Winemaker Notes
Estate bottled white Ribera made with the oldest vines on the estate, until now unseen and practically forgotten. Gravity fed winemaking, four months of battonage, and elevage in French oak give the wine an aristocratic, elegant profile.
Professional Ratings
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Jeb Dunnuck
The 2022 Alejandra is named for Juan Carlos Vizcarra’s wife and the mother of Celia and Inez, who have their own namesake wines. It was made the first time in 2018 for her 50th birthday to coincide with when the appellation allowed Albillo Mayor whites to be officially produced. This Albillo has 10% other local white varieties from some of the oldest otherwise Tempranillo plots the family farms. They have since planted a new plot of Albillo and will begin making this wine from that. Fermented in concrete eggs, it then spent 12 months aging in larger-format oak, 30% new. Like many of the whites made from this grape, it’s more about texture than fruitiness, with minerality in the form of wet stone and gravel, or what the winemakers would call “phosphorus.”
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The one white they have produced in the last few years, the 2022 Alejandra is a very primary expression of Albillo Mayor, produced with grapes from vines intermixed in the red vineyards. It has contained ripeness, 13.5% alcohol and very good freshness and acidity—remarkable for the very warm year. It fermented in concrete eggs and barrels and matured for 12 months in barrels of different sizes, 30% of them new. The oak is neatly integrated, and the wine has an elegant and fine profile. Rating: 93+
There are hundreds of white grape varieties grown throughout the world. Some are indigenous specialties capable of producing excellent single varietal wines. Each has its own distinct viticultural characteristics, as well as aroma and flavor profiles.
Ribera del Duero, Spanish wine region, is located in northen Spain’s Castilla y León region, just a 2-hour drive from Madrid. While winemaking in this area goes back more than 2000 years, it was in the 1980s that 9 wineries applied for and were granted Denominación de Origen (D.O.) status. Today, more than 300 wineries call Ribera del Duero home, including some of Spain’s most iconic names.
Notable Facts Ribera’s main grape variety, Tempranillo, locally know as Tinto Fino, is perfectly suited to the extreme climate of the region, where it must survive scorching summers and frigid winters. Low yields resulting from conscientious tending to old vines planted in Ribera’s diverse soils types, give Ribera wines a distinctive depth and complexity not found in other Tempranillos. Rich and full-bodied, the spice, dark fruit and smoky flavors in a bold Ribera del Duero will pair well with roasted and grilled meats, Mexican food and tomato-based sauces.