2010 Clos Martinet

Leather, fennel, liquorice and cassis – very lovely. Loads more complexity and interest than the 2011. Clearly a more amenable vintage. Really lovely. (RH)

The 2010 Clos Martinet is 65% Garnacha, 18% Carinena, 12% Syrah and the rest a combination of Cabernet and Merlot that changes with the vintage. It feels closer to the Cami Pesseroles than the Escurcons, which Sara tells me is because of the altitude rather than the varietal mix, with aromas of black fruit, crushed violets and plenty of balsamic notes of Mediterranean herbs, shoe polish, soy sauce, malt, peat and wet slate. The palate is medium to full-bodied and shows silky tannins with tension and power. 2010 is one of the best vintages for Clos Martinet, which is, year in, year out, great value at the top of the Priorat hierarchy. Drink 2014-2022. If you have been a little disconnected from Martinet the news is that the five different vineyards they own, have been vinified and bottled separately since the 2006 vintage. But already in 2000 they went fully organic, and they do a lot more than rules and certifications require. All wines are fermented with indigenous yeasts which make for longer, slower fermentations, and the wine ferments at a lower temperature. When it comes to French grapes they are part of Clos Martinet and they don’t want to get rid of them. They will keep something like 12% Syrah and 8% between Merlot and Cabernet in the blend. Sara Perez’s explanation is that only in the new century did they really learn to work with Carinena and Garnacha: Priorat would not have been what it is today without its foreign grapes. For example, one of the things they do now is work with the full clusters of Garnacha and destem the Carinena. If none of this is new to you, hopefully next year I’ll be able to review the first commercial white and even a sweet rancio from them. Stay tuned. Importer: Weygandt-Metzler, Unionville, PA; tel. (610) 486-0800