Mas Martinet (27 October 2018)

Mas Martinet

October 27, 2018

In April 2009 I spent a week or so touring vineyards and wineries throughout Spain, which included

a remarkable day in Priorat. My notes from that day:

Day Seven – Falset/Montsant/Priorat We tasted some great wine today (and you know me – the better the wine, the fewer the words), but what made this day the best of the trip was the time we were fortunate enough to spend with Sara Perez and her father-in-law, Rene Barbier. Rene is one of (along with Sara’s Father) the driving forces behind the creation of the modern D.O.s of Priorat and Montsant and Falset. In the late morning Sara drove us up to the heights of her Clos Escuricons [sic] vineyard and spent about two hours explaining her philosophy and methodology. After lunch in Gratalops we spent the next four+ hours with Rene Barbier – first he drove us to the top of his home vineyard – Clos Mogador – then, after a tasting, he drove us to one of the highest points in all of Priorat, planted to 100+ year-old Grenache, which makes a wine he calls Espectacle. We learned the difference between schist in Martinet – loaded with iron – and schist in Mogador, pure and dark; and the granitic soils that produce Espectacle. The point is, these are some of the world’s great red wines (they made terrific whites as well), and we spent the whole day with two of the greatest winemakers in the world. And they thanked us for being there! Incredible. What a fantastic week! Much more on Priorat when I return. For now, a little sleep, then off to Barcelona for a day to relax before the flight home on Sunday. Buenos Noches.

Flash forward to Today - October 19, 2018 - we had a visitor: Roger Valls Jové from Mas Martinet. It wasn't as romantic as visiting Sara in Priorat, but the tasting was still exceptional. When I tasted with Sara in 2009 Escurçons and Pesseroles were new projects, and we were tasting 2006s in bottle (as well as 2008s from tank). Today we tasted 2016 Menut and Martinet Bru, 2014 Clos Martinet, Escurçons and Pesseroles. Nearly a decade separates these two tastings, yet my notes are remarkably similar. Clos Martinet 2014 is currently more giving than the 2006 Clos Martinet was in 2009, but in both cases this is the most elegant wine of the lineup. Escurçons and Pesseroles, ten vintages apart, remain different expressions, the former as pure a Garnatxa as can be, the latter with its signifiant dose of Cariñena, more animal, more dark and forbidding, but irresistible. Martinet Bru, made from younger estate vines, is a bargain - fully Priorat in its licorella, black fruit intensity, but not as closed or in need of cellaring as Clos Martinet. Menut wasn't around in 2009, but its a great addition to the lineup. Made from purchased fruit, it has all the classic aspects of Priorat - licorella, black fruits, herbs - at a great price.

Want to taste what Priorat, Falset and Montsant are all about? Mas Martinet and the other Perez/Barbier projects tell the story, deliciously.