Winemaker Notes
This is a Chardonnay to enjoy with roast pork or barbecued seafood.
Professional Ratings
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Wine Enthusiast
A stellar Chardonnay coming out of Spain, this wine offers aromas of Fuji apple, oyster shell and lemon peel. Medium-golden yellow in the glass, it has a soft, creamy texture and flavors of yellow plum, pineapple, lemon curd and flint. There is a nice interplay of brilliant acidity and palpable minerality that stimulates the palate.
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James Suckling
This has a pretty nose of baked pears, custard, pie crust, macadamia nut and apricots. Bright on the palate, with lemons, crushed stones and fine lees. Medium- to full-bodied yet vibrant and fresh, showing some complexity already, with a salty undertone in the long finish. The first Milmanda that does not have malolactic fermentation. Chardonnay. Drink or hold.
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Vinous
The 2020 Milmanda is 100% Chardonnay from Conca de Barberà, Catalunya. Aged for four months in barrels and foudres (50% new), then for one year on the lees, it displays a yellow hue with a golden sheen. The fruit-forward nose features peaches and green apples along with vanilla and bakery notes, accented by a reductive, matchstick-like core. Dry and creamy, the taut, refreshing palate offers a concentrated mouthfeel. The 2020 concludes with a long, fruit-driven finish.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The lemony 2020 Milmanda has smoky and spicy notes, citrus fruit and flowers and a medium-bodied palate, creamy and fresh. It's ripe without excess and has 13.5% alcohol.
In 2020, Familia Torres Winery is celebrating their 150th anniversary, but the family’s roots extend even farther than that. The first mention of the Torres wine family was in 1557, but the winery wasn’t established until 1870, when the profits from the family shipping company made it possible to enter the commercial wine space.
Miguel Torres Vendrell founded the company, and since then, the family has passed on the winery (and the name Miguel) steadfastly from generation to generation. They hit a setback when the winery was bombed during the Spanish civil war, but Miguel Torres i Carbó rebuilt, and began the bottling and exporting of the wine.
In 1991, Miguel A. Torres took the reigns, and remains president today. He made remarkable strides in environmental advocacy, social responsibility, fair trade, and research and innovation. Since 2012, Miguel Torres Maczassek has been at the helm, and has continued his father’s work, while also embarking on his own projects. Recognized year after year and Drinks Internationals’ “World’s Most Admired Wine Brand,” the story of Familia Torres is a known and respected one throughout Spain and the world.
Juan Torres Master Distillers is the spirits division of Familia Torres. Its origins date back to 1928 when Juan Torres Casals of the family’s second generation began making aged brandies matured in oak casks; smooth and aromatic spirits distilled from a selection of the finest white Penedès (Barcelona) wines. With 90 years to its name, Juan Torres Master Distillers continues to perfect the art of distillation to this day – a constant pursuit of excellence that finds reflection in each one of its ten, exquisitely crafted spirits, including brandy, pisco, and orange liqueur produced under the brands Torres Brandy, El Gobernador, and Magdala. These elegant, personality-driven spirits find their perfect match in the world of mixology, where they live up to the expectations of a new consumer who delights in shared moments of superior quality.
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!