The 2015 Nus is an unusual sweet red wine that smells of sweet spices and Christmas cake, a blend of 80% Garnacha, 15% Syrah and 5% Viognier that wants to go back to the traditional sweets from the zone but giving it more acidity and freshness. The process is quite complex, as the Garnacha is harvested early (in August) and the bunches let to dehydrate under the sun, so it keeps high acidity; when the grapes reach enough concentration, they are destemmed, foot trodden and fermented with indigenous yeasts. In parallel, they also produce a "mistela," fortified grape juice, of Syrah and Viognier, and the blend matures in 60-liter French oak barrels for 18 months. The wine is 16.5% alcohol and has 130 grams of unfermented sugar but doesn't come through as too sweet and is nicely balanced with flavors of those sweet spices and Christmas cake and a long, lingering finish. 1,968 half-bottles were filled in March 2018.

The sweet red 2014 Nus is a blend of 80% Garnacha, 15% Syrah and 5% Viognier. The Garnacha grapes are sun-dried for ten to 20 days, and the juice from those foot-trodden bunches starts fermenting, while the unfermented juice of Syrah and Viognier is fortified with alcohol. It matured in 60-liter oak barrels for 18 months and then was bottled and kept for one more year before being released. The nose is that of a dry red Priorat, with the dusty and wet slate aromas, so you don't really expect a sweet wine. The combination of sweetness and tannin is quite unusual but somehow works, like a rustic version of a Port. It feels quite balanced and doesn't come through as very sweet. It's 16.5% alcohol. Experiment with blue cheese. 1,948 half-bottles produced.

The 2013 Nus is a red sweet wine produced with 80% Garnacha, 15% Syrah and 5% Viognier. It has 16.5% alcohol and some 188 grams of residual sugar. The grapes are sun-dried on straw mats for 10-20 days, and then the Garnacha ferments to fully dry. The Viognier and Syrah do not ferment and have some added alcohol. It has an oxidative character, and it's a little in-between, not young but not really old, with some herbal aromas and an earthy touch. The palate feels a bit lighter than other years. 1,600 375-milliliter bottles produced. It was bottled in March 2016.

The nose of the 2011 NUS was easily recognizable as a sweet, red Mediterranean wine with aromas of dark olives, tomato juice, thyme and rosemary and a touch of honey with violets emerging after some time in the glass. It's a rather unusual blend as it's mostly Garnacha, but has some 20% Viognier and 10% Syrah. The grapes are dried on straw mats for 10-20 days before fermenting the Garnacha dry and the Viognier and Syrah are a mistelle. The blend matured for 16 months in 60-liter oak barrels. The palate is sweet, but I'd have never guessed 250 grams of sugar as there is good freshness and acidity to compensate the sweetness. 2,218. Unusual and full of character. 375ml bottles produced.

The 2010 Nus is a sweet red blend of 80% Garnacha, 15% Syrah and a dash of white Viognier with nearly 200 grams of residual sugar. It has a nose of candied red fruit and some spices with good balance between sweetness, alcohol and acidity, which make it pleasant and easy to drink, with the sweetness taking a secondary role to the flavor of fresh, ripe fruit. This is one of the best examples of sweet red Priorat. It should age well but it-s approachable now. Experiment with chocolate desserts or hard cheeses. Drink now-2020. The Rovira family bought the Masia Barril winery in Priorat in 1998 and renamed it with the name of the estate, Mas d-En Gil. Marta Rovira is in charge of winemaking and has been fine- tuning the wines, which have reached a very good level, according to the wines I tasted. They have been moving toward bigger-sized oak containers for the aging of their wines and reducing the amount of new wood as well as moderating the extraction, looking for elegance and balance in their wines in a very successful way. A (not so new) name on the way up. Importer: Classical Wines, Seattle, WA; tel. (206) 297-6713