El Mas de l'A. Quars 2023

A white Priorat built on clarity and contour: no power, no new oak, but cool stoniness and finely etched acidity. The Grenache blanc stays lean and agile, its fruit subordinate to the structure.

The vines grow in the south of the Catalan Priorat appellation, near the villages of El Lloar and Bellmunt, on austere terraces of black Llicorella slate. The Clos del Portal estate spans forty hectares, rising from the valley of the Siurana river towards the Montsant mountains; only fourteen hectares are planted with vines, the rest given over to olives, almonds and Mediterranean woodland. Alfredo Arribas farms organically and biodynamically, limiting yields to around one kilogram of grapes per vine.

Pure varietal Grenache blanc. In the cellar, winemaker Juan Asens continues this purist approach: spontaneous fermentation with wild yeasts, minimal use of sulphur, no new barriques. This lets the slate shape the wine more than the wood.

First come wild Mediterranean herbs and white peach, followed by a note of wet stone. The line stays direct, the freshness crisp, the finish salty and dry at a moderate 13.5% vol.

Pairs well with pan-fried turbot and other sea fish, with grilled octopus and seafood, with poultry with wild Mediterranean herbs, and with pasta in herb-infused olive oil. A mature sheep's cheese also finds a fitting counterpart here.

Trained as an architect, Alfredo Arribas designed bars and hotels in Barcelona before buying land in Priorat in 2001 and bottling his first wines in 2004. As a child, he spent his summers with his grandfather, a winegrower in the Ribera del Duero.