R. Parker (98/100)
The last time I tasted the 2018 Nit de Nin Mas d’en Caçador it was not ready because it took 26 months to finish fermenting! It never stopped, but it went verrrry slowly. 2018 was a cooler year with good rain, and they lost 2000 kilos of Cariñena Blanca while waiting for the grapes to ripen. This has 14% alcohol and very good ripeness. It has more developed aromas than the 2019 and 2020 that I tasted next to it. It has very good aromatic complexity with some notes of brick dust and iron, a touch of earth, grounded stones and a full-bodied palate and some dusty tannins. It was a very good vintage, and this wine shows it; it has some austerity, complexity, power and elegance. It was finally bottled in January 2021!
The Nin-Ortiz family have built their winery in their Planetes Vineyard in the limit between Falset and Porrera. When the whites are harvested, they keep the boxes with the bunches in a cold storage for one or two days, then press the bunches and let the must settle, and then they fill the barrels the next day. They started experimenting with some skin contact in 2019 (one barrel) and continued with a little more in the following vintages, varying the length of the maceration; they started with five and went up to 15, and then the wines are in barrel for eight months. They use barrels from different coopers and ages. The reds are produced in different ways, but all the old vines are 100% full clusters; the young-vine Garnacha is destemmed and Cariñena is also full cluster. Each parcel has its fermentation vat, the young one in stainless steel and the rest in oak. Indigenous yeasts are used with all the wines, and they us as little sulfur as possible. All their vineyards are certified organic and they don't buy any grapes, but they don't have the seals for the certifications, because it's a lot of paperwork (and money!). They are in the process of getting Cariñena Blanca approved for the Priorat appellation.