Easter | Wines of the week

Three suggestions for this long weekend to accompany your Easter meals. A very versatile sparkling wine that will start any meal on a festive note. A pinot noir/gamay from the Loire that charms with its fragrance and freshness. And a more fleshy red, which evokes the scrubland and will be a hit with lamb.

Affordable: bubbles that are worth it

This family estate in Catalonia offers us one of the best value for money in sparkling wine. Coming from biodynamic viticulture and very careful vinification, their Brut Nature is also aged on lees for longer than the 18 months required by the Corpinnat mention. I recommended the 2019 vintage to you in January 2023. This is the same wine, but disgorged later, in October 2023, as indicated on the back label. The wine has therefore spent around forty months on its lees, which gives it a more sustained substance and a creamier texture. A very pretty nose reveals notes of yellow apple, pear, fennel and citrus fruits. The palate offers ripe substance, but remains fresh and lively, carried by fine bubbles, and a delicate chalky impression on the finish. Perfect for an aperitif or your Easter brunch, with smoked salmon, gravlax, quiche, spinach frittata or fish terrines.

Keeping: 3 or 4 years

DescRegut Corpinnat Brut Nature Reserva 2019, $21.80 (14469168), 11%, organic

Consult the SAQ sheet

Discovery: impressive vintage

Cheverny is a small Touraine appellation, covering around 660 hectares, to the south and east of Blois. The Gendrier family at Domaine des Huards has been growing vines there since 1846 – and since 1998 organically and biodynamically. His meticulous work is reflected in the wines which demonstrate purity, brilliance and freshness. The red wines of the appellation are blends of mainly Pinot Noir and Gamay. Like this Envol vintage, which really impresses in 2022. What a beautiful nose! Fine and fruity, it is reminiscent of cherry and raspberry with a touch of undergrowth and rose. Light and dapper, it also shows substance and hold, with lots of freshness and fine, tight tannins. All the scent of Pinot, with the lively character of Gamay. Delicious, it is perfect to accompany ham, rabbit with mustard, roast chicken or croque-monsieur.

Keeping: 2 or 3 years

Domaine des Huards Envol Cheverny 2022, $23.25 (12748278), 12%, organic

Consult the SAQ sheet

Treat: wines that stand out

A treat at this price: this wine offers very good value for money. Originally from the Loire, Olivier Pithon created his estate in Calce, in Roussillon, in 2001. Very quickly, he switched to biodynamics and stood out by producing deep and complex wines, which also demonstrate a lot of freshness, finesse and vitality. I always appreciate his cuvée Laïs, in white as in red, and the red is particularly successful in 2022. Made from Carignan, Grenache and Mourvèdre, and aged in concrete vats, it gently reveals aromas of black fruits, garrigue, leather, anise, game. The palate is rich, broad and powerful, but also shows tone and freshness. Tightly woven tannins provide chewiness to a long, tasty finish. Pour into a carafe. Perfect to accompany a lamb dish!

Keeping: 4 to 6 years

Olivier Pithon Cuvée Laïs Côtes du Roussillon 2022, $30.25 (11925720), 13.5%, organic

Consult the SAQ sheet