Vins Nus | Priorat | Instabile No.9 Mea Culpa | 2018 | 750ml

Description

Product description for Vins Nus Instabile No.9 Mea Culpa 2018 Alfredo Arribas’ Vins Nus series is a family of minimal-intervention wines from the north of the region. They originate from high-altitude vineyards and are a more radical alternative to Arribas’ wine lines from Montsant and Priorat. Characterized by controlled omission, they are produced with virtually no noticeable influence of oak barrels, without excessive extraction, and without sulfites or enzymes. With a distinctive tannin structure as their backbone, they are designed for several years of bottle aging. The InStabiles wines from the Vins Nus series are produced without any intervention and dispense with origin and vintage continuity. They are studies in the art of “assemblage,” the marriage of grapes in traditional, artisanal cellar work—wine craftwork, as Arribas likes to call it. The series numbers indicate the ongoing projects in the series. The Mea Culpa is the ninth project in the InSTabile series and is dedicated to the pure expression of Grenache. Grown at 450-500 meters, the Mea Culpa is a cuvée of Garnacha Tinta and Garnacha “peluda,” a thick-skinned, acidic mutation of Grenache Noir. Half of the grapes were destemmed, and the other half spontaneously fermented with the stems in steel. One half matured in ceramic eggs, the other remained in stainless steel before the unequal batches were combined and bottled unfiltered and unfined.

Nose

On the nose, the 2018 Mea Culpa InSTabile No 9 from Alfredo Arribas is initially reductive; wet stones and blackboard chalk garnish the timid fruit, which appears very buttoned up and only becomes more talkative with sufficient aeration. Beetroot and blackcurrant leaves add vegetal accents, along with spicy aromas of black walnut, licorice, and unroasted coffee.

Palate

The first sip is characterized by a touch of carbonation, but this isn’t a defect. If that’s not your style, boldly grab the carafe and plunge the unstable fellow headfirst into the hollow body. Juicy and fresh with a tart tannin, the CO2 soon dissipates, allowing it to glide across the palate in vibrant transparency. The interplay of fruit, spice, and slightly bitter tannin gives it a unique appeal and, above all, a rapid flow.

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Keywords: Vins Nus Instabile No.9 Mea Culpa 2018 Priorat Spain

Producer website: https://vinsnus.com/en/