Parker om:
Stratum Wines – Matas Altas Blanco
They use austere varieties to showcase the limestone soils, good acidity and salinity. The 2024 Matas Altas Blanco was produced mostly with Airén and Macabeo from the same three vineyards as last year in the zone of Fortaleza in a shady place in their village, at 840 to 900 meters above sea level on marl soils (green, red, white and blue) with some gravel on top. In 2025, they might include one more 100% Airén vineyard. This is the first vintage that is certified organic, and in the 2025 vintage, this will be certified by Demeter. They see an advantage working with austere varieties that they can harvest with moderate alcohol and work without sulfur; and going through malolactic gives them more volume, and a long élevage makes them longer and reduces the volume to a very good balance. It has a very expressive nose but in a subtle way, with notes of dry flowers and herbs, and it has a very sapid palate, with pungent flavors and a clear salty note, long and persistent. It comes in at 12.5% alcohol, with contained ripeness, and is very balanced and fresh. It's a salty, serious and fresh Mediterranean white. Bottled in September 2025, 11,300 bottles were produced because they had increased yields and the vines had more vigor.
