Herència Altés - Garnatxa Blanca do Organic 'La Serra Blanc' 2018

Herència Altés - Garnatxa Blanca do Organic 'La Serra Blanc' 2018 (90+ TSW)

A beautiful single vineyard wine from 100 year old garnatxa blanca vines born in Terra Alta, Catalonia.

The grapes are harvested manually and moved in 18 kilo boxes to the wine cellar. They are selected directly from the vineyards. Once the grapes arrive at the winery, they are chilled at three to five degrees for 24 hours. They ferment in oak barrels at about 13 to 15 degrees. Finally, a Batonnage aged for two months and twelve months in oak barrels.

My tasting notes:

In the glass a medium citrus yellow color.
On the medium(+) nose aromas of stonefruit, melon, yellow apple and pear with hints of smoke, white blossom, honey, nuts and light cedar.
On the palate dry, medium bodied with medium(+) acidity and high alcohol. Nicely balanced with flavours that are a recall of the nose. Concentrated flavours but also refreshing with a light bitter medium(+) aftertaste.

The winery (founded by Núria Altés) now owns 60 hectares of vineyards, all of which are organically cultivated. In the cellar, Altés is assisted by Claude Gros, an experienced winemaker from Languedoc-Roussillon. In 2016 they started the construction of a state-of-the-art winery in the Grau vineyard. It has a total area of 4400 m2 completely integrated into the landscape. The winery is almost entirely dependent on solar energy and they make authentic wines from mainly old garnacha vines.

Terra Alta is located in the southern corner of Catalonia. It is a lot higher than in the rest of the region with peaks reaching almost 1000 meters, hence the name "Terra Alta" or "highlands". It has fallen a bit into obscurity over the years, but the success of the nearby, famous Priorat wine region has brought change and more attention.

The climate is a mix of Mediterranean and continental with long, hot summers and cold winters. A dry, local wind - El Cierzo - provides cooling and helps prevent rotting.