Mascorrubí Aixart 2023

Heredad Mascorrubí grows Garnacha Blanca in the Pla de Manlleu, a high, stony corner of the Catalan interior where Ernest Pérez-Mas acquired vineyards in 2013. Aixart is the estate's barrel-influenced white. Garnacha Blanca is a Mediterranean variety that ripens to a generous, textured style, and the altitude here is the counterweight: cool nights and a marked day-to-night temperature range preserve acidity and aromatic detail while the grapes reach full ripeness. The wine is farmed organically and spends four months in oak barrels. That short barrel ageing rounds the palate and adds a light toast and nutty note through slow oxygen exchange with the wood, while keeping the fruit fresh rather than heavily oaked. The colour is bright straw-gold. The nose shows ripe pear, white peach and melon over white flowers and a touch of honey. The palate is broad and balanced, the barrel weight and gentle almond edge held together by clear acidity and a stony, mineral finish. Serve at 10 to 11 degrees.