Nin-Ortiz Priorat, Planetes de Nin en Àmfora | 2019

Carlos Ortiz moved to Priorat from Barcelona in search of a quieter life. He purchased the Finca Les Planetes estate in 1998 and sold his grapes to Clos i Terrasses where he met Ester, a notable viticulturist. A busy bee herself, Ester owned Mas d’en Caçador and produced wine under her side project label, Nit de Nin. Two visionaries collided, fell in love, and unknowingly began to alter the perception of Priorat wines. Planetes (now renamed, Clàssic) is a blend of Garnacha Tinta, Garnacha Peluda, and Cariñena. The vineyard, close to the village of Porrera, boasts a range of soils from hard to soft schists to black clays and benefits from a cooler northeast exposure. Dedicated to the principles of biodynamics, Carlos and Ester use only organic materials in their vineyards, including natural sprays and homemade compost. In the cellar, natural yeasts and neutral vessels take forefront, while a portion of stems are retained in the fermentation process for freshness and high-toned aromatics. With a few years of age under the cork, the 2019 vintage shows how well Priorat can age. The nose captivates the senses with black stones, smoky violets, kirsch, dark blues, and red earth spice. At 14.5% alcohol, it’s generous but a freshness lingers on the finish, convincing you to take another glass. Mysterious, in a good way, this is clearly a wine from a warm climate, but there’s so much more than big fruit in the glass. It piles on the rugged soul of Priorat, and that’s the beauty of Nin-Ortiz. ~Allegra A