Iglesia Vella, Côtes Catalanes blanc IGP 2021

A white wine that shows off its soil before it speaks of fruit. Pale lemon yellow with bright highlights, then the whole Mediterranean aromatic world unfolds: ethereal pine groves and cypresses, a touch of dust, limestone and chalk, topped by the garrigue with rosemary, thyme and lavender. Only behind that does delicate yellow fruit emerge, somewhere between mirabelle plum, kaffir lime and butternut squash, rounded out by almond blossom and crushed nuts.

Iglesia Vella is Catalan for "old church"; the vineyard lies near one. Its subsoil is hard schist, and you can taste it in the wine's texture and structure. Montner sits on the north-facing slope of Força Real, sheltered from the scorching Mediterranean sun, with altitudes up to 400 metres and cool nights. Marjorie and Stéphane Gallet farm 25 hectares across twenty parcels here, certified biodynamic, with an average yield of 15 hectolitres per hectare.

100 percent Grenache Gris from vines planted in 1954. The estate's white wines are aged in neutral barrels. 12.5% vol., vinified dry.

Racy and elegant despite the warm surroundings — the cooling winds leave their mark. A mineral film settles on the teeth, and the stony character grips fruit and spice, carrying them across the tongue for minutes on end. On the finish, the yellow fruit briefly resurfaces before the Mediterranean herbs reassert themselves.

With pan-fried skate wing with creamy kohlrabi and samphire, with roast beef with sauce rémoulade and rosemary potatoes, or with grilled corn-fed chicken with charred corn on the cob and coleslaw.

Marjorie Gallet learned biodynamic practice under Gérard Gauby; since 2008 she has run the estate together with Stéphane. The name Roc des Anges comes from a white quartz rock found in the vineyards.