Mas d’en Compte Blanc 2021

Mas d'en Compte Blanc comes from Celler Cal Pla in Porrera, a family estate in D.O.Q. Priorat working the same slopes across seven generations. The blend is 50% Garnacha Blanca with Picapoll Blanc and Xarel·lo, grown on the region's slate soils, known locally as llicorella, where broken schist and quartzite force the roots deep and hold daytime heat into the cool nights. Yields are low, around 1.5 kg per vine, which concentrates the fruit. The wine spends nine months in French and Hungarian oak barrels, and this measured contact with wood and its slow oxygen exchange builds texture and folds sweet spice into the fruit without covering the mineral core. The colour is a bright straw yellow. The nose carries white peach and pear, a smoky mineral edge drawn from the slate, and sweet spice of nutmeg and vanilla from the barrel. The palate is textured and dry, with almond and stone fruit over a saline finish that reflects the site. Serve at 10 to 12C in a broad glass. It suits roast white fish, chicken and aged sheep's cheese.