Winemaker Notes
Deep cherry red wine. On the nose, bonfire stone emerges, which gives it minerality, along with nuances between floral and balsamic and aniseed fruits. In the mouth it has a fresh, very elegant and fine mineral entry. Lots of fresh red fruit, raspberry and pomegranate. Well balanced, elegant and round. Creamy and complex with smoky nuances from aging in the barrel. Inici shows itself as a great Priorat that stands out for its kind intensity, elegance, and purity.
Professional Ratings
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Wine Enthusiast
Glittering red in the glass, crunchy red fruits with fresh fennel lift from the glass, picking up flavors of spiced vanilla, fresh earth, and buttered portobello. The combination is bright while also savory, with cashmere tannins and a lengthy finish.
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Wine Spectator
A minerally waft of hot slate on the nose underscores a dark core of blackberry, mulberry and black plum fruit in this harmonious red. Fresh and graceful, with light, taut tannins providing a fine, tensile frame. Accents of black licorice, mocha, thyme and sweet paprika give a push on the lingering finish. Grenache, Carignan, Syrah and Cabernet Sauvignon. Drink now through 2035.
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Wilfred Wong of Wine.com
The 2022 Merum Priorati INICI shows a deep ruby to near-black color; offers layered aromas of kitchen spices and a range of ripe berries; full-bodied, yet finely balanced across the palate; rich berry flavors are complemented by subtle oak nuances; long, generous finish with depth and persistence. Cocoa-rubbed braised short ribs with black olives and rosemary would make an ideal pairing, as the wine’s dark fruit and spice profile resonates with the dish's savory richness, while the hint of cocoa and briny olive accents echo its depth and structure, creating a bold, nuanced, and satisfying harmony. (Tasted: April 8, 2026, San Francisco, CA)
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James Suckling
Peppery, with ripe but racy fruit full of sweet currants, berries and a touch of bergamot. Flavorful and medium- to full-bodied, with dusty tannins and a fruit-coated finish. Good length. Vegan. Drink or hold.
Merum Priorati is one of the most important wine estates in Priorat, founded in 2004 by two Catalan families, and located in the east of the appellation around the pretty village of Porrera. The three vineyard plots (Les Foreses, Plana Marjot and Les Escomelles) cover a total of 103 hectares, but just 29ha are given over to vines, as this is one of the wildest, most rugged terrains where few vines thrive and those that do produce less than 1 kg of grapes per vine (and as low as 250g per vine for the older Garnacha and Cariñena plants). Vineyards here are not measured in hectares, but by numbers of vines planted, due to extreme terracing and contours on these stunning mountainsides. There isn't what you'd call soil more just a carpet of broken black slate called Licorella. Five grape varieties still manage to thrive here on the estate: Garnacha, Cariñena, Syrah, Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot. Impeccably made but not over polished, wines are truly hand-made: fermentation is in small, open top vats with long cuvasion, delivering wines which are intense and seriously complex against a backdrop of bright and vibrant modern fruit.
With hundreds of red grape varieties to choose from, winemakers have the freedom to create a virtually endless assortment of blended red wines. In many European regions, strict laws are in place determining the set of varieties that may be used, but in the New World, experimentation is permitted and encouraged resulting in a wide variety of red wine styles. Blending can be utilized to enhance balance or create complexity, lending different layers of flavors and aromas. For example, a red wine blend variety that creates a fruity and full-bodied wine would do well combined with one that is naturally high in acidity and tannins. Sometimes small amounts of a particular variety are added to boost color or aromatics. Blending can take place before or after fermentation, with the latter, more popular option giving more control to the winemaker over the final qualities of the wine.
How to Serve Red Wine
A common piece of advice is to serve red wine at “room temperature,” but this suggestion is imprecise. After all, room temperature in January is likely to be quite different than in August, even considering the possible effect of central heating and air conditioning systems. The proper temperature to aim for is 55° F to 60° F for lighter-bodied reds and 60° F to 65° F for fuller-bodied wines.
How Long Does Red Wine Last?
Once opened and re-corked, a bottle stored in a cool, dark environment (like your fridge) will stay fresh and nicely drinkable for a day or two. There are products available that can extend that period by a couple of days. As for unopened bottles, optimal storage means keeping them on their sides in a moderately humid environment at about 57° F. Red wines stored in this manner will stay good – and possibly improve – for anywhere from one year to multiple decades. Assessing how long to hold on to a bottle is a complicated science. If you are planning long-term storage of your reds, seek the advice of a wine professional.
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.