A Bottle We Love:

Domaine de L’Horizon's 'Mar i Muntanya' Blanc is a tasty, approachable under-$30 bottle we'd drink anytime.

WHAT'S IN THE BOTTLE:

A biodynamic 50/50 blend of Grenache Blanc and Macabeu, grown in sand-over-limestone soils in Calce, France – a tiny village (population: 224) nestled in the Pyrenees. Here, an almost alpine mountain range seemingly tumbles into the Mediterranean, and southern France seamlessly melds into the Catalan culture of northern Spain. Production is kept fresh here: the grapes are pressed immediately after harvest, fermented and then aged for 8 months in stainless steel tank.
 
It's the newest bottling of younger vines from Domaine de L'Horizon (an iconic estate which has for many years made a crushable-but-serious rouge with this entry-level label). Winemaker Thomas Tiebert is one of an impressive cadre of wine growers who have transformed an obscure dot in the Pyrenees into a hot spot for terroir-focused, natural winemaking. (His neighbors and friends are a serious who's-who, including Gerard Gauby, Tom Lubbe and Jean-Philippe Padié). Tiebert's top wines – when you happen to see them on the shelves or lists of the world's best – consistently overdeliver on representing one of France's most unique terroirs.

WHY WE DIG IT:

It's an extremely approachable bottle of wine, made by natural wine royalty. Kissed by the Mediterranean sun (mar!) and cooled by fresh mountain air (muntanya!), there's a lovely push and pull between lushness and brightness.

HOW WE'RE DRINKING IT:

Any time that casual, tasty (but pedigreed?) wine is required.

MAR i MUNTANYA $28