Sara Pérez and René Barbier Meyer were born into Mediterranean winemaking royalty. As children and neighbors, they spent their formative years learning southern Cataluyna viticulture in the presence of their esteemed fathers: Josep Lluis Pérez of Mas Martinet and René Barbier of Clos Mogador, two of Catalan’s most important names; progenitors of the movement to revitalize this long forgotten part of northern Spain.  Sara and René grew up, joined their respective family businesses and that would have been that, had they not traveled together to California on a sales trip, falling in love and changing their trajectories in the process. The gravitational pull of their love of Catalunya and one another was strong enough to bring them back to Priorat and Montsant and imagine a future that include their own project built from their own passion, love and experience. Venus la Universal is that winery. Started in Montsant, where they discovered an old Grenache and Carignan vineyard lying amongst limestone slopes near the town of Falset.  Now, more than 25 years later, Sara and René continue to produce wines of astonishing purity and grace with the feminine touch one imagines from the name Venus. This is an astonishing area- steep terraces of nearly pure llicorella slate and limestone dotted with gnarly knee-high head-pruned vines that struggle to find purchase in this inhospitable land. Grape yields are ridiculously low and the wines tend to be dark, intense and often requiring many years to mature. But Sara and Rene have their own agenda. They are committed to organic farming and for trying to find a lighter, more approachable way to express their fruit. This month, it gives us great pleasure to introduce Venus la Universal’s flagship wine, their Carignan (locally called Carinyenya)-dominant flagship wine simply called ‘Venus.’ Venus comes from an approximate total of four hectares of vineyards which are owned by four different grape-growing families near Falset, as well as another small plot owned by the couple themselves. One could then call Venus, technically, a négociant project, but it is more accurate to say that it is a partnership between these four grape-growing families and René and Sara. These small growers sell their fruit solely to Venus so their vineyards are farmed in accordance with the rigorous ecological standards set by the couple who value organic viticulture and regenerative farming above all else. Venus is made from 60% Carinyenya and 40% Garnatxa (Grenache) sourced from some very, very old parcels of vines grown on deep clay, limestone and slate. It was fermented on whole clusters on its own yeast, foot-trod and allowed to macerate for 60 days in that state before being aged six months in a combination of 2500 liter casks and concrete tanks. Venus is the most robust red wine in the cellar and it matures profoundly well with world-class results. In fact, the importer brought in some cases of Venus dating back to 2007 which still look like they were bottled yesterday! You can try to age some yourself, but I’d enjoy this deeply colored, extremely aromatic red that marries the sweet fruit of Grenache with the austerity of Carignan now! Maybe with the same steak you’re cooking for your bottle of Brunello!