2021 Nin-Ortiz Planetes de Nin Classic

Ester Nin and Carles Ortiz are the proud owners of this tiny wine estate with vineyards in Porrera and Torroja and in Gratallops. Ester is an oenologist and biologist and originally comes from the higher part of the Penedès, in El Pla de Manlleu. Carles is responsible for the vineyard, together with his mules Negret and Max. Ester is best known for her work as oenologist of Clos Erasmus in Gratallops and of NUN, the top white wine of Enric Soler in the Penedès, of which she vinified the first vintages. In all her projects she resolutely opts for biodynamics. The Planetes: is located on a llicorella plot with a lot of iron oxide, called ferral, much harder than normal llicorella. The new vineyards (between 5 and 13 years old) are planted on terraces and partly on old 'costers' (Carinyena), visible from the road between Falset and Porrera.

The regular red Planetes de Nin Classic was produced from grapes from the four hectares of vines they planted in 2008 on their Les Planetes estate in Porrera with a selection of native grape varieties. It is a blend of 45% Garnacha and 16% Garnacha Peluda, a variety of Garnacha that has some fur on the back of the leaf (also called hairy Garnacha) and 39% Cariñena. There are different types of llicorella slate, some harder, others more broken down and with different percentages of elements such as iron, silica or black clay. The Cariñena was harvested between 13th and 15th September and the Garnacha between 26th and 28th September. They used about 40% full bunches and the rest destemmed but uncrushed grapes that were fermented in 3,200 litre oak barrels with their natural yeasts for 15 days; they pressed the grapes and put them back in the barrel to finish the fermentation without skins, and then the clean wine was transferred to a 3000 liter oak barrel where it completed an élevage of 20 months in total.

The Nin-Ortiz Planetes de Nin Clàssic is deep Burgundian red. Reductive and complex bouquet that attracts attention because there are so many beautiful things hidden behind it. After some aeration, finesseful notes of minerals, fresh stone fruits and a pepper accent emerge. The taste also starts like this and goes towards a lively and vinous finale. The middle part has a balanced shading of elegance, power and terroir expression. The barrel maturation is very subordinate to all this beauty of nature that jumps out of your glass. Priorat brought in a Burgundian way. The wine has been awarded 96/100 points by Parker.