This is a predominantly Rich & Full wine, but it shares structural nuances of Balance & Finesse as described in the tasting note below.
Tasting Notes
Full bodied, with plus acidity, the Herència Altés balances finesse with textural weight, featuring complex meyer lemon, orange peel, and pear fruit, along with notes of geranium, chalky minerality, and a touch of ginger.
Body is the impression of a wines weight, density, or its ‘mouth-feel’. Some wines feel weighty, or full bodied, while others feel light bodied. Wine runs the gamut from light to full, with most falling somewhere in between.
ACIDITY
Low
Moderate
Balanced
Crisp
High
Acidity is a foundational component in wine. In fact, low acidity, or ‘flabby’ wine (as the term suggests) is a negative. You can sense acidity mainly on the sides of your tongue. Acidity generally ranges from balanced to high. Crisp acidity adds freshness, making your mouth water. Acidity is a necessary element and helps to balance other components.
SWEETNESS
Dry
Off Dry
Medium Dry
Medium Sweet
Very Sweet
Most wines are characterized as dry to off-dry, but there are some grape varietals, like Riesling, that run the gamut from dry to sweet. The tip of the tongue mainly detects sweetness, which is why it is often the primary characteristic detected. Sweetness is derived from residual sugar that did not ferment into alcohol.
ALCOHOL
13.5%
Alcohol is the by-product of fermentation. Differing grape varieties have differing potential alcohol levels, but regardless warmer areas result in riper grapes resulting in higher alcohol. Alcohol level is an objective number, but its affect on its palate impression is largely determined with how well integrated and balanced it is with other components.
Grenache Blanc can sometimes be disappointing, but Herència Altés sets a high bar.
GRAPE VARIETAL(S)
Grenache Blanc
100%Gre-NASH BLON
In warm areas, Grenache Blanc makes rich wines, and is often blended with more crisp varietals for balance. That said, it is at its best when grown at higher elevations, keeping the acid and sugar and balancing roundness with fresh acidity and minerality.
Nuria Altés comes from a multigenerational family of grape growers in a little-known wine-growing area called Terra Alta, which oddly also happens to be the largest DO in Spain. Nuria wants to change that dubious distinction!
Nuria grew up watching her father and grandfather toil in the vineyards and decided she wanted to make her own wines. In 2010 she began buying grapes from her father and in 2013 bought her first vineyard. She, along with her husband Rafael de Haan, now manage 16 hectares and a new cellar.
The grenache-based wines of Herencia Altés are grown on 390-480 meter elevation vineyards on chalky and sandy soils. Due to higher vineyards and cooling breezes, the vines experience a longer growing season, yielding intense, mineral, and fruit-driven wines with juicy acidity.
Pear
Geranium
Chalk
Organic
