9set2 2021

9set2 is made by Vins JOC in the D.O. Empordà and was formerly sold as JOC Negre Empordà. It is a blend led by Garnacha, with Merlot, Cabernet Franc and Cabernet Sauvignon filling out the structure. The fruit comes from the Garriguella zone near Figueres in northern Catalonia. The soils are a mix of clay, slate and granite, a combination that retains water well and keeps the vines supplied through short rainfall, helping the bunches ripen evenly. Empordà is warm and windswept by the tramontana, which keeps the fruit clean and concentrates the sugars that give this wine its ripe character and 14.5 percent alcohol. After fermentation the wine spends six months in French oak, enough to fold the tannin together and add gentle spice without dominating the fruit. The colour is deep ruby purple. The nose shows ripe blackberry, plum and black cherry with pepper, dried herbs and a touch of cedar from the oak. The palate is full bodied and generous, with ripe tannin, warm dark fruit and a savoury, spicy finish. Serve at 17 degrees and decant if young. It suits grilled and roasted red meats.