Before phylloxera devastated European vines in the nineteenth century, good viticulture was the basis for all quality wines. With the restructuring of the vineyard, emphasis shifted to quantity and away from the quality of the grapes produced. The vineyard became a mechanised monocrop with the emphasis on producing more at lower costs. Obligatory grafting for the very survival of the vines, has meant that now scientists have been able to create clones, which are resistant to disease and produce more grapes. Winemaking techniques have also advanced at a prodigious pace and these modern wines have now become the homogenised benchmark for quality.
Nelin wishes to embody the grape-growing techniques of our forefathers, who believed that the quality of a wine was directly related to the quality of the vineyard they possessed. Grape varieties were planted according to the balance they wished to achieve in the final wine: structure, freshness, acidity and other complexities all came from the DNA of the local terroir. Nelin is a white wine, which is not necessarily very white. It is a balance between all that’s masculine and feminine, abounding with youth. It represents the perfect harmony of Priorat’s terroir with the best Catalan cuisine. Its Grenache base evokes the seemingly wave-like hills of the Priorat under a baking sun, splashed with the scent of spices and quince jam which the slate peppers with mineral overtones. The other varieties represent the little meandering streams which snake around the Priorat hills. A note of freshness, enveloped in orange blossom, brings us up close with our land, toning down the wine’s acidity with its delicate mineral flavours. The countryside is well-rounded, soft and full of subtle, exotic fruit pulp. The slate-based aromas unfurl slowly, maximising its longevity. A harmonious selection of grape varieties set in a marvellous terroir. This is definitely not a retrospective attempt to recover the past. It has been well thought out and aims at heightening the wine’s personality and providing it with what we call here, its very own Priorat identity. The extraordinary advances which have been made in the field of winemaking can also help us with our grape-growing know how.
The Clos Nelin 2009 has a beautiful and light golden yellow colour which reflects an adequate evolution during its ageing.
Its aroma is very intense and full of nuances. Initially, one can perceive clear notes of stone fruits (apricot, peaches, persimmons, etc…) surrounded by memories of citrus (grapefruit), syrup, vanilla and slightly toasted nuts. A highly intense and complex aroma, typical of a great wine.
Its attack is so greedy that it literally smears the palate however its well balanced mineral acidity makes it fresh in the mouth. A superb wine whose end reveals the richness and persistence of its aromas.
Fernando Zamora Marín
Professor of the Faculty of Enology of Tarragona
Enologist of Clos Mogador
2009
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