Terra Vermella de Nin 2017

Wine Description for Terra Vermella de Nin 2017 by Familia Nin Ortiz

Colour & Appearance

Light to medium straw yellow – remarkably pale for a mutation with pink-skinned grapes.

Nose

Initially closed and reductive: crackling sweets, matchsticks, an almost petrollic note reminiscent of great Burgundies or precise Nahe Rieslings. With air, a fascinating aromatics of salted lemons, limequats, tahini and lemongrass, underpinned by petrichor and mineral stone. Patience is rewarded.

Palate

Surprisingly meatier and more accessible than the nose suggests. Juicy fruit in the pale yellow to green spectrum, threaded through with saline notes. The reductive component remains present, alongside plenty of stone, lemon zest, bitter herbs, white and yellow flowers, pollen. Hints of wild fennel and ginger. Impressive freshness at just 12% alcohol, vibrant with acidity and pure energy.

Finish

Long, mineral, with sustained tension. The saline component carries far, accompanied by herbal spice and stony precision.

Terroir & Origin

From one hectare of 37-year-old vines at 550 metres altitude in Alt-Penedès, Pla de Manlleu. The name alludes to the characteristic red clay soil (terra vermella). Farmed by Jaume Nin Llort, a family member of winemaker Ester.

Grape Variety & Vinification

Parellada Montonegra – an extremely rare pink-skinned mutation of the classic Cava variety Parellada. Destemming, 24 hours skin contact, slow pressing, spontaneous fermentation and maturation in 300-litre barrels. Despite the warm vintage, impressive 6.5 g/l acidity at pH 2.8.

Food Pairing Suggestions

Bacalhau à Brás, aubergine caviar with cod and lentils, dry-aged Swabian-Hällisches with fennel salad. The acidity and minerality harmonise beautifully with saline, fennel-driven and fishy aromas.

Special Features

A wine of ampelographic rarity: Familia Nin Ortiz has specialised in forgotten Catalan varieties and presents here a little-known variant of Parellada in extraordinary form – distinctive, demanding, electrifying.