Clos Martinet, Priorato, 2022
Dark fruit with a touch of salty umami and notes of wild herb and rose. Wonderfully refined tannins, can there be a sleeker Priorat being made today, with ultra fine slate minerality and wild red fruits that offer up a smooth wave of polished Grenache warmth on the finish. The whole wine is polished, flowing and sophisticated which makes for one of the most drinkable and seductive Priorat’s you can imagine. Managing to get such character and interest into this at 13.5% abv is alchemy in this part of the world.
critic reviews
The 2022 Clos Martinet from Gratallops, Priorat, is a blend of Garnatxa, Syrah and Cariñena. With one-third carbonic maceration, it was aged for nearly a year in concrete, with equal parts in amphorae, wood and concrete eggs. It opens with red fruit, cherry and blackberry framed by Mediterranean herbs. The palate is compact, grippy and slightly rustic in texture, sustained by fruit and herbal flavors. Marked by the vintage yet well resolved.
The 2022 Clos Martinet feels more Carinena than Garnacha (even though it has 65% Garnacha), half of it put through carbonic maceration, the south-facing Garnacha especially, and the rest Carinena and Syrah. There's a sense of deep ripeness, darkness, earthy and with abundant tannins, a powerful expression of the Mas d'en Martinet vines. Surprisingly enough, the 2022 reds have a moderate 13.5% alcohol listed on their labels. This needs time and/or powerful food.