Clos Martinet, Priorato, 2017

The lowest of Sara's three vineyards, planted at extremely high density by her father and with naturally very low yields, is Clos Martinet; a blend of 65% Garnacha, 18% Carignan, 11% Syrah and small quantities of Cabernet Sauvignon. One of the great wines of Priorat. The 2017 is the first vintage to eschew any barrique aging, favouring just foudre and demi john, and as such it appears to have sacrificed a bit of gloss in favour of edge and spice. Perhaps the most naturally “complete” wine in the line-up, the 2017 Clos Martinet offers up plummy fruit with notes of blackberries, cherry and blackcurrant with ripe but present tannins. Picked early to retain freshness, we can’t recall a Clos Martinet with as clear a ferrous, mineral edge on the finish. While Clos is always going to be the most modern and experimental of the crus, if the direction of this wine for the future means more chiselled tannins and overt minerality, then we can’t wait to see what follows. Finished for 3 months in concrete before bottling. Where the 2016 requires patience, the 2017 is more expressive today.