2023 Mas Martinet Verge de Martinet

“Stairway to Heaven”, the iconic song by Led Zeppelin, the band that marked a turning point in the history of rock, tells us about the constant search for something beyond the material, that desire to reach the sublime that invites us to rise to the unknown. And with the same sense of transcendence, Mas Martinet presents us with their wine Verge de Martinet. A wine that, like the song, invites us to take a journey towards the exceptional under a label that shows a stairway to heaven of the most extraordinary. Why? Because it is a groundbreaking, unique wine, born from the recovery of an ancient vinification method called “vi verge”. It is a traditional style from the Priorat that had fallen into oblivion and that now, thanks to the vision of Sara Pérez and her team, is reviving with the same passion for the authentic.

The Martinet Verge de Martinet is a wine that aims to rediscover an ancient vinification process: making wine from red grapes without maceration (maceración). This type of wine used to be called that because of the specific production process. Although this method is very traditional, it produces a wine with an intense rosé character, almost like a light red wine. So what is it really: a red or a rosé wine. According to the letter of the law a rosé and that is what Sara Perez calls it. The wine is a blend of

- 50% Garnacha Tinta (Grenache noir)
- 25% Garnacha Gris (grey Grenache)
- 25% Cariñena (Carignan)

The vineyards are located on the Llicorella – characteristic black slate soil of Priorat, which contributes to the minerality and concentration of the wine. Only 1,204 bottles were made from this vintage.

2023 was one of the driest years in the last 40-50 years, on top of an already extremely dry 2022. This caused a severe water shortage in the vineyards. Temperatures were certainly not extremely warm until harvest. Many vines had only 20cm of shoot growth at flowering – a sign of stress and limited vigour, resulting in many vines not surviving the prolonged drought and dying, resulting in a 50% lower harvest than normal.

2023 seemed to be a lost harvest in advance But… Sare Perez is now known as the expert in the field of water management (see also a recent article in Perswijn in which she spoke in Davos about the challenges in the Priorat with the drought). In order to better understand the vital state of the plants, sensitive crystallization techniques were used (a biodynamic method to 'read' the energy of plants). Surprisingly enough, it turned out that the plants were energetically stable and saved their strength for the following year. Despite the low yield, the grapes of 2023 were not stressed, but full of pure, concentrated energy. This is where the advantage of working with indigenous grapes and old vineyards comes to the fore. The grapes were harvested by hand and lightly crushed with the feet for a few hours in half-height chestnut wood barrels and then pressed directly, without skin maceration. The gentle foot pressing ensures a deep color and structure, almost like a light red wine. Fermentation and maturation took place in: Foudres of 1200 liters (large wooden barrels) and Glass damajuanas (large round bottles). The wine then matured for 7 months on its lees in the same barrels.

The Martinet Verge de Martinet is radiant and warm with energy. It radiates generosity and inner strength. Despite all the setbacks, it is an intense vintage, showing no signs of stress or exhaustion and against all expectations, 2023 is considered one of the best years to date, a vintage for the connoisseur – a wine for those seeking depth.

FACT: In the tab 'Attachments' you will find the official fact sheet of this beautiful wine. We will automatically send you this when you order this wine. The wine is in our conditioned Wine Warehouse and if you come to pick up the wine you will often also receive a nice discount. You will see your discount immediately when you choose 'Pick up' on the checkout page. We are located in Dordrecht with plenty of parking. Click here for our address.

ABOUT MAS MARTINET

In 1981 Mas Martinet was born, a life project and a dream come true. The brand is the result of the passion of Josep Lluís Pérez and Montse Ovejero and is now in the hands of the entire family Josep Lluís, Montse, Sara, Núria, Adrià, Marc, Jordi, Armando, Pilar. The unique wines of Mas Martinet in Priorat have enormous storage potential. For more than 25 years Martinet has been at the top of the Priorat appellation. For a few years now father Pérez has withdrawn from Mas Martinet and the wines are vinified by Sara Perez (see also Venus, Dido and Gratallops). Sara is also the wife of another icon, namely Rene Barbier Jr, known from Clos Mogador and Rene and Sara also make wines under their own names, namely Sara Pérez y René Barbier. Of course we also carry these wines. Read more under the Tab: Winery