El Hato y el Garabato Ecléctico Artesano Lías 2023

El Hato y el Garabato is a small grower project in D.O. Arribes, on the rugged Spanish side of the Duero gorge along the Portuguese border. This white is made from local white varieties in an artisan style, as its name suggests, at a low 11.5 percent alcohol that keeps the wine light and taut. Arribes is a schist and granite region of steep slopes and old vines, and its continental climate with cold nights preserves the natural acidity that runs through the wine. After fermentation it spends eight months on its lees, where contact with the fine sediment releases mannoproteins that broaden the texture and add a savoury, doughy depth, followed by a further twenty four months in bottle that softens and integrates the wine before release. The colour is pale lemon. The nose is fresh, with lemon and green apple over white peach, a fresh dough note from the lees and a hint of chamomile. The palate is light and textured, the acidity firm and the finish clean and gently saline. Serve it at 9 to 11 degrees in a white wine glass. It suits white fish, shellfish, salads and goat cheese.