Winemaker Notes
Brilliant straw color with green glimmers. A unique, exceptional wine obtained from an equally unique and exceptional vineyard. Vineyards of this age and quality are extremely rare.
Professional Ratings
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Jeb Dunnuck
The 2023 Nisia Las Suertes is 100% Verdejo from very old vines (possibly even the 1880s) and was aged on the lees with bâtonnage for a minimum of 7 months in French oak puncheons and demi-muids. It has more melon ball, hay, crushed stone, and subtly honey nuances that carry to a beautifully textured, layered white with a gorgeous mid-palate, integrated acidity, and a great finish. It's a serious wine that's geared for the dinner table.
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James Suckling
Pretty intense on the nose, showing cream, golden kiwis and hints of minerals and chopped parsley. Textured and medium-bodied with a bone-dry center palate and a long, lightly saline finish.
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Wine Spectator
A well-honed white, crackling with salinity and acidity, this offers finely meshed layers of poached quince, preserved lemon, raw almond and thyme. Racy finish. Drink now through 2030. 2,000 cases made, 1,000 cases imported.
Verdejo is one of Spain’s most historic white grapes, as it has been in production since the Roman times, several thousand years ago. After over fifteen years as the lead producer of quality Verdejo in Spain, Ordóñez chose Puras, Valladolid, as the best appellation within Rueda for growing Verdejo. This isolated corner of the D.O. is home to sandy soils intermixed with river stones that were deposited tens of thousands of years ago when the Duero river was several hundred miles wide. Due to the sandy soils, this sub-appellation of Rueda, shaped like Italy’s boot, resisted the phylloxera. Bodegas Ordóñez takes advantage of this unique terroir to produce wine from its ungrafted vineyards, the oldest of which was planted in 1885. Jorge’s philosophy is to age all of their wines sur lie and barrel fermented in both stainless steel and large format, mostly used French oak.
Captivating and full of character, Verdejo grows with great success in Rueda, Spain and virtually nowhere else in Europe. It has become so trendy in Spain since the turn of the century that plantings have also increased tremendously. Somm Secret—Contrary to what some may think, it is actually not related to the Portugese variety with a very similar name, Verdelho. In fact, DNA profiling suggests it may be a sibling of Godello, another native of NW Spain.
Rueda is located along the banks of the Duero River in Spain’s Castilla y León region, just a 2-hour drive north of Madrid. While winemaking in this area goes back to the 12th century, it was in the 1980s that the region was granted Denominación de Origen (D.O.) status. Today, more than 70 wineries call Rueda home. This national favorite is the top-selling white wine in Spain.
Notable facts Rueda’s main grape variety, Verdejo, gets it distinct complexity from stressful growing conditions and mineral-rich soil. Think of Verdejo as a fuller-bodied and more aromatic Sauvignon Blanc. A lush and smooth character with perfectly balanced acidity means Rueda wines pair well with seafood, fresh salads and spicy food, but are also great on their own.