Domaine du NivalVidal ‘Matière à Discussion’ 2020 (750ml)

Matthieu and Denis Beauchemin founded Domaine du Nival in 2013; a bad idea that just wouldn’t quit as Matthieu described it to me one time. Yet very quickly, they have made a name for themselves. They are already very well known and respected in Montreal. The wines are vivid, immediate, joyous. I love these damn wines.

The name of this wine, made from the hybrid grape Vidal, “Matière à discussion,” means “a matter for discussion.” I suppose the question most pertinent for this wine is: “Can you make a Vidal of fullness and body?” It’s a matter for discussion, though I think they have proven the answer is yes. Of course the larger question implies something bigger, Quebec, this region. What is its vinous future? It is, I suppose, a matter for discussion. We will see.

Their barrel-aged Vidal textural, yet still pretty damn lean – not Petite Chablis, but a village-level Chablis. Density, yes, weight or excessive alcohol, NO. The wine is only 10% alcohol, so while it has concentration, flavor, it does not have weight. That is the fun of this wine. It is wired with citrus, saline, with dusty earth, a touch of spice, like a cool-climate Grüner gone more elegant. It’s maybe a touch simple, but it’s also seamless and really beautifully integrated. It is its own composed whole. But damn – you taste the wine, and then you let me know what you think the discussion is, or should be, about.