What a pleasure to taste Laurel (Clos Erasmus) and Nit de Nin, two of my favorite wines through multiple vintages… These wines always deliver year in year out, but it was very learnful to taste the difference between the vintages. The colder vintages in style were 2010 and 2014, the riper vintages were 2011 and 2012 and 2013 is somewhat in the middle.
What was also very learnful is that these wines get elegance and refinement with age… the oldest one was a 2006 Nit, just fabulous… I can’t wait that my younger Laurel’s and Nit the Nin get older!!!
2012 Familia Nin-Ortiz Priorat Selma de Nin
Golden colour, very nice nose of yellow straw, cutted grass, beer yeast, citrus… Taste is very sappy, with fat and citrus, ripe apple with mineral finish, very surpprizing wine… A comination of Northern Rhone fatness with white Burgundy citrus and minerality!! (92 points)
2015 Familia Nin-Ortiz Priorat Planetes de Nin - Amfora
Black fruit bomb exploding in the nose, hint of vanilla balancing it perfectly, Wow very atractive nose… Taste very supple red and black cherries, nice acidity and freshness, not very long or concentrated but just young and delicious, not sure it will make old bone, to drink on the primary fruit when it is very young!! (90 points)
2013 Familia Nin-Ortiz Priorat Planetes de Nin
Nice nose of black fruit, hint of mineral, good concentration and VERY sappy, high acidity well balanced. Very nice!!! (93 points)
2014 Clos Erasmus Priorat Laurel
Nice nose of iodine, mineral, red & black fruit, quite light delicate and mineral, black ripe sappy fruit in the background, more delicate and feminine than previous vintages! (93 points)
2010 Clos Erasmus Priorat Laurel
Very very black, mine de crayon, cold steel, very mineral… High freshness and acidity. Loads of black cold fruit. Very cold style!! (94 points)
2011 Clos Erasmus Priorat Laurel
Huge exploding nose of iodine, very ripe black cherries, mineral… Loads of minerality, nice sappiness, but less concentration than other vintages, still beautiful wine overlooked by it’s peers… (93 points)
2012 Clos Erasmus Priorat Laurel
High intoxicating nose of iodine, essence of Priorat, very ripe black fruit… Very delicate and at the same time long aftertaste of 20 sec, very polished ripe black fruit, zero tannins, very silky with perfectminerality and acidity, very fruity… I just love it!!! (95 points)
2013 Clos Erasmus Priorat Laurel
Loads of black ripe fruit, nice saltiness, iodine… Very sappy & ripe black fruit, loads of minerality, quite long aftertaste and concentrated fruit (94 points)
2014 Familia Nin-Ortiz Priorat Nit de Nin
Explosive nose of very black fruit, mine de crayon, characoal, huge minerality… Mixing elegance and finesse, cold black fruit, nice minerality, nice sappiness, fine and nice cold tannins (93 points)
2010 Familia Nin-Ortiz Priorat Nit de Nin
Huge nose of minerality, mine de crayon, licorice, characoal… Very mineral and black aftertaste, long finish of 20 sec, tannins totally integrated, still very young and will reach maturity in 5-10 years. Very primary wine… (94 points)
2012 Familia Nin-Ortiz Priorat Nit de Nin
WOW very dark black ripe fruit loaded with iodine and minerality, textbook Nit de Nin at it’s best!!.. super concentrated, coating the mouth with minerality, ripe black fruit, one of the best Nit de Nin I tasted so far, I just love it!! (96 points)
2013 Familia Nin-Ortiz Priorat Nit de Nin
Wow, explosive nose of black fruit, loads of iodine, amazing nose!!!
High CO2, hint of spritz at opening, dissapeared after 1 hour of decanting… Very sappy wine, high acidity and minerality, cold black fruit in the background, long aftertaste 20 sec. Huge upwards potential!! (95 points)
2006 Familia Nin-Ortiz Priorat Nit de Nin
Winner of the night, this is Nit de Nin at it’s best and approaching maturity… I’m looking forward to drink my younger Nit de Nin at age 10 or 20 to see if they get as good as this wine. It seems that the power of young Nit transforms into smoothness, feminity and elegance!! (97 points)
2009 Bodegas Alto Moncayo Garnacha Campo de Borja
Bob Parker was right on this one, amazing wine that has everything!! Concentration, balance, an amazing lenght, and still a very attractive flavour of mokka at the entry. I just love it!! (99 points)