A really good red blend from Priorat DOCa

Sometimes, you just have to run away

No, I'm not entirely done with unpacking yet but life has to go on… 



Today, I’m going to talk about another Spanish wine that we repeatedly enjoyed with my in laws. It is called Mas d'en Compte 2009 (c.21 Euros) and hails from Priorat DOCa (Denominacion de Origen Calificada). 

Priorat (Priorato in Spanish and Priory in English) is a region in Catalonia, located in the north east of Spain (you can see a map of the wine regions in Spain here). Wine production started in the 12^th century by the monks and similar to the situation in France, became disrupted in the 19^th century when insects native to North American (phylloxera) travelled across the Atlantic and killed most of the grape vines. Widespread replanting started in 1950 and took off in the late 1970s/ 1980s and today, the region sits along Rioja and Ribera Del Duero as being a top quality wine appellation (reflected by its DOCa status which is the highest wine classification in Spain).  

Mountains surround Priorat and its ground is rocky: a mixture of black and red slates and quartz also known locally as “llicorella” (I found this write up useful when trying to imagine llicorella). The presence of the llicorella schist is an important factor for this region because it allows the vine to penetrate deep below the surface and retains water during the dry summer. Grenache and carignan/cariñena are the typical grapes planted in this region, usually blended with small quantities of Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot.

The bottles of Mas d'en Compte 2009 we tried really opened up after an hour and provided a complex flavour of black fruits, jam, oak and minerals. Deep ruby in colour, it was full bodied, high in tannin and provided a sweet long finish. The wine had been aged in French and American barrels for 14 months - a blend of grenache (50%), cariñena (45%) and cabernet sauvignon (5%) - of which, the cariñena were derived from a 60 year old vineyard.

2009 bottles (rated 96 Parker points) seem to be sold out everywhere we looked online. However, the 2011s are still available. We have not yet tried them but note that Parker had given it 93 points, suggesting yet another bottle with very good "Euro-Parker points ratio" (to use Emilio Rubio's term). The bodega Celler Cal Pla (website in Catalan only) was founded 200 years ago and has undergone 7 generations of grape growers.

Châteauneuf-du-Pape with friends

We had not seen Vicenzo and Valerie since last year, before we moved to Sao Paulo, so there was a lot to catch up on when we finally met them last week. Dinner at their home is always an agreeable affair - not only for the great company and marvellous food and wine but also the array of languages being spoken: They speak to each other and to their kids in Italian and French, to Baby Koala's older brother in German and English, to Emilio in Spanish, Italian and Portuguese (smatterings of which I'm proud to say I can now understand), to Baby Koala in baby Italian and to me in English. I love it.

We drank Châteauneuf-du-Pape, Domaine Mas Saint-Louis (2010). A blend of predominantly Grenache grape mixed with Syrah, Cinsault and Mourvedre/Picpoul, it paired really well with our main course of sautéed beef served on a delightful bed of rocket dressed with vinaigrette, mixed with Parmesan shavings. Emilio is not a big fan of french wine, believing that they are more often than not, too acidic and overpriced, especially when compared to spanish wines. This wine which tasted fruity, balanced and soft and retailing at c.Euro18 thus proved to be an exception with him. 

Wiki tells me that "Châteauneuf-du-Pape" in English means "new castle of the pope" and came to be when the papacy relocated to the South East of France to Avignon, near the River Rhône in the 14th century (here is a simplified wine map for France). It is also the first Appellation Contrôlée established in France, in 1932. Under the current rules of the appellate, the medieval village is allowed to use 18 types of grapes however the most popular grape is Grenache. It is uncommon though to find Châteauneuf-du-Pape made from 100% Grenache because it has high alcohol content and lacks complexity. For this reason, producers tend to blend them with other grapes such as Syrah, Clairette and Mourvedre.

Interestingly, the wine produced from this region (predominantly red), is said to taste less acidic because of the presence of 'galets' or stones in the terrain which releases the Mediterranean heat stored during the day into the vines at night, thus hastening the ripening process. This is in contrast to grapes from cool climates which tend to ripen slower and are typically harvested with higher acid content and lower sugar level. 

I could not find much information in English about the bodega or domain of Mas Saint Louis (owned  by the Geniest Family since 1909). There are some nuggets from this site which is dedicated to all things related to Châteauneuf-du-Pape.