Wine of the week

Alan Nance recommends a delicious introduction to the wines of Montsant.

Vi del Mas 2022 (Celler Comunica)

D.O. Montsant

Varieties: 70% Garnacha Tinta, 30% Syrah

ABV: 13.5%

€8.70 from Decántalo

Just as in my native Cornwall the prefix Tre at the beginning of a place name signifies 'farm' or 'homestead', so too does the Catalan word Mas. And so, in Catalonia, a Vi de Mas is a wine from the farm, a house wine if you like, an introduction to a place and its people.

And what a fine introduction this is. Montsant has long been recognized as a region offering excellent wines at a fraction of the price found in its neighbour, Priorat, and there can be few better examples of this than the Vi de Mas 2022 from Celler Comunica.

This is a relatively new winemaking venture, established in 2012 by Pep Aguilar and Patri Morillo, who prior to that had spent many years advising other wineries in Mediterranean areas of Spain.

Pep Aguilar (left), Patri Morillo (centre) and colleague Josep (📷 courtesy of Celler Comunica)

Their goal, as they make clear on their website, was to make fresh and vibrant wines, and this led them to seek out the granite soils of the Montsant. The vineyards, totalling just seven hectares, are located on the Mas d'en Cosme estate close to the town of Falset, and are planted with Garnacha Tinta, Blanca and Peluda, as well as some Carinyena and a little Syrah.

Vineyards on the Mas d'en Cosme estate, with Falset in the background  (📷 courtesy of Celler Comunica)

The unadorned vitality of their wines (there are currently nine in the catalogue) is underscored by their approach in the cellar. In the case of the Vi de Mas 2022, the grapes for which come from vines planted on granitic sand and limestone soil at 370 m altitude, this means 50% destemming and maceration of up to five days, followed by fermentation with indigenous yeasts in stainless steel tanks and polymer eggs. The wine is then aged for six months in stainless steel with lees, followed by a further two months in polymer eggs.

The result is frankly delicious. The colour of a translucent pomegranate seed, this has a nose of ripe strawberries with a whiff of thyme and fennel, as well as some more floral notes. The slightly sweet red fruit might be the soloist here, but it's backed by a tight and stony rhythm section, which along with the savoury undertones make this a seriously moreish wine. Drink it on its own, or maybe do as I've just done and chill it a little to accompany some grilled mackerel. And while you're drinking, remember that this currently retails for under €9.

Celler Comunica… I'm reading you loud and clear.