by Mary Bailey
“Wine is what you feel,” says Valenti Llagostera, of Catalonia’s Mas Doix, at a tasting at The Wine Cellar. He paired each wine with a particular song, and yes, I asked for the playlist.
Valenti Llagostera (Mas Doix) with Wade Brintnell (The Wine Cellar).
Wine growing in the Priorat (southwest of Barcelona) started with Carthusian monks in the 12th century. The modern era began in the early 1990s when Valenti and his brother reinvigorated their uncle’s vineyard, first planted in 1850. “We grew up in Barcelona but always went to the vineyard in the summer,” said Valenti. (I had met Valenti in Priorat a few years ago, so it was a reunion of sorts and a birthday party for the Wine Cellar—40 years in business!) Their first vintage of Doix was 900 bottles, in 1999.
It is a stunning landscape, steep slopes with the distinctive llicorella slate gleaming black and the Mediterranean shimmering in the distance—an extraordinary place to grow grapes. The ancient rock, formed by the movement of tectonic plates, develops fissures which allows vines to push their roots deep into the soil. Geology and the climate (hot days, cool nights) means extremely low yields of high-quality fruit. Cariñena (Carignan) and Garnacha (Grenache) thrive here. “Carignan is all about the soil; Grenache is all about the sun,” says Valenti. “Wine should express the place, facilitate conviviality and be something distinctive.”
That they do. Mas Doix wines, super expressive, bursting with life, communicate their terroir and vintage like no other.
2022 Les Crestes is primarily Grenache with Carignan and Syrah grown on both hillside llicorella and clay/limestone soils, ranging from 10-25 years. Lively, juicy, warm but not desiccated, velvety textured, with rolling tannins. The most accessible Mas Doix, drink with charcuterie, pizza, bean dishes.
2021 Salanques is from 25-50-year-old vines are grown on steep llicorella in the Salanques de Poboleda Ravine area, 25 per cent Carignan, 10 per cent Syrah. Aromatic floral notes, along with mouth-filling juiciness, fresh plum and earth, vibrant, electric, with more verticality than Les Crestes which makes it fantastic with food. Silky tannins with a long finish, a beautifully balanced wine. Drink with meat dishes and Amy Winehouse.
2017 Doix The first vintage was 1999. Extremely low yields (300 g per vine) from 50-120-year-old bush vines in Poboleda, 55 per cent Carignan, 45 per cent Grenache. Valenti calls Carignan an introspective variety—intense, brooding, yet silky and weightless. Beautiful flavours, some chocolate notes developing, a little spicy. This wine needs fat, drink with your best steak cuts.
We also tasted a delicious white, the 2022 Murmuri and the spectacular 2016 1902 Tossal d’en Bou (Centenary Carignan). Beautifully structured, concentrated and complex, with lovely secondary savoury notes developing. Everything that is unforgettable about Carignan is in this bottle. Of course I bought one.
The Veneto’s Bussola Tommaso has been out of market for several years—it’s great to see this producer become available again.
Start exploring with the 2019 Bussola Amarone della Valpolicella Classico, which rewards fans of the Amarone style. Sweet notes of balsamico, woody herbs and dried fruits, with opulent flavours—dark chocolate, fig, plum and cherry and supple tannins.
A warming wine, drink with aged cheeses and leftover Christmas cake.
I have become a huge fan of Heimann wines since visiting in 2021. The new vintages of Bikavér and Kadarka do not disappoint.
2022 Heimann & Fiai Szekszárd Bikavér is the first Bull’s Blood-style wine from Zoltan Heimann and it’s delicious, with robust red and black fruit, firm tannins and a lengthy finish. Drink with grilled sausages and mash, or braised beef.
The 2024 Kadarka BIO is bright and lively, super juicy, tastes like crushed fresh raspberries. Love this with pork tenderloin, pastas and chicken dishes.
Two delicious wines from Marotti Campi (Le Marche):
2021 Salmariano Castelli di Jesi Verdicchio Classico DOCG Riserva is a stunning Verdicchio—opulent, textural, yellow flowers, herbs and some attractive minerality. This is an outstanding white to age.
Lacrima is a dark-skinned aromatic grape native to Le Marche. It’s difficult to grow (it splits easily, hence its name, lacrima, meaning tears) but Marotti Campi has made a specialty of it.
The 2023 Orgiolo Lacrima di Morro d’Alba DOC Superiore is another wine we haven’t seen recently—gorgeous jewel-like colour, fragrant, a little spicy with evanescent aromas of powdered ginger and Szechuan pepper, rich red fruit. Velvet textured, with supple tannins and a memorable finish.
Wine lovers are discovering that lighter-bodied, lower-alcohol reds like these benefit from chilling—dunk in the snow for 10 minutes or in the fridge for 20. Too many restaurants do not have adequate storage for the reds—ask for an ice bucket if necessary.
There was a a hugely entertaining and informative whisky tasting at Kin Bar with Dave Mitten, the global ambassador for several venerable Canadian whiskies.
Left to right: James Grant (Fairmont Royal York), Dave Mitten (Pernod Ricard) Steven Jorgensen and Ben Staley (Kin Bar).
We Canadians take our whisky for granted, and global awareness doesn’t stretch past a few brands. Canadian whisky needs champions and Dave Mitten is one of the biggest. “I loved the challenge of telling people about Canadian whisky, the history and process. I saw this as potential to educate the world, to show how innovative our whisky is.”
The first bottle of Gooderham and Worts was in 1832, that’s older than Jack Daniels. JP Wiser’s has a similar history. John Phillip Wiser, an American cattle baron, bought a distillery in Prescott, Ontario in order to make spent grain to feed his cattle. Gooderham and Worts were two grain millers from Suffolk, credited with inventing double column distillation. They started distilling grain because it was a better way to use up excess grain than making flour. As Dave told stories about our whisky history, we tasted several of these delightful whiskies.
Highlights: JP Wiser’s 18 Year Old, is 100 per cent corn whisky aged in used Canadian casks. The distinctive green apple notes keeps things fresh. Pike Creek 10 Year Old is double column distilled corn with less than five per cent rye, finished in rum barrels. Think Christmas cake, dried fruit and raisins. Lot 40 was released for the first time in the ’90s when no one was drinking dark spirits, reappearing in 2012 to win major awards around the world. Made from 100 per cent unmalted rye grain, both double and pot distilled and aged in new American oak— a characterful spirit with softness, elegance and verve—spicy citrus notes with oregano and mint, red berry fruit. Our favourite bartender, James Grant of the Fairmont Royal York likes to use Lot 40 to make cocktails with rhubarb.
