Partida Creus BN Blanco Natural 2019

BN stands for Blanco Natural, and this is Partida Creus's entry-level white from the Massís de Bonastre in Baix Penedès, Catalonia. The 2019 is a blend of 90% Macabeo and 10% Cartoixa Vermell, a pink-skinned mutation of Xarel·lo that lends the wine a faint peachy hue. Vines average around 35 years old and are grown on the clay-limestone soils characteristic of Baix Penedès.

Winemaking is genuinely hands-off. Each variety is fermented separately using native yeasts in a combination of stainless steel tanks and 300-liter neutral oak casks, with brief skin contact before pressing. No sulfur is added at any stage — Massimo and Antonella stopped all sulfur additions in 2013. The wine is bottled unfiltered and unfined.

The result is a low-alcohol white (11%) with briny, saline character, hay and citrus on the nose, and a palate that runs toward orange zest, fennel, and mouthwatering acidity. It is light in body but has the textural density of a wine with some skin contact. The salinity and length are the signatures of the house style.