Quinta da Muradella Alanda Blanco 2013
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Robert
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Wine & Spirits
José Luis Mateo blends the richness of dona blanca (30 percent) with the floral energy of treixadura (another 30 percent). The balance is verdello and a little monastrell blanca. The result is nuanced, juicy, intense and profound. Its aromas and flavors touch on nuts, herbs, spices and ripe white fruit, a complex, fresh wine for smoked trout.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
Always one of the most reliable and regular whites of the appellation, the white 2013 Alanda is an un-oaked blend of Dona Blanca, Treixadura and Verdello from young vines and older ones from different vineyards on a diversity of sandy granite, clay and slate soils and is fermented in stainless steel. The nose shows no fruit, as if the wine was made of stones (and I like it!), serious and austere, still young and undeveloped. The medium-bodied palate fills your mouth and coats its inside with fennel and wet stone flavors and a clean thread of fine acidity that makes it intense and long. This is just plain great and should develop in bottle gaining in complexity and mellowing down. Super fresh and mineral, with very high potential. Bravo! At this quality, the price looks fantastic.
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Robert
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Wine &
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Robert
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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!