2022 Nin-Ortiz Nit de Nin Mas d’en Caçador

The 2022 Nin-Ortiz Nit de Nin Mas d’en Caçador is one of Priorat’s most coveted single-vineyard reds, crafted in tiny quantities from a steep, high-altitude plot in Porrera. Intensely mineral, deeply aromatic and already critically acclaimed with 98/100 points from Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate, it captures the wild, dramatic beauty of Priorat in a profoundly elegant form. This is a wine that speaks clearly of place: old-vine Garnacha and Carinyena rooted in slate (llicorella) at 650 meters, farmed biodynamically and vinified with minimal intervention.

Tasting Notes
In the glass, Nit de Nin Mas d’en Caçador 2022 shows a deep, vibrant ruby to garnet hue with a youthful, almost electric brightness at the rim that hints at both concentration and freshness. The color density reflects the low-yielding old vines and the power of Priorat, yet it is limpid and precise rather than opaque. The nose is strikingly open and expressive, with lifted aromas of ripe red and black cherries, wild raspberries and blackberries, layered over a palpable slatey minerality. Fresh herbs, lavender, violet, anise and cracked black pepper mingle with hints of blood orange zest, graphite and warm stone. Compared with Nin-Ortiz’s La Coma d’en Romeu, Mas d’en Caçador is distinctly fresher and more high-toned, a reflection of its cooler, more northerly and elevated site. On the palate, the wine is simultaneously powerful and finely etched. Silky yet firm tannins frame intense flavors of dark cherry, black plum and wild strawberry, wrapped around a core of saline, smoky llicorella minerality. There is a subtle spice register—clove, star anise, white pepper—and a savory, almost ferrous note that echoes the iron-rich slate soils. The acidity is vibrant and linear, lifting the wine and giving it a remarkable sense of tension and length. The finish is extremely long, unfolding in layers of fruit, spice and stone that seem to go on and on. This 2022 has significant aging potential: it will reward at least 10–15 years in the cellar, and likely longer, as the structure, concentration and balance are all present for extended development. Over time, expect the primary fruit to evolve towards more truffle, leather, dried flowers and tobacco, while the mineral and savory nuances become even more complex.

Production
Mas d’en Caçador is a tiny, 1.5-hectare single vineyard perched at around 650 meters above sea level in the village of Porrera—one of the highest sites in all of Priorat. The old vines of primarily Garnacha and Carinyena are rooted in classic Priorat llicorella slate, here particularly expressive of iron-rich subsoils that contribute to the wine’s characteristic ferrous, mineral spine. Farmed according to strict biodynamic principles by Ester Nin and Carles Ortiz, the vineyard is tended by hand (and mule), with extremely low yields and meticulous canopy management to preserve freshness. For the 2022 vintage, whole clusters—some fully intact, others partially destemmed—underwent spontaneous alcoholic fermentation with native yeasts in large wooden vats over approximately four weeks, allowing a gentle extraction and preserving aromatic purity. The wine was then aged for 16 months in a single 2,700-liter French oak foudre, a large-format vessel that minimizes overt oak imprint while allowing slow, controlled evolution. It is bottled unfiltered, with only a minimal dose of SO₂ just before bottling, to maintain maximum authenticity of fruit and terroir expression.

Food & Serving
Nit de Nin Mas d’en Caçador 2022 is a gastronomic red that shines alongside richly flavored yet refined dishes. It pairs beautifully with roasted lamb shoulder with rosemary and garlic, slow-braised beef cheeks, venison or wild boar stews, and game birds such as pigeon or duck with earthy accompaniments like mushrooms or lentils. Mediterranean dishes with grilled vegetables, roasted peppers, and herbs, as well as aged hard cheeses (Manchego curado, Comté, mature Gouda), also work superbly with its mineral depth and aromatic complexity. Serve at 16–18°C (60–64°F) in large Burgundy or Bordeaux-style glasses to allow the nose to fully open. Decanting for 1–2 hours is strongly recommended in its youth to soften the structure and let the layers of fruit, spice and slate emerge; with extended bottle age, a gentler, shorter decant will suffice mainly to remove potential sediment.

Producer
Nin-Ortiz is the personal, highly artisanal project of Ester Nin and Carles Ortiz, a duo who have become modern benchmarks for terroir-driven, biodynamic wines in Priorat. Ester, originally from the higher parts of Penedès and trained as both oenologist and biologist, is widely respected for her work at the iconic Clos Erasmus in Gratallops, as well as for vinifying the early vintages of NUN, Enric Soler’s celebrated white from Penedès. Together with Carles—who oversees the vineyards with the help of their mules, Negret and Max—they farm small, exceptional parcels around Porrera, Torroja and Gratallops, always with an unwavering commitment to biodynamics and low-intervention winemaking. Their Nit de Nin and Mas d’en Caçador bottlings have rapidly risen to cult status, consistently earning some of the highest scores in Priorat and demonstrating that this rugged, slate-soiled region can produce reds of extraordinary finesse, precision and longevity.

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