Wine & Spirits - October 2020 - 77

FOCUS:
PRIORAT & MONTSANT
Our blind panels tasted 68 wines from Priorat and Montsant^sfromPvenc for this issue. Rachel DelRocco Terrazas, our critic for Spain, rated 23 as exceptional (90+) and 6 as Best Buys.
Find a complete list of wines tasted, and all reviews, at wineandspiritsmagazine.com.

MO N TS A N T WHIT E
278275

91 | Venus La Universal

$25

2018 Montsant Dido Blanc ^ Husband-andwife team Sara Pérez and René Barbier come
from families with a long history in Priorat-Pérez from Mas Martinet and Barbier
from Clos Mogador. They launched Venus
La Universal in the town of Falset in Montsant in 1999, working with their own organically farmed vineyards and four other growers in the region. Their white wine-a blend
of macabeu (also known as viura), garnacha blanca and cartoixà (the local name for
xarel-lo) sees extended skin maceration and
14 months in 5,000-liter barrels. The 2018 is
fragrant and full-bodied, with scents of juicy
apricots, marjoram and thyme and a waxy
almond breadth. It feels very Mediterranean,
with a salinity that makes up for the wine's
soft acidity. Pop it open on a fall day to drink
with cheese. § Europvin USA, Van Nuys, CA/
Skurnik Wines & Spirits, NY

P RIO R A T W H IT E
278295

91 | Costers del Priorat

$35

2018 Priorat Blanc de Pissarres ^ Costers del
Priorat is located in the village of El Molar
in the southern section of Priorat, where
it's often sunnier and warmer than the surrounding areas. That warmth reads in this
wine, a blend of 60 percent garnacha blanca,
30 percent macabeo and ten percent pedro
xímenez, partly fermented in 225-liter barrels. It's an exotic alternative to buttery chardonnay, with aromas of banana cake and
white peaches, seasoned by salinity and lifted
by a subtle acidity. Decant this to allow more
of the floral and fruit flavors to develop. § De
Maison Selections, Chapel Hill, NC

MO N TS A N T R OS É
278276

93 | Venus La Universal

$27

2018 Montsant Dido La Solució Rosa ^ This
rosé may seem simple at first, with aromas of
watermelon and roses, but as it opens up, it
turns complex and savory. Flavors of salted
grapefruit, red-apple skin, and even cured

meat develop, as well as some tannins gained
while the wine aged in a mix of barrels and
clay jars. It's substantial enough to match
with a meal of crab legs. § Europvin USA, Van
Nuys, CA/Skurnik Wines & Spirits, NY

PRIORAT ROSÉ
278298

90 | Scala Dei

$35

2018 Priorat Pla dels Angels Rosat ^ The garnacha for this rosé comes from estate vineyards that sit between 1,640 and 1,960 feet
in elevation. The 2018 captures the coolness
at those altitudes in its lift, the wine at once
easy-drinking yet meaty in texture. In fact, it
drinks like a red wine, with flavors of strawberries, raspberries and white pepper. Give
it a slight chill and serve with a grilled flank
steak. § Raventós Codorníu, NY

MON SANT RED
278290

96 | Acústic Celler

$44

91 | Celler de Capçanes

$32

90 | Venus La Universal

$22

2016 Montsant La Universal Ecologic ^ A.J.
Ojeda-Pons, sommelier at Mercado Little
Spain in NYC and one of our panelists for
this issue, noted how well this wine's strong
acidity and tannins played together with its
fresh, spicy blueberry-jam flavors. It's a versatile cuvée-zesty enough to handle a slight
chill for a backyard barbecue, yet structured
enough to warrant cellaring for a couple
more years. § Europvin USA, Van Nuys, CA/
Skurnik Wines & Spirits, NY
278285
2018 Montsant Potente ^ A blend of garnacha, cariñena, syrah and merlot from old
vines, this is a big and concentrated wine
with a sun-drenched feel. Its notes of black
currant and dark chocolate are balanced by
a firm structure and fresher, crunchier red
fruits. Decant this if you open it now, or cellar it. § Misa Imports, Dallas, TX
278284
2018 Montsant Dido (Best Buy) ^ This is a
blend of 60 percent garnacha and 20 percent
sirà (syrah), the balance a mix of cariñena,
merlot and cabernet sauvignon. It's vibrant
from start to finish, with notes of fresh strawberry tinged with bell pepper and jalapeño.
Its intensity and concentration of fruit would
complement a steak. Europvin USA, Van
Nuys, CA/Skurnik Wines & Spirits, NY

$18

2017 Montsant Acústic Vinyes Velles
Nobles Carinyena i Garnatxa Negra (Best
Buy) ^ Inspired by his family's winemaking
traditions in the Baix Penedès, Albert Jané
works organically, with as little intervention
as possible in his 103 acres of vineyards. His
vines are scattered across a range of terroirs;
this wine is focused on grapes grown on clay
and sandy stone soils. A blend of 70 percent
cariñena (carinyena, locally) and 30 percent
garnacha, it's juicy yet playful, with tart berry
flavors blended with scents of lavender and
lilac, chives and thyme. The texture is silky,
and the spicy finish led me to write, "I want
more!" § Skurnik Wines & Spirits, NY
278281

93 | Celler de Capçanes

278292

92 | Venus La Universal

$23

2018 Montsant Limestone La Nit de les
Garnatxes ^ From a cooperative founded
in 1933, this wine is part of a line meant to
showcase garnacha grown in different soils.
This bottling, from parcels rooted in limestone, is deep, dark and rich in plum and
blackberry flavors. Its intense tannins scream
for a fatty steak; decant it before you heat up
the grill to release more of its peppery and
rosy notes. § Europvin USA, Van Nuys, CA

278277

89 | Cellers Unió

$14

88 | Celler de Capçanes

$16

2017 Montsant Perlat Garnatxa (Best Buy) ^
From a cooperative founded in 1942, this is is
a garnacha to open at the dinner table. Fruitforward, with notes of blackberry, blueberry
and black cherry, it has enough tannins to
warrant decanting before serving with something meaty, like burnt ends. § Monsieur Touton Selection, NY
278286
2019 Montsant Mas Picosa De Flor en Flor
(Best Buy) ^ A blend of garnacha, syrah, cabernet sauvignon and tempranillo designed
to be light and refreshing, this is pretty and
peppery, with notes of cranberry that would
complement a roasted pork loin. § Europvin
USA, Van Nuys, CA
278287
WINE & SPIRITS

OCTOBER 2020

77
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Wine & Spirits - October 2020

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