Serra i Barceló ‘Aucalà’ Garnatxa Blanca 2018

Take a 2 hour drive West of Barcelona and you are in Terra Alta (High Land), a mountainous escarpment kissed by the Mediterranean. Garnatxa blanca (grenache blanc) is the Queen here and Josep Serra masters it.

I tasted several vintages of this wine and every year it keeps exceeding expectations. The nose is an amalgam of early summer day scents: almond flowers, crunchy white nectarine, golden plum, white mulberry, macerated quince, sage, iodine and I could on and on…. plus non-intrusive, well integrated wood spices and a nougat-like sweetness. The palate is structured with texture, crunch and a tingle that emulates chalky minerals. Yet it has an easiness to it, confidence and immediate charm, just like the Catalans! Extreme value.