El Garbi Garnacha Blanco

Named after the Mediterranean breeze that, on a summer’s evening, warms the vines of this high, mountainous region, El Garbi Garnacha Blanco tells you exactly where it comes from: crisp, minerality from the mountains, a hint of salinity from the sea, and an underlying creaminess from its fermentation in oak casks and ageing on its lees.

Terra Alta is exactly what its name implies: a high, mountainous region.  Inland from Tarragona in Catalonia, it’s next door to the more famous region of Priorat, but produces distinctive wines deeply influenced by its altitude, rugged landscape and microclimate.

The El Garbi wind has a strong influence on the vineyards of Terra Alta, flushing through the canopy, it cleans the grapes keeping them healthy and pure.  As the Garnacha Blanca grapes ripen to perfection, they develop apricot and white stone fruit notes while their cooler climate retains crisper, phenolic notes such as fennel and a complex minerality is drawn up through the vines’ roots running deep into the rocky subsoil.

Then the winemaker begins to influence the process, with oak barrels, between 1 and 3 years old, bringing out deeper, baking spice notes and lees ageing adding body and a creamy finish.