Nuria Altes, like many young vintners in Spain, comes from a family who have grown grapes for generations. Tucked away in a remote corner of Catalunya, Nuria’s new project, Herencia Altes is situated outside the village of Batea, in the DO of Terra Alta. Remarkably Terra Alta is one of the largest wine growing regions in Cataluyna and one which few are aware – something Nuria has set about changing. Having grown up among the vines that her grandfather tended, Nuria has known these vineyards since her childhood and made the decision in 2010 to start purchasing grapes from her father to make her own personal wines. In this project she is assisted by her partner Rafael de Haan and together they inaugurated a new cellar for the 2016 vintage located in her hometown of Batea.
Since 2010, Rafa and Nuria have slowly grown their property from 14 to 60 hectares. They purchased their first vineyard, La Serra in 2013 followed by Lo Grau and Xalamera in 2014 and 2015. Near the birthplace of Garnacha in the neighboring province of Aragon, these sites are predominantly Garnatxa Blanca, Negra and Gris planted primarily between 1900 and 1960. Old vine Carinyena, locally called Samso, is also present in their vineyards along with small amounts of Syrah.
The soils around the village of Batea are referred to as Panal – a chalky and sandy topsoil over deep, clay-limestone all underpinned by limestone bedrock. Panal is naturally low in nutrients with a tremendous capacity for storing water which is important for the wines as the summers are warm and dry and almost always windy alternating between the continental Cirç and the easterly Garbi bringing in humidity from the Mediterranean. The part of Terra Alta is so prone to these two winds that in addition to growing grapes, the area is famous for windmills which generate much of the region’s electricity. At elevations ranging between 390 and 480 meters above sea level, the vineyards of Herencia-Altes benefit from a higher elevation the most of the rest of the DO. This allows for full maturation of the grapes a lower alcohol levels and with higher acidities.
