VENUS LA UNIVERSAL | Dido | Montsant | 2022
grenache | syrah | carignan | merlot | cabernet sauvignon

© We will be evaluating wines in no particular order on no particular schedule. Just stay tuned and you will never miss our reviews. If the wine is tasted more than once, the rating table will be updated so as to reflect all the new impressions and observations. We hope you will enjoy it!

Venus La Universal represents a vision that combines agricultural traditions with innovative winemaking. Established by René Barbier and Sara Pérez, the winery operates with a deep respect for the environment, producing organic wines that reflect the unique terroir of the Montsant region. The winery’s philosophy is centered around interpreting femininity through their wines, thus creating elegant, refined, and sensual wines that aim to express feminine beauty through the art of winemaking.

Today we are going to review a captivating wine from Montsant, the twin subregion of the mighty Priorat, which are two of Spain‘s most famed wine regions – Dido Montsant 2022 by Venus La Universal. This wine is a harmonious blend of 65% garnatxa negra (the local name for grenache), 25% sirà (the local name for syrah), and the remaining 10% is a formed by carinyena (the local name for carignan), merlot and cabernet sauvignon, where grenache forms the wine’s main body and provides that luscious red fruit core, syrah imparts structure and delivers more complexity via color depth and tannin extract, while the remaining varieties add extra layers of complexity to the final blend and therefore build a more dynamic finish, which is characteristic to many Priorat and Montsant wines. The grapes for this wine are sourced from the organically certified vineyards in Falset, Montsant, famous for its sauló – a type of degraded granite soil with a sandy, gravelly texture. This unique soil composition has a low water retention capacity and changes temperature rapidly, heating up during the day to facilitate grape ripening and cooling down significantly at night, which helps preserve natural acidity and aromatic freshness.

This wine is a homage to youth, tenacity, and love, named after Dido – the legendary Queen of Carthage, symbolizing feminine strength and resilience. The winemaking is intentionally minimalist: fermentation occurs with indigenous yeasts with whole bunches, followed by a maturation of 14 to 16 months where 60% of the wine ages in concrete tanks in order to preserve the vibrancy of fruit, while the remaining 40% of the wine is aged in a combination of clay amphorae and french oak barrels of different sizes (300L and 400L), thus enhancing texture and complexity without overpowering the wine’s terroir-driven essence.

The Montsant D.O., located in Catalonia‘s Tarragona province, surrounds the famed Priorat wine region and features vineyards at elevations between 200 and 700 meters. Its mediterranean climate, with continental influences, brings dry and hot summers with moderate rainfall. The region’s diverse soils, including chalky clay, granitic sand, and slate, provides good drainage and contribute to the complexity and concentration of flavour in the resulting wines. The high elevation and hillside vineyards offer perfect growing conditions for many grape varieties, balancing warm days with cool nights in order to maintain fruit freshness and to preserve the natural acidity in the grape berries. This region is renowned mostly for its bold reds, primarily made from old-vine garnacha and cariñena grape varieties.

While Montsant shares many characteristics with Priorat, its granite soils tend to produce wines that are slightly more aromatic and elegant, with an explosive fruit expression and a distinct mineral freshness, as opposed to the powerful, slate-driven intensity often found in Priorat.

color: medium-pale ruby color
clarity: hazy garnet shades at the rim

In the glass, the wine reveals a captivating, medium-pale ruby hue, with delicate, hazy garnet shades at the rim. This appearance is a hallmark of high-quality Garnatxa, suggesting elegance and a gentle extraction process rather than overt power.

intensity: rich & savory-elegant
fruit character: ripe

The aromatic profile is rich, with a savory-elegant character at its core, filled with a ripe fruit accent. The foreground is a dynamic interplay of red fruits (think cranberry, redcurrant, kirsch cherry, and red plum), which are beautifully interwoven with profound savory notes of old leather, cured meat, iron, and brown olive. Subtly rustic hints of horse saddle and barnyard add a layer of old-world charm in the background, while a cast of herbal nuances (caraway, thyme, and rosemary) emerges alongside earthy tones of clay, loam, and marl, all delicately lifted by a whisper of violets which add further finesse and sophistication.

sweetness: dry | acidity: high | alcohol: high | tannin: high | balance: good
finish: long | aftertaste: crisp & delicate

On the palate, this wine represents a blueprint for an old-world blend, defined by a pronounced savory-herbal accent and an ample, velvety-textured mouthfeel. It feels dry, with a bright acidity that electrifies the palate and provides incredible freshness. The alcoholic warmth is seamlessly integrated, adding depth without intrusion, while the tannins are ripe and grippy, lending structure and a pleasingly-voluptuous texture. The wine feels both crisp and delicate, leading to a well-structured and harmonious wine tasting experience that culminates in a long, savory, and delicately crisp aftertaste – an outstanding wine.

maturity: developing | drink now or within the next 3 to 4 years
verdict: great | a benchmark wine | a wine that has all the traits to become legendary

Overall, this is a rustic and ample wine that manages to express fully the delicacy of the Montsant terroir. It boasts an incredible multi-layered and complex profile where the use of oak is masterfully restrained, allowing the fruit and savory characteristics to shine through. This is a wine that mixes power with finesse: ample and rich, yet elegant, harmonious and well-structured. Currently in a developing phase, this wine can be enjoyed today, yet we would suggest another 3 to 4 years of bottle ageing to allow all its components to integrate even more and develop extra complexity and sophistication.

The wine’s savory character and its rustic delicacy make it a fantastic partner for dishes with delicate yet hearty flavors. Consider pairing it with wild game, such as pan-seared duck breast with a cherry reduction, where the wine’s acidity will cut through the richness of the meat, while its red fruit notes will create a congruent link with the sauce of the dish. Enjoy!
VENUS LA UNIVERSAL | Dido | Montsant | 2022
variety: grenache | syrah | carignan | merlot | cabernet sauvignon
country: Spain
region: Catalonia | Montsant
rating: 94.4

Venus La Universal encompasses 10 hectares in the Falset district, representing the founders’ commitment since 1999 to create wines with environmental respect and a distinctive personal touch. The winery’s philosophy of femininity in wine is a unique concept, seen as an exploration of elegance and sensuality.

© The WineStatistics ratings are based solely on our own knowledge of the world of wine and on our personal wine tastes, which may, or may not, differ from yours – the reader. Just remember that there are no absolutes of right and wrong in wine appreciation. Cheers!