"I tried this white with 92 Parker Points and it's one of the best €15 buys I can remember."

Miguel Ángel Palomo | Esquire

Old vines and concrete ageing for this single-variety white wine offering great value for money, with a fresh, mineral and juicy character.

What a pleasure it is to introduce the winelover community that follows this space to wines that are so genuine. Wines that taste really good, that do not stop at the narrative, but that you open and drink with a satisfying glug-glug. Wines that also have substance, that do not merely limit themselves to being refreshing but go further. A little pleasure that, in this case, comes to us in the form of a white wine from Terra Alta, that portion of southern Catalonia dotted with names of interest. Below, we reveal one of them, responsible for this concentrated, crystalline and juicy Garnacha Blanca that has spent months in concrete. All for just over €15. It is not simply that it is worth it; we would understand if you stopped reading this ipso facto to rush out and buy it immediately.

It should be clarified that Herència Altés Benufet 2025 is the wine we are urging you towards. It is the work of Núria Altés, a winemaker from Batea (Tarragona) who has had her own brand since 2010, initially thanks to grapes purchased from her father, before she began acquiring vineyards such as La Serra, by then with a new winery. Benufet, for its part, is a century-old estate located in the highest part of Serra Xalamera. Together with her partner, Englishman Rafa De Haan, Núria shows a very strong attachment to family tradition, as well as an unwavering commitment to the land through environmental projects and the recovery of fauna and flora.

Herència Altés encompasses around 60 hectares between Batea and Gandesa. As you might imagine, everything is organically farmed. They produce a broad range that is equally consistent in terms of quality and price range. All the varieties are native. With some Garnachas that are almost sentimental, like members of the family. Like this one from Benufet, shaped by the Garbí, a sea breeze that brings humidity, and the Cerç, a cold, dry wind that comes in from above. And here, these strong winds imprint character on both the Mediterranean landscape and the wines. Herència Altés Benufet 2025 receives 92 Parker points following a vintage that was wetter than previous ones but did not alter the low yields with which they always work. Add to this the limestone material of the soils, the altitude of more than 450 metres and vine ages ranging from 30 to 90 years.

The grapes are harvested by hand; grape selection is extremely meticulous both in the vineyard and at the winery, where several microvinifications are carried out. The grapes are cooled for 24 hours and directly pressed before fermenting in concrete vats. For the five-month ageing period, fine lees are stirred through batonnage in the same concrete, while a small percentage rests in Austrian oak foudre.

After clarification and filtration, the wine is pale, almost transparent and colourless. It is on the nose that its depth already begins to emerge. The smoky notes gradually give way to ripe pear, white flowers, green, honeyed and citrusy notes. It is equally clean on the palate. With texture. With a mineral depth. Very fresh, lively and long. A taste for a heritage that is anything but poisoned.