There are some DOs in Catalonia that are relatively unknown such as, Pla de Bages. Located very close to Barcelona, this lesser known aspect is due not to the amount of production but the fact there are only 10 cellars in the DO and it’s very difficult to build real momentum when you have so few wineries–a fact realized early on in DOQ Priorat when the region began its new resurgence.
There are most definitely cellars that are working to change this and Abadal is what I feel to be the most strident protagonist working to push the region to be more on the radar. They were gracious enough to send me the latest release of one of their single vineyard wines called, “3.9” which is a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon and Syrah growing on limestone and red clay soil.
It’s a most curious wine that I didn’t immediately identify as leaning one way or another which is good given how typical both Cab and Syrah can dominate a wine and overall it offered up a nice change to those who may want to see what happens in Catalonia when making a wine of 100% French grapes in a year that definitely wasn’t one of Catalonia’s finest.
