Niepoort Nat Cool Alt de les Fonts 1 Liter 2024

Nat Cool is Dirk Niepoort's collaborative project for light, vibrant, easy-drinking wines, and Alt de les Fonts is a cross-border edition made in Valencia. It blends two rare local grapes, Arcos and Forcayat, with the more familiar Monastrell. Valencia's vineyards run inland from the Mediterranean onto higher, drier ground, where Monastrell ripens readily in the warm climate while the indigenous varieties bring freshness and local character. True to the Nat Cool idea, the wine is made for early drinking: aged in concrete rather than oak, in an inert vessel that adds no wood flavour and keeps the fruit pure and fresh, with a naturally low-intervention approach. The colour is a vibrant ruby. The nose is bright and fruity, with raspberry and red cherry, a touch of plum and a peppery, herbal edge. The palate is light, juicy and fresh, low in tannin and built for easy drinking. Serve at 13 to 15 degrees, lightly chilled, ideally from the one-litre format it comes in. It suits pork, roast chicken, oily fish and tomato-based dishes.