La Furtiva Brisat dels Arcs 2023

Oscar Navas founded La Furtiva to push skin-contact wine without losing the terroir, drawing on experience gained at the Mallorcan winery 4 Kilos. Brisat dels Arcs comes from Garnacha Blanca grown in D.O. Terra Alta, a warm, windswept district of inland Catalonia where the grape thrives. The wine is fermented with extended skin contact, which draws phenolics, pigment and tannin from the skins to give the amber colour and the dry grip that define the style. Ageing takes place in amphorae and glass demijohns, vessels that allow gentle oxygen exchange while adding no oak flavour, letting the fruit and the dry, herbal Terra Alta character carry through. Farming is natural, with native yeasts and minimal cellar intervention. The wine is deep amber. The nose is savoury, with apricot and orange peel over thyme and dried herbs, lifted by a waxy, slightly earthy note. The palate is dry and textured, the tannins fine and persistent, carrying almond and a saline edge into a long finish. Serve at 12 to 14 degrees in a broad glass.