Nival Vidal "Matière à Discussion" '20

"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.

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 is textural, yet still pretty 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." (Info via the importer Vom Boden)