Frisach Vernatxa 2023

Brothers Joan and Francesc Ferré Frisach farm land their family has held for two centuries in the D.O. Terra Alta, in southern Catalonia. Vernatxa is their brisat, an orange wine made from Garnacha Blanca, the white Grenache that thrives in this hot, dry inland country. Terra Alta sits at altitude with poor calcareous soils, and the warm days and cool nights give ripe fruit at a full 13.5 percent while holding the acidity. The wine ferments on its skins and then ages for twelve months in 500-litre French oak barrels. The skin contact gives firm phenolics and an amber colour, while the long barrel ageing in larger format allows steady oxygen exchange that softens the tannin and builds a savoury, oxidative depth, with the larger barrels keeping oak flavour restrained. The colour is deep amber, with a nose of dried apricot, orange peel and almond. The palate is dry and full, with beeswax and dried-herb tones, a real tannic frame and a long nutty finish. Natural, organic and vegan, made with minimal intervention. Serve at 13 to 15 degrees in a red-wine glass, with roast pork, poultry or aged cheese.