Area: D.O. Terra Alta (Catalonia, Spain)
Grape varieties: White grenache.
Graduation: 14,0º
Description:
The alcoholic fermentation takes place in stainless steel vat (90%) and 10% in a new French oak barrel of 300L. Also, in the barrel, takes place the “batonage” and ageing, for 3 months. The final blend is 90% of young wine and 10% from the barrel. Before to be bottled, is clarified and lightly filtered, sediments may form.
Traditionally, in the Terra Alta, whites and reds were produced by the skin contact maceration process. This wine combines the idea of the traditional production (24 hours skin contact maceration) and looking for a current style. With the skin contact maceration and the work with the barrel and the final blend, the wine is fresh, silky in mouth, but without to mark the wine with the barrel
A clean, médium intense nose with red apple, fennel, a bit of lemon peel. Mouth filling and smoothe textured palate, full of ripe, sweet fruits like Cavaillon melon, pear, red apple. Very well integrated oak supplying a bit of spiciness, complexity and pleasant bitterness on the long finish. Garnacha Blanca has great potential in Terra Alta and this wine proofs the point!
Tasting by Frank Smulders MW (Master of Wine desde 1992).