Terroir al Limit, Nin-Ortiz Family, Clos Mogador, Espectacle Vins, Orto Vins, Mas Doix, Álvaro Palacios and Recaredo triumph in the new Parker list.
The Priorat Les Manyes 2015 of Terroir al Limit and Clos Erasmus 2015 of Clos i Terrasses take 99 points
Luís Gutiérrez says that the main improvements in quality in recent years have been in Scala Dei and in Mas d’en Gil
The DOQ Priorat, as well as the DO Montsant, continue to focus the Catalan preferences of the most influential guide on the planet vi: that of the praised and criticized, in equal parts, the publication Wine Advocate of the Baltimore guru and retired Robert Parker.
And it is that a great score in the so-called Parker list catapults sales of wines, and often also their prices. This year, Catalan wine has obtained the desired 100 points (but Catalonia has remained at its doors, with two prized blacks awarded with 99 points).
The great winners of this year are Terroir al Limit (Dominik A. Huber), Nin-Ortiz Family (Ester Nin and Carles Ortiz), Clos Mogador and Espectacle Vins (René Barbier), Orto Vins (Joan Asens), Mas Doix and Álvaro Palacios. Cava and sparkling wines also obtain high scores, including Recaredo and Raventós i Blanc-Pepe Raventós wineries.
Mas Doix
With 99 points, the list signed by Luís Gutiérrez Garnatxa Les Manyes 2015 by Terroiral Limit of Dominik A. Huber (185 euros) and the Catalan wine that historically has scored the Robert Parker guide better. This is the 2015 Clos Erasmus vintage of Daphne Glorian-Salomon (Clos i Terrasses), a wine that sells today between 173 and 350 euros in the bottle.
In fact, the Clos Erasmus de Gratallops (a wine with Grenache and Syrah that also has an enologist to Ester Nin) is the only Catalan wine that has achieved 100 points in Parker points (for the 2004 vintages, 2005 and 2013). Regarding Priorat, most of the tastings by Luis Gutiérrez were wines of 2014, 2015 and 2016, which represented approximately 76% of the total number of wines he tasted.
The 98+ score has been awarded to Les Tosses 2015 by Terroir al Limit, an elegant carinyena planted 600 meters above sea level. With 98 points, Wine Advocate awards in its latest report the 2014 auction of the Clos Mogador of René Barbier de Gratallops, and a great novelty of the Nin-Ortiz de Porrera winery: the Grenache Night of Nin Coma d’en Romeu 2015.
Ester Nin and Carles Ortiz
With 97 points, it is worth mentioning the year of 2013 of the Cariñena of a 1902 vineyard of Poboleda, of Mas Doix (each vine produces only 300 grams of grapes), the Hermitage 2016 by Álvaro Palacios de Gratallops (97-100 points ), the Clos Mogador 2015 and the Mas d’en Caçador 2015 of the Nin-Ortiz Family. In addition to the excellent score for the Ermita 2016, Álvaro Palacios has taken 97 points for L’Ermita 2015, 96-97 for the Finca Dofí 2016, 95-96 for Les Aubaguetes 2016, 94+ for in Les Aubaguetes 2015, 93+ for the Terraces Viejas Vinas 2015 and 92-94 for the Gratallops 2016 and for the Terraces Viejas Vinas 2016.
Luis Gutiérrez finds himself with a “real surprise” in Porrera
Despite the idyll of Parker with the Priorat, Luís Gutiérrez is still critical. He says that “there are still many small cellars that produce too mature, alcoholic, overstretching, rustic and oak wines.” He also thinks that “it is still too early to talk about the character of the wines of each of the towns because the style of the producer, the different style of the wines and the divergence in quality make it impossible to identify the characteristics of a people” .
In his report, signed at the end of April, Gutiérrez explains that “the main improvements in quality in recent years have been in Scala Dei and Mas d’en Gil, which I visited in my previous trips to the region” . He adds that “the real surprise this time was a new vineyard, we call it a new old vineyard, since it was recently bought by Ester Nin and Carles Ortiz from the Nin-Ortiz family winery in Porrera. It’s not really new because it was planted 73 years ago. I’m talking about a vine called “La Coma d’en Romeu”. The peculiarity is that it is planted with Garnacha 100% in a town that is best known for its Cariñena. The photos can hardly capture the wild beauty of the vineyard Coma d’en Romeu de Porrera. ”
The rest of Catalan wines
The very old Grenache Garnacha 2014 show of the DO Montsant, as it happened in the last report by Luís Gutiérrez, and the Recaredo Second Completeness Cava – 20 Years of Crianza (sold at $ 325), both with 97 points, head the list of the best rated Catalan wines that are not of the DOQ Priorat.
Espectacle 2015 also won 96 points. Also worthy of note is the cava icon of Recaredo Turó d’en Mota 2004 (96+), Montsant de picapoll negre Les Tallades de Cal Nicolau 2013 by Orto Vins (wine from a grapevine of Joan Asens grandfather who It has obtained 96 points) and the new and exclusive sparkling of Sant Sadurní d’Anoia Mas del Serral by Pepe Raventós (95+).
They have also received high scores (95) from Penedès and Cava wineries such as Alemany and Corrio de Vilafranca del Penedès (92+ points for the Curtei Pass, 93 for the Sot Lefriec 2012 and the Principia Mathematica 2016, 94 for the Snail Screw 2016 and 95 for the Sot Lefriec 2010), Can Ràfols dels Caus (the Calan chenin has reached a record score of 95 points and its already exhausted Pre-Pairal 1999 has taken 94 points), Gramona (for the cellar cellars Batlle Gran Reserva Brut 1999, Celler Batlle Gran Reserva Brut 2007 and Enoteca Brut Nature 2002), Recaredo (for the Cava Reserva Particular 2007), Mestres (with the Cava Mas Via Gran Cuvée Family Crianza in Barrica 2000), Loxarel (with the Classic Pernedès 109 from Loxarel 2002), the Costers del Segre winery Castell d’Encús (with the Syrah Thalarn 2015) and Venus La Universal del Montsant (Venus de Cartoixà 2013).
Laurent Corrió, from Sot Lefriec
Thalarn 2015 of Castell d’Encús is the best-priced DO Costers del Segre wine (95 points). Very good are the 94 points that have taken the Abadía de Poblet Finca La Fuente Voltada 2015 of the DO Conca de Barberà. The best wines of the DO Empordà are the Olivardots Vd’O 2.12 2012 Vineyards (with 93+) and the Olivardots Vd’O 1.07 2007 Vineyards and Olivardots Vd’O 6.15 Vineyards (with 93) . Regarding the DO Terra Alta it stands out, with 92+, the Heresies Altés La Serra Blanc 2016, and with 92 points the Altés La Xalamera Heritage 2016. In the DO Pla de Bages the best placed wine is the Heretat Oller del Mas Picapoll Negro 2015 (92 points).
The rancis are still among the preferences of Luis Gutiérrez. This time he has awarded 94 points to the Scala Dei Ranci 1982 and to De Muller Ranci Dolç Dom Berenguer Solera 1918.
Highlights for four wineries of the DO Penedès
They also highlighted the good scores obtained for four wineries of the DO Penedès. Brilla Can Ràfols dels Caus but they have special merit the points that have obtained the wines of the pair formed by the Irene Alemany vilafranquina and Breton Laurent Corrio, who have seen five of their elaborates (virtually all their production) obtained between 92 and 95 points.
On the other hand, Enric Soler from Cal Raspallet Viticultors de Sabanell collected 94 points for the Nun Vinya dels Taus 2016 and the Espenyalluchs 2016, and 92 for Improvisation 2016. Likewise, Can Credo de Sant Sadurní d ‘Anoia has obtained 94 points for El Capficat 2015, 93 for the Stranger 2014 and 92 for the Aloers 2016 and for the Can Credo 2014.
Luís Gutiérrez also tasted wines that are not yet on the market, such as the Torres Forcada 2016, as a result of the Torres Winery project for the recovery of ancestral Catalan varieties. This last wine has awarded him 92+ points.
