Up in the South of France, reviewing Roussillon
Year 14, No. 04
Life is always about tradeoffs and when you choose to live in the countryside, you give up a lot that’s great about the city such as: culture, public transportation, and a never-ending list of dining options. In return you get: space, more affordable living, and, as shown in this moment of the year in Priorat, the almond blossoms.
It’s an amazing event to witness as you turn a corner in the road and suddenly, an entire hillside is awash in white and pink blossoms depending upon the exact cultivar; a true Instagram Moment if there ever was one.
It is but a blip in the year however as the blossoms seem to vanish as fast as they suddenly arrived. This speed of their departure is always helped along by any brush of rain that sees fit to pay a visit during February such as we had a few days ago, washing away so many of the blossoms and forcing us to wait until the cherry trees feel like putting out.
A short distance away, up in the South of France, Roussillon is still awaiting this and other brushes of rain. As they see 325 days of sunshine a year, they’re France’s driest wine region which is showing more than normal and was a huge topic of conversations when I was researching the new Roussillon Report that’s out today.
Also out is that fact that Spain just had a new Denomination of Origin approved after a…. wow, 15-year dry spell. Do read all about DO Campo de Calatrava (*) and how it fits into the vast landscape that is Castilla-La Mancha.
Drink well, be well.
-Miquel
(*) Free to read
The Featured Report
Roussillon 2024
A fine pocket of vine lands, tucked away in the Deep South of France. I love the chance to visit and review the wines of Roussillon. There’s a great deal happening here at the moment and it was long-overdue to take a new look.
And now this
Can Sumoi is an innovative low-intervention wine project brought to you by the same people behind the wonderful sparkling wines of Raventós i Blanc. Here I take a look at how the wines have evolved recently and the changes they’ve made over the years as low-intervention doesn’t mean without-intention.
In case you missed this essay, I ponder recent years of making bread and wine, (*) seeing how much these two rather disparate products overlap and yet are both exceedingly delicious in their own, special ways.
And of course lastly, no newsletter would be complete without mentioning the Recently Random Bits (*) that ran on the Cul de Cuvée.
The Featured Wine
Capiaux Cellars - Starscape Pinot Noir 2019
It’s always nice to have a fresh take on the wines from my native state of California. Admittedly, I can find the Pinot Noirs to be a bit forward at times, but here, Capiaux has embraced that aspect of the “The Golden State” as well as embracing the finesse of Pinot Noir. Simply put, this is a complex and wonderfully enjoyable wine. 94pts