Don’t be fooled by the unassuming label: Sindicat La Figuera’s Montsant is the best $25 bottle of Grenache we’ve ever tasted, full stop, and it carries a pedigree befitting a treasured collectible costing three times as much. Not only does this smoking red hail from some of the greatest Garnatxa terroir on earth, but it’s also sourced specifically from old vines at the appellation’s highest point. Furthermore, it’s crafted by one of the region’s brightest stars, the son of the most famous winemaker Cataluña has ever produced.
All this soaring promise is fully delivered in the glass: It’s a heady mélange of dark, spicy red fruits wrapped in a vibrant and sinewy structure made possible by the perfect synergy of complex soil and brilliant winemaking. Like SommSelect favorite Terroir Al Limit in next-door Priorat, this is Garnatxa reimagined through the lens of Burgundy, and the results couldn’t be more convincing. If you love Grenache, Spain, or just world-class wine at an unbelievable price, I strongly advise you to go deep on this!
Maybe the biggest reason for the low price tag here is that Sindicat La Figuera is a co-operative, meaning member farmers bring their crop to the Sindicat and share in the profits of the one wine made from the combined fruit. Typically a co-op is something to be wary of, the largest producer in a small region who puts out a middling but cheap product that’s merely acceptable. Sindicat La Figuera is no such thing. La Figuera was once a major wine-growing village in Montsant, but a catastrophic storm in the 1950s destroyed many of the vineyards. Only the most dedicated growers replanted their Grenache, and the Sindicat now counts a “whopping” four farmers as its members. Garnatxa is all they bottle. La Figuera is the highest town in the region, and this elevation imbues its wines with a tension and freshness other Montsants often lack. When the co-operative’s already good wine caught the eye of one René Barbier Jr, he offered to oversee the winemaking in return for a lease on a La Figuera vineyard.
René Barbier Jr. is Montsant royalty. In 1979, his father, René Barbier Sr., moved to Priorat and started a revolution. His Clos Mogador put the red wines of Cataluña on the map, garnering widespread international praise and immediately becoming a high-priced collectors’ item. After achieving wild success in Priorat, he turned to the Montsant appellation next door and did the same with his Espectacle label. The soils—a slate known locally as llicorella—and the main grapes—Garnatxa (Grenache) and Cariñena (Carignan)—are the same in the two regions, with Montsant sitting at just a few dozen meters lower elevation. René Jr. began working at Clos Mogador in 1992 and in 2001 struck out on his own, making Montsant his primary focus. While his father made waves with a hugely extractive and alcoholic style, René Jr. has been at the forefront of pushing the region into a brighter, fresher, and more Burgundian direction. The results are explosive and delicious, to say the least.
Unique for a region that almost always includes Cariñena in its blends, Sindicat La Figuera is 100% Garnatxa, ranging in age from 30 to over 80 years old. It’s fermented spontaneously with whole clusters and ages in concrete to emphasize freshness. It pours a brilliant ruby with hints of purple, and the nose booms with waves of dark fruits. Crushed black cherry, raspberry liqueur, sappy plum flesh, and a hint of strawberry jam mingle with dried rose petals, violets, cedar, crushed rocks, and dried herbs. The palate is plush, dynamic, delicious; it’s a million miles away from the syrupy, boozy reds that brought the region attention. Medium-plus in body with just a fine grain of sandy tannins and long, mineral-driven finish. This is seriously complex yet drinkable juice, a wine that’s going to reward at least three years in the cellar while also being lights-out every night until then. In a Burgundy stem at 60-65 degrees, this is next-level weeknight wine, a bottle so thrilling it feels more suited to a special occasion. I can’t emphasize it enough: Do not sleep on this!
