The producers of Montsant call themselves the little brothers of Priorat – the wines are made in a similar style but are thankfully a little more affordable.
Montsant sits like a horseshoe around Priorat in southern Catalonia. In 2000, it won its independence from the all-encompassing D.O. Tarragona as a winemaking region. The manager of the D.O. told me: ‘Being a subzone of Tarragona wasn’t great. We wanted to be independent but it was a friendly divorce!’
Plantings are mainly red Garnacha and Carinena with a little splash of Cab Sauv, Merlot and Syrah thrown in.
With 54 wineries and the horseshoe stretching from the southern tip of Priorat to the north, styles vary but in general they high alcohol (around 14.5%), fresh acid, pale to moderate colour and juicy cherry fruit. Most aren’t as complex as some of the Priorats but, then again, a lot of the Priorats were equally forgettable and pricey.
Stand out winery of the day was Cellar Malondro. The young winemaker Ramon has already won 90+ points in Wine Spectator and He Who Shall Not Be Named (initials RP). He is making Garnacha/Carinena blends that have lovely concentration, fresh acid and elegance. He blends from French, American and Hungarian oak barrels. Bloody delicious.
The 2006 Malondro retails for just 10 euro in Spain. I gave it a whopping 18.5/20 (and I’m a mean marker). We all agreed it was an outstanding wine and we loved the price – now that’s something you wouldn’t get in Priorat.
Ramon told us the Malondro is only the second wine from the winery; Latria (18/20) is its third wine. The grand vin is only made in exceptional years so I’ll be back when that happens.
Tomorrow: a word about Tarragona and Conca de Barbera
