Mas d'en Gil Nus (375ML half-bottle) 2014
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Mas d’en Gil’s liquid chocolate. This is our sweet wine made with Garnatxa Negra (Red Grenache). It offers notes of ripe fruit and a luxurious sweet palate. The finish contrasts with some acidity and freshness which invites one to have another glass.
This wine compliments red fruit such as strawberries to accentuate the wine’s acidity or peach dishes which are typical of the Priorat region. It goes well with desserts or chocolate with a hint of spice like ginger or red pepper. Another option is with blue cheese such as Cabrales, Stilton or Fourme d’Ambert. It also goes well after dinner as guests linger at the table.
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Initial animal and leather aromas give way to desiccated raisin and black-fruit scents. An intense palate is ripping with potency but also creamy and classy. Flavors of black fruits, vanilla and caramel finish with mocha and chocolate notes. This is a power-packed blend of Garnacha, Syrah and Viognier; drink through 2030.
Other Vintages
2015-
Robert
Parker
The Rovira family of Vilafranca del Penedés, with long experience in the Spanish wine trade, acquired Masía Barril in 1998 from Rafael Barril's widow Magdalena and proceeded to conserve and upgrade the vineyards and facilities, reapplying the original name. The estate is farmed organically and includes multiple crops and forest, with vineyards constituting just 30% of the surface area.
With bold fruit flavors and accents of sweet spice, Grenache, Syrah and Mourvèdre form the base of the classic Rhône Red Blend, while Carignan, Cinsault and Counoise often come in to play. Though they originated from France’s southern Rhône Valley, with some creative interpretation, Rhône blends have also become popular in other countries. Somm Secret—Putting their own local spin on the Rhône Red Blend, those from Priorat often include Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon. In California, it is not uncommon to see Petite Sirah make an appearance.
Tiny and entirely composed of craggy, jagged and deeply terraced vineyards, Priorat is a Catalan wine-producing region that was virtually abandoned until the early 1990s. This Spanish wine's renaissance came with the arrival of one man, René Barbier, who recognized the region’s forgotten potential. He banded with five friends to create five “Clos” in the village of Gratallops. Their aim was to revive some of Priorat’s ancient Carignan vines, as well as plant new—mainly French—varieties. These winemakers were technically skilled, well-trained and locally inspired; not surprisingly their results were a far cry from the few rustic and overly fermented wines already produced.
This movement escalated Priorat’s popularity for a few reasons. Its new wines were modern and made with well-recognized varieties, namely old Carignan and Grenache blended with Syrah, Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot. When the demand arrived, scarcity commanded higher prices and as the region discovered its new acclaim, investors came running from near and far. Within ten years, the area under vine practically doubled.
Priorat’s steep slopes of licorella (brown and black slate) and quartzite soils, protection from the cold winds of the Siera de Monstant and a lack of water, leading to incredibly low vine yields, all work together to make the region’s wines unique. While similar blends could and are produced elsewhere, the mineral essence and unprecedented concentration of a Priorat wine is unmistakable.