At A Glance
- Field
- Detail
- Region
- Priorat
- Wine growing area
- Gratallops
- Appellation
- DOQ Priorat
- Main grapes
- Garnatxa and Carinyena
- Signature wine
- Menut, the base cuvée
- Defining feature
- Organic farming principles and minimal intervention
The Producer
Josep Lluís Pérez arrived in Priorat with his family to explore the potential of the land. Together with his wife, Montse Ovejero, he studied its slate soils, dry Mediterranean climate and native grape varieties. Mas Martinet began as a family life project with the whole family involved.
His daughter Sara Pérez later took control and brought an agroecological approach that treats the vineyard as a whole ecosystem. The estate manages vineyards, olive trees and woods as one agrosystem under organic farming principles. The wines use minimal intervention and techniques that respect terroir.
Place
The winery is administratively in Falset and belongs to the Gratallops wine growing area within DOQ Priorat. Menut 2022 is labelled as a Priorat red.
Priorat combines dry Mediterranean conditions with slate soils, alongside the native Garnatxa and Carinyena varieties. Slate is fractured and free draining, while a dry climate limits rainfall during ripening, helping red grapes reach full flavour without dilution.
Wines
Mas Martinet makes one wine from each vineyard and has revived traditional varieties that were close to disappearing. Menut is the base cuvée. Menut 2022 is a red wine from Priorat at 14% alcohol, blended from 40% Grenache, 30% Syrah, 20% Carignan and 10% Merlot. The fruit comes from young vines not selected for Martinet Bru or any of the producer's three prestige wines.
Menut's grapes ferment in tank and are pressed after three to four weeks, depending on variety. After blending, the cuvée ages 14 months in 300 litre French oak barrels, 30% new, and is bottled unfiltered. It is full bodied, with juicy blackberry and raspberry fruit, liquorice and vanilla. Velvety tannins and integrated acidity give it energy and drinkability.
Camí Pesseroles comes from three plots beside the old road between Gratallops and Torroja. Its vines are more than 80 years old and grow on crumbled slate slopes. Els Escurçons is exclusively Garnatxa Negra from an estate at 601 metres, with ferruginous slate and southern to south western exposure.
Final Word
Mas Martinet's Priorat range moves from Menut, a base cuvée assembled from young vine fruit, to wines tied to individual vineyards. The estate combines organic farming principles across its agrosystem with minimally interventionist winemaking.
Sources
1. https://www.masmartinet.com/?lang=en 2. https://www.masmartinet.com/history/?lang=en 3. https://www.masmartinet.com/philosophy/?lang=en 4. https://www.masmartinet.com/vineyards/?lang=en 5. https://www.turismepriorat.org/en/get-organised/local-producers/mas-martinet-viticultors 6. https://www.vinovativa.se/produkt/mas-martinet-menut/ 7. https://www.systembolaget.se/produkt/vin/mas-martinet-7593201/