This is a predominantly Round & Fleshy wine, but it shares structural nuances of Tone & Backbone as described in the tasting note below.
Tasting Notes
Medium plus bodied, with slight residual sweetness masked by refreshing acidity, the red berry and black cherry fruit is buttressed by the wild herbs, lavender and more subtle leather, mineral, and spice notes.
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.
TANNIN
Low
Subtle
Balanced
Pronounced
High
Tannin can range greatly in wine, but it is necessary to some degree, and a necessary constituent for red wines to age well. In high amounts, it can cause a drying affect, which is sensed mostly on the gums and tongue. Tannin is a natural preservative extracted from grape skins, otherwise known as polyphenols that are micronutrients and antioxidants with potential health benefits.
ACIDITY
Soft
Subtle
Balanced
Pronounced
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
14.5%
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.
A surprise: Round and Fleshy with judicious restraint.
GRAPE VARIETAL(S)
Garnacha Peluda
90%Gar-NATCH-a Pe-LU-Da
Garnacha Peluda is a red grape variety from Spain, a mutation of Garnacha. It produces wines with bright acidity, moderate tannins, and flavors of red berries, spices, and herbs. Garnacha Peluda is known for its fresh, aromatic character and is often used in blends.
Garnacha
10%Gar-NATCH-a
Grenache is widely planted throughout the world but some of the best expressions come from the southern Rhone, and in Spain’s Priorat. Grenache has small berries with thick grape skins resulting in dark, tannic wine in its youth combined with an almost ripe sweetness and elevated alcohol. Often part of a blend, Grenache offers a lot of fruit, spice, with floral and herbal notes.
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.
Red Berries
Fresh Wild Herbs
Lavender
Organic
