Spain’s Catalan coast rises straight into the Penedes Mountain range, a rugged range that offers a rich tapestry of microclimates for vignerons to make almost any style of wine they desire. One of the most dramatic pinnacles of the range is the Massif de Montsant. This is the mountain that protects Priorat under its lee, but it also has vineyards on its flanks exposed to the wind, in a wide variety of mineral rich soil types. Here, a lighter, more elegant sort of wine springs. The Sindicat la Figuera’s Garnaxta vines are planted at almost 2,000 feet, untrained gobelet vines up to 80 years old. The wine they produce is a study in savory elegance. A spicy nose offers pepper and tarry earth, with raspberry and blackberry fruit leather, tarragon, oregano, sage, and burnt orange peel. The palate is medium in weight but full of expression - dark fruits, smoky clay earth, orange oil, and a finishing kick of black pepper spice, all supported by firm but not chunky tannin. This is a wine with unusual balance that will do wonders for a wide range of pan seared pork dishes and polenta based meals.