2020 Merum Priorati Inici

As the name suggests, MERUM Priorati comes from the famous but inhospitable Priorat. The winery is one of the innovations in this fairly conventional traditional region. Merum belongs to the Pere Ventura family , which is best known for their beautiful Cavas. Merum Priorati's logo consists of two ancient symbols for the earth and the sky. And those are exactly the most important factors you have to deal with as a winemaker when making wine in the rugged Priorat. The soil here consists, to begin with, of schist and slate. Feel free to compare it with other top areas such as the Mosel or the Douro valley. And the landscape is hilly. The solution to this is terraced vineyards with very low yields and a lot of manual work.

The Merum Inici is a blend of the common Priorat grapes, namely: Syrah, Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Carignan, Grenache. The grapes are harvested manually in crates of 20 kilograms. This way they arrive unbruised at the winery. The yield is low and amounts to approximately 30 hectoliters per hectare. After the grapes have been destemmed, a temperature-controlled fermentation and maceration time on stainless steel of approximately three weeks follows. This is followed by the second malolactic fermentation (here harder malic acid is converted into softer lactic acid) in French oak barrels of 225 liters. After maturing for 8 to 12 months in these 2 and 3 year old barrels, bottling follows without fining and filtering. (In this way, all substances contribute to the complexity of the wine. Over time, some sediment may form.

The Merum Inici has a brilliant, bright cherry red color. In the nose a lot of red fruit such as raspberry, black currants and a hint of anise in addition to subtle spicy notes of the wood aging. Fresh at the start, well structured and balanced fruity and spicy. Fine and elegant tannins and a juicy, persistent finish.

FACT: Merum Priorato has entered the top 10 in Wine Spectator's annual review. The Desti from Merum Priorati is no less than 5th in the top 100 of the very best wines.