The Oenophiliac, J.M. Garcia, III, meditates on Monstant, the little known region in Spain that produces premium wines at way-too-sub-premium prices… Oh yeah, and he also mentioned Japanese Bondage… 

If you’ve been paying even the slightest bit of attention, you know my wine radar beeps for only two things:

1. How does this wine “eat?” and:
2. Does a bottle of this wine require a co-signer to handle the financing options involved in purchasing a bottle?

That said, one thing I utterly abhor is the concept of “everyday” wine. This implies that there are times when the wine needn’t rise above the standard of a shrug and a mumbled “meh.”

Read me loud and clear: This way lies madness.

There is no reason why a wine ought only meet the barest criteria of acceptable potability. Remember, the issue here is not cost. There are enough wines running around for $15-$20 per bottle which leave the muscle-bound $500 examples bound and gagged in the viticultural equivalent of Japanese bondage.

Look at it this way: If you can’t dine with a given wine, all the (misguided) points it has scored and its GDP-like price tag become monumentally irrelevant. After all, nobody ever gets up from dinner raving about the wine and bemoaning the fact the food failed to peacefully coexist with it.

This brings me to discuss the Next Big Thing in wines; especially in biggish reds. I speak — of course — of Montsant (Spain). The wines are invariably spectacular, the prices are closer to outright larceny than retail, and the food friendliness will leave you weeping with joy. This has the added thrill of making it very difficult to go wrong. In fact, you’d have to really show initiative, stamina and dedication to find a bottle for over $30, and even locating one over $20 will take a bit of work. Finding a bad one will take more effort than any sentient human, such as perhaps yourself, can comfortably muster. You simply will not believe the prices. Of course, the world being what it is, these too will likely go the way of those other, previous Next Big Thing wines, which now hover relaxedly in the price ionosphere.

In general, you’ll find these wines to be your best friends if you’re serving something from the lamb-game end of the spectrum, particularly if you’re partial to these foods when accented with something from the berry kingdom. The star grape of this appellation is the Garnacha (Grenache’s Iberic cousin) and as a result, you’ll often notice the spice (ranging from anise to allspice to black pepper) thing going on and also some teasing action from the raspberry/cherry/blackberry seating section, as well as a pleasing floral aspect and minerally core enveloped by manageable tannins that tell you “Now or later? It’s all good.”

While there are several worthy of your attentions, I’m going to suggest three:

2005 Can Blau Montsant (the 2004 is also glorious, if you can find it)
Sharp purple-ruby in color, with an intense and refreshing nose of blackberry, cherry and a hint of anise and “sweet” floral notes as an afterthought. There is some excellent mineral action here too and a very refreshing acidity. Get extra to lay down, these will hold happily for 4 years. I’m thinking squab, but not the ones perched atop your office building. $14 (!)

2004 Buil & Gine 17-XI Montsant
Deep garnet, lots of that juicy, chewy cherry/raspberry thing happening, with cracked pepper and anise singing backup. It has good fruit weight, but it’s not sticky-marmaladeish-dull due to the presence of discreet tannins which act as bouncers. Excellent finish. It should evolve interestingly in the next couple of years. This one screams “game” such as venison or buffalo. $15 (!)

2004 Cellers Capçanes Mas Donís Barrica Montsant
Deep, deep crimson, with an affirmatively spicy nose of anise, pepper and blackberry. The berry thing helps compensate for the good (i.e., not overdone to death) oak and tannins which are present. It has a wonderfully long, fruity finish that will tempt you to gulp it shamelessly. This one could really develop beautifully in the cellar with at least 5 years of rest. But get some to drink now, especially with slow-roasted lamb. $11 (!!!)

Had Mattis not required me to do so, I would not have given you the prices (keep in mind that street price will likely be $1-$2 per bottle lower) of these, because I firmly believe you must experience the full effect of reverse sticker shock without any help. Alas, I haven’t been given the privilege of altering reality to suit my worldview, so there you are.

— J.M. Garcia, III