Valenciso Rioja Blanco 2021

Valenciso Rioja Blanco is made from vines over a hundred years old in four highland vineyards of the Rioja Alta.

White Rioja is a small part of the region's output and is built principally on Viura, known in Catalonia and the Roussillon as Macabeu. Valenciso, founded in the 1990s by Luis Valentín and Carmen Enciso, works out of Ollauri and takes a restrained approach to oak throughout its range. This blend is 70 per cent Macabeu and 30 per cent Grenache Blanc, sourced from four ancient, low-yielding vineyards around Rodezno, Haro and Villalba, all at altitude. Fermentation was with indigenous yeasts, and the wine then spent nine months on lees in Russian oak barrels, steam-bent and untoasted. That fine-grained Caucasian wood allows lees texture to build without the vanilla and spice of conventionally toasted barrels, leaving the fruit and the site to speak.

Drinking well now and capable of five to eight years; serve at 10-12C with roast chicken, hake in green sauce or a mild Manchego.

*Every effort is made to ensure the current vintage is accurate; however, variations can occur. If you are after a specific vintage, please contact us prior to ordering.