Winemaker Notes
Moderately golden in the glass, this wine shows yellow apple, pineapple, subtle white flowers and chamomile, along with a wet stone minerality. On the palate, this is medium to full bodied with a lovely balance between freshness and rich texture.
Perfect to pair with all manner of poultry and river fish like trout or salmon.
Professional Ratings
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2020 GR-10 Blanco has more Albillo Real than the 2021 I tasted next to it; this has 75% Albillo Real and 10% Viura, with the remaining 15% a mixture of other varieties. It's ripe at 14.5% alcohol but has good balance. The clusters were cooled down for six hours then pressed, and then the juice fermented with indigenous yeasts in barrels and stainless steel tanks. It matured in barrels of different sizes for six months. This was born almost as an accident, and it can change with the year. For example, in 2020 it doesn't have any Moscatel (and there's only 1% in the 2021), and it has more Albillo; therefore, it's riper and higher in alcohol, but the wine is still quite fresh and transmits the minerality from the very old vines.
White grapes are used in two famous types of Spanish wine, Sherry and Cava, but we will limit this discussion to still whites. Let’s begin with perhaps the best known and most highly regarded internationally, Albariño . Produced in the region of Rías Baixas, just above Portugal in northwestern Spain, Albariño typically sees no or little oak and is medium to medium-plus in body. Aroma and flavor notes often include citrus and peach, often with subtle floral notes and a suggestion of sea spray, giving the wine a zesty feel. Often bottled as a single varietal, Albariño is sometimes blended with other indigenous grapes like Loureira and Treixadura. Try one of these Spanish whites from Forjas del Salnes.
Let’s look at a few other Spanish white wines. Godello also hails from northwestern Spain and presents a profile of grapefruit, minerality and a slight smoky quality. Enjoy a bottle from Bodegas Avancia. The region of Rueda, northwest of Madrid, is home to Verdejo , which makes refreshing, un-oaked white wines whose herbal vibrancy recalls Sauvignon Blanc . Protos makes a tasty version. Up north in the Basque region, we find the wine called Txakoli (sometimes called Txakolina). Pronounced “sha-ko-LEE,” it’s made from a local grape called Hondurrabi Zuri and is light, fresh, citrusy, dry … and with razor sharp acidity that makes it a fantastic partner with local seafood and tapas. Ameztoi Gertariako is a good Spanish white wine producer to check out.
The Penedѐs region, best known for the oceans of delicious Cava it sends to the world, also produces still Spanish whites, sometimes from international varieties like Chardonnay , and often from the same grapes used for Cava. These include Parellada, Xarel-lo and Macabeo. Avaline produces a fine example of Penedes white. Finally, we visit the Rioja region. While it is historically and internationally famous for its reds, Rioja also produces fine Spanish white wines. These are usually based on Viura (the local name for Macabeo) and make good everyday sippers, although some aged versions can be stunningly complex. A good place to start is the white Rioja from Bodegas Muga.
As you can see, Spanish white wines offer a vast opportunity for exploration!