Vall Llach – Mas d’en Caçador 2022

Robert Parker: 96 P

The new lieu-dit red 2022 Mas d’en Caçador, from a place that has already been made famous by the Nin-Ortiz family of Porrera, was the palest, most ethereal and elegant of the range I tasted from Val Llach, and I think it could be the sign for the path they are going to follow in the future with the rest of the wines. Perhaps it’s because it’s pure Garnacha, but there is a verticality and elegance that I hadn’t found in their reds before now. It’s still a little oaky, but it feels surprisingly fresh for a 2022, despite the 15% alcohol. This plot was part of the village red, and they decided to keep separate in 2021. The north-facing plot is from a grower whose clusters fermented in full with indigenous yeasts in stainless steel at 20 degrees Celsius to 25 degrees Celsius for 10 to 15 days with pigéage and soft pumping over. It matured in a 500-liter Austrian oak barrel. 670 bottles were filled in December 2023.