WEEKEND WINE PICKS
Gérard Bertrand Côte des Roses Rosé 2018, Languedoc, Southern France $22.99 | 89/100 UPC: 3514123111002
Côte des Roses is a celebration of the Mediterranean lifestyle, something Gerard Bertrand has done with style for three decades. The Grenache, Cinsault, Syrah blend comes off mostly hard limestone and schist, with a lesser contribution of gravels from the rivers of the Languedoc region. It smells of strawberries and watermelon sprayed with citrus but, more than anything, it tastes like fun. Even so, a lively, vibrant, mineral undercurrent supports a similar flavoured palate with a riff of Southern France garrigue. Halibut tacos, spicy tuna poke or lobster risotto all work here.
Paul Mas Grenache Noir, Languedoc, France $12.99 | 87/100 UPC: 03760040423517
Look for plenty of fresh, ripe strawberries with flecks of dark fruit and a smooth juicy mid-palate and finish. Tannins are dusty with more mineral, savoury, raspberry flavours. A dependable, accessible, good value red for grilled chicken thighs, or poultry burgers. The Paul Mas range of varietal wines is mostly produced from vineyards on the Nicole Estate in Montagnac, near Pézenas in the rolling hills of the Hérault Valley — mere kilometres from the Mediterranean coast.
Laya Garnacha Monastrell Vieilles Vignes 2016, Almansa, Castilla-la Mancha, Spain $16.99 | 88/100 UPC: 8437005068889
The heft in the bottle reflects the density of this wine, a blend of old bush vine Garnacha/monastrell from Almansa. Fortunately, the altitude (700-1,000 metres above sea level) and soils (calcareous) have kept a flush of freshness. Dark blackberry, charcoal smoke, and black licorice tug along with thick tannins on a soft, brooding palate, lingering with black espresso and a medicinal scrub. This concentration, as savoury-lined as it is, requires red meats. Solid value.
M. Chapoutier Belleruche Côtes du Rhône Rouge, Rhone Valley, France $17.99 | 89/100 UPC:
03391181110136 Belleruche is always a classy little Rhone red that punches above its weight. The site is a jumble of terroirs, including pebbly clay, soils with layers of stones, clay terraces and silty sand. The grapes are vinified in concrete and stainless steel tanks for 3-4 weeks. The nose is a rush of savoury black cherry, anise, with a lick of iron. The fruit mix is Grenache and Syrah, the attack is juicy, with white pepper and black fruit, before a touch of meatiness and garrigue fill in the back end. Grilled lamb, beef, mushrooms, and more will work well. Back up the truck.
Domaine Duseigneur Chateauneuf-du-pape Catarina 2016, Rhone Valley, France $67.99 | 94/100 UPC: 3385191000303
Catarina is biodynamically farmed; the vines are 60 years old. It is mostly Grenache, with less than 10 per cent of Syrah, Mourvèdre, and Cinsault. The aging is carried out in old French oak demi-muids for 12 months, where the oxygen egress is more critical than any oak flavours. The 2016 specializes in beautiful black raspberry, with a smooth, supple palate and a fresh, mineral base. Classy, with a long future. The Caterina references Catherine of Siena, saint and doctor of the Catholic Church. She travelled to Avignon in 1376 as an ambassador of the city of Florence. She persuaded Pope Gregory XI to return to Rome to relocate the papacy back where it belonged.