Wine Of The Week: Clos Lentiscus Perill Noir Carinyena
A lush, vibrant red to banish away the final days of winter.
There’s certainly no shortage of good bubbles in the Penedes region of Spain. Situated in the hills around the city of Barcelona and in the shadow of the rocky Montserrat mountains, the calcareous clay and coastal locale make for beautiful, mineral-driven bubbles.
And “The Bubble Man” Manel Aviñó is at the center of it. At Clos Lentiscus, he makes some of the most consistently lovely bubbles in the region — exciting, complex, and downright delicious.
But let’s talk about his reds for a second. His Carinyena (that’s Carignan) is made with grapes from very old vines, left to ferment on the skins in a mix of barrel and amphora, spending a further 18 to 24 months in those same vessels before bottling.
It’s juicy, electric and vivacious, with notes of ripe strawberries and lush plum balanced out by a bit of spice and a hint of old leather. Low in alcohol, but high in energy.
Manel’s grapes are all grown on his family’s 14th-century estate. Through the 18th century, they made some of the most sought-after wines in the world, with their bottles shipping off to France and the American colonies. But the world changed, and hurdles like industrialization and the phylloxera plague shifted tides. Eventually, the estate turned from winery to working farm, with grapes being grown and sold off to local producers.
Manel and his brother and bringing Clos Lentiscus back into the spotlight, restoring the family’s legacy by making thoughtful, fully biodynamic wines from the property’s historic vines. His daughter followed suit (she’s now playing around with funkier bubbly wines), making her one of the youngest winemakers in the game.
Crack this wine open and drink it on a patio for a guaranteed al fresco treat. $38
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