Pas de deux 2019

Pas de deux 2019 is a structurally light, ethereal red wine from the cool north of Montsant. Tatjana Pećerić named it after the classical ballet's pas de deux, and the wine lives up to it: fluid and transparent, yet layered with nuance.

The grapes grow at 700 metres altitude in a friend's vineyard in Cornudella de Montsant, the appellation's northernmost village, where vineyard plots are very scarce. The plot is currently being certified for biodynamic farming. The soils are pale red and rich in gypsum, the altitude keeps the climate cool, and the ripening cycle is very slow.

Garnacha Negra, Garnacha Peluda and Cariñena from vines aged 50 to 60 years, split evenly between Garnacha and Cariñena. The grapes stay whole and are foot-trodden, with no destemming and no pumping over. Half ferments with indigenous yeasts in amphorae, the other half in stainless steel. Six months of ageing in the same vessels, no oak, bottled unfiltered in May 2020. It is the second vintage of this wine.

Electrifying acidity and mineral tension carry ripe fruit and spice cake, alongside savoury notes and firm tannin. The wine stays stony and cool through to the finish. On the nose, redcurrant, barberry and raspberry, joined by violet, pink pepper, liquorice, herbs and crushed limestone.

Kecap manis-glazed haddock with blood sausage wontons, beetroot salad with garam masala and paneer cheese or chicken with saffron barberry rice and okra.

Coreografia is Tatjana Pećerić's personal project, which she has pursued since 2018. As a young dancer she toured France with a Serbian folklore troupe; at 24 she moved to Montpellier to study oenology. Today she runs the cellar at Terroir al Límit. 13.0% ABV, dry.