Wines of the week | Good prices and minerality

This week, a warm and very affordable Spanish red, as well as very good value for money in Burgundy. Then, a big favourite: a superb Chenin Blanc from Vouvray. If you still don’t understand what we are talking about when we mention minerality in wine, you will find the answer in a glass of this cuvée!

Veronique Rivest
Sommelier, guest collaborator

Fruity and warm

The Espelt family cultivates vines in the Empordà region, in the extreme northeast of Spain, where the Pyrenees plunge into the Mediterranean. The emphasis is on local grape varieties and the recovery of old grape varieties. Here, Grenache and Carignan (70% and 30%, respectively), grown in the mountains on decomposed granite soils, make up the Sauló cuvée. The nose offers a nice fruitiness, with aromas of cherry, blackberry and blackcurrant, with notes of spices, garrigue and anise. Dry, with still a nice fruity shine on the palate, the wine is supple, slightly tannic and warm, but without any heaviness. In addition, the bottle is very light: we like that! And it keeps very well until the next day once opened. To be enjoyed with pork tenderloin and ratatouille, chicken couscous, grilled sausages.

Espelt Sauló Empordà 2020, $15.35 (10856241), 14.5%, organic

Laying down: to drink

Affordable Burgundy

Demand for Burgundy wines continues to rise, with the price pressure that this entails. So we are delighted when we come across a wine of good value for money, as is the case for the Chanson Pinot Noir Bourgogne 2020. Its color is pale, and its nose very aromatic, alluring, stuffed with small crunchy red fruits. Delicate herbal and floral notes add complexity and nuance. The palate is the same: greedy and drinkable, with a lot of fruity sparkle; all the more remarkable knowing that 2020 has been very hot! It will certainly be a vintage to follow. Dry and rather light, the wine is based on very light tannins which bring just the right amount of relief. Delicious ! Serve slightly chilled with roast chicken, wild mushroom risotto, steak tartare.

Chanson Burgundy Pinot Noir 2020, $24.20 (11598394), 13% off

Aging: 3 or 4 years

Power contained… in bottle

This is a wine for contemplation! This Domaine Vincent Carême Le Clos Vouvray 2019 attracts our attention as soon as we dive into it, it intrigues and makes you want to return to it constantly, to let it transport us to where it comes from. Its origins in limestone soils are undeniable: its chalky texture is omnipresent. Made from old Chenin vines, 50 to 70 years old, it is vinified in barrels, with aging on the lees for one year. The nose opens with notes of quince and pear, but above all beeswax, mushrooms and smoke. Depth and complexity bear witness to the age of the vines: the wine, ample, shows a contained power, carried by a lot of tension, and this chalky texture which persists on a long tight finish. Pour into a carafe and enjoy with fish in white butter, poultry with cream or mushrooms, sweetbreads.

Domaine Vincent Carême Le Clos Vouvray 2019, $39 (14555664), 14%, organic

Aging: 7 to 10 years