Mas Martinet Bru Priorat 2020
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Robert
Parker
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Martinet Bru is the door to Priorat. It is a wine of our times, more accessible in every sense. The estates where it comes from receive the south-west wind called garbinada, a humid sea breeze known for cooling the last hours of the hottest summer afternoons and helping to obtain slower and more extended ripening. A modern, nice, appetizing and fresh wine, but with the typical structure and minerality of our region. The most drinkable slope in Priorat.
Blend: 70% Grenache, 16% Syrah, 11% Merlot, 3% Carignan
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
Their entry-level red 2020 Martinet Bru comes from a very challenging year in Priorat and was made with a blend of Garnacha, Cariñena, Syrah, Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot from three organically farmed vineyards between Falset and Torroja. Since 2005, they had not purchased grapes from other growers, but they had to do it in 2020; so, this vintage cannot be certified organic. The result is surprisingly good, perhaps not as focused, especially tasting it next to the superb 2021, and perhaps a little more rustic with different quality of tannins. The whole clusters fermented in concrete, and the wine matured in oak vats.
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Founded in the heart of the Priorat by Josep Lluis Perez and his family in 1986, Mas Martinet’s exceptional achievements caused a ripple effect that spurred the momentum resulting in grand advancements for the region. Since 2001, Josep Lluis’ daughter, Sara Perez has been responsible for all wines produced at Mas Martinet. Today, the wines of Priorat are some of Spain's most compelling, and Mas Martinet remains at the vanguard of the region's top producers.
Sara Pérez is widely regarded as among the most talented and innovative young winemakers, and not just in Priorat or Spain. While her wines faithfully reflect the grapes of the vineyard in any given year, Sara’s skill, hard work and impeccable timing is what pushes her wines into the realm of greatness.
With hundreds of red grape varieties to choose from, winemakers have the freedom to create a virtually endless assortment of blended red wines. In many European regions, strict laws are in place determining the set of varieties that may be used, but in the New World, experimentation is permitted and encouraged resulting in a wide variety of red wine styles. Blending can be utilized to enhance balance or create complexity, lending different layers of flavors and aromas. For example, a red wine blend variety that creates a fruity and full-bodied wine would do well combined with one that is naturally high in acidity and tannins. Sometimes small amounts of a particular variety are added to boost color or aromatics. Blending can take place before or after fermentation, with the latter, more popular option giving more control to the winemaker over the final qualities of the wine.
How to Serve Red Wine
A common piece of advice is to serve red wine at “room temperature,” but this suggestion is imprecise. After all, room temperature in January is likely to be quite different than in August, even considering the possible effect of central heating and air conditioning systems. The proper temperature to aim for is 55° F to 60° F for lighter-bodied reds and 60° F to 65° F for fuller-bodied wines.
How Long Does Red Wine Last?
Once opened and re-corked, a bottle stored in a cool, dark environment (like your fridge) will stay fresh and nicely drinkable for a day or two. There are products available that can extend that period by a couple of days. As for unopened bottles, optimal storage means keeping them on their sides in a moderately humid environment at about 57° F. Red wines stored in this manner will stay good – and possibly improve – for anywhere from one year to multiple decades. Assessing how long to hold on to a bottle is a complicated science. If you are planning long-term storage of your reds, seek the advice of a wine professional.
Tiny and entirely composed of craggy, jagged and deeply terraced vineyards, Priorat is a Catalan wine-producing region that was virtually abandoned until the early 1990s. This Spanish wine's renaissance came with the arrival of one man, René Barbier, who recognized the region’s forgotten potential. He banded with five friends to create five “Clos” in the village of Gratallops. Their aim was to revive some of Priorat’s ancient Carignan vines, as well as plant new—mainly French—varieties. These winemakers were technically skilled, well-trained and locally inspired; not surprisingly their results were a far cry from the few rustic and overly fermented wines already produced.
This movement escalated Priorat’s popularity for a few reasons. Its new wines were modern and made with well-recognized varieties, namely old Carignan and Grenache blended with Syrah, Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot. When the demand arrived, scarcity commanded higher prices and as the region discovered its new acclaim, investors came running from near and far. Within ten years, the area under vine practically doubled.
Priorat’s steep slopes of licorella (brown and black slate) and quartzite soils, protection from the cold winds of the Siera de Monstant and a lack of water, leading to incredibly low vine yields, all work together to make the region’s wines unique. While similar blends could and are produced elsewhere, the mineral essence and unprecedented concentration of a Priorat wine is unmistakable.