Mas Martinet Clos Martinet 2018

The flagship 2018 Clos Martinet is the wine that started it all and is still a blend of Garnacha (Tinta and Peluda), Syrah, Cariñena, Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon and Monastrell as it was since the beginning but now with a restrained 13.5% alcohol and higher acidity. Clos Martinet is a single five-hectare terraced vineyard planted with clonal material in 1986 on decomposed llicorella slate, iron and big rocks in the soil. The varieties are co-fermented depending on the date picked - at three different ripening times - in two concrete vats and 200-liter oak vats with indigenous yeast and whole clusters. The beginning and end of the élevage was in concrete, and in between they used 2,000- and 4,100-liter oak vats and some 20% in glass demijohn and amphorae. The wine is subtle and a bit shy, insinuating rather than in your face. There is a lot less ripeness than in the past. It's medium-bodied and fluid, fresh and balanced. This is a very elegant Clos Martinet. Drink date: 2021-2029. Score - 96. (Luis Gutiérrez, robertparker.com, Dec. 30, 2020)