Rioja Blanco - Viura (23)

Viura (Macabeo) | single vineyard wijn van oude stokken | kalk terroir bij San Vincente | whole buch press | vergist en gerijpt op eikenhout voor zes maanden | rijp en krachtig | intens citrus fruit | wilde kruiden | toast | romig 

Abel&Maite Mendoza

Een stel echt pioniers in het Rioja gebied, zijn Abel en Maite. Al 25 jaar verbouwen zij biodynamische druiven in verschillende regio’s van de Rioja, op 22 verschillende percelen. Zij hebben ervoor gekozen om alle kleine percelen apart te laten vergisten om zo een soort ‘Bourgogne systeem’ te introduceren, alleen is dit vrij lastig gebleken. In de kelder wordt er traditioneel gewerkt en levert wijnen op die altijd hoge scores krijgen. Het is niet voor niets dat ze altijd bij de 15 beste producenten van de regio zitten!

Review

I tasted two vintages of the varietal white of Malvasía Riojana, which is none other than a grape known as Alarije, completely unrelated to the aromatic Malvasía from Madeira or the Greek Islands. 2017 was marked by frost followed by drought and vey low yields. The 2017 Malvasía was produced with healthy grapes that reached 13.5% alcohol after fermenting in French barriques with neutral yeasts. This is a more Mediterranean expression, with aromatic herbs, hay and straw, even esparto grass, with a tendency to give a honeyed note. 3,418 bottles were filled in March 2018. Luis Gutierrez 92/100 

I tasted two vintages of the main white grape, and the oldest of which is the 2017 Viura. Despite a warmer harvest in 2017, it resulted in a wine with less alcohol and more acidity than the 2018 that I tasted next to it. But the two years were almost opposite, and the 2017 already shows some developed notes, diesel-like aromas intermixed with notes of pollen and waxy apples. It has clearly riper fruit than 2018 as well as a fuller palate; it fills your mouth and has pungent flavors. This is a triumph over the natural conditions of the year: Frost killed many of the grapes, and they had first and second generation bunches with uneven ripeness, and it was not easy. As the rest of the range, this wine fermented with neutral yeasts in French barriques, where it matured with the fine lees and bâtonnage for some five months. This comes from older vines, averaging some 40 years of age. 2,824 bottles were filled in March 2018. Luis Gutierrez 93/100 

I wanted to catch up with Abel and Maite Mendoza, some of the best true vignerons from Spain, in their small family winery in the village of San Vicente de la Sonsierra. So, I tasted two vintages of most of the wines, as I had not tasted anything from them in some 16 months. In 2017, he was not able to do Tempranillo Blanco, Garnacha Blanca or Torrontés, and he only saved a little to make the white blend 5V. As for the reds, he didn't make the Garnacha, and some wines had very little volume. He has experimented with the "new" old varieties, and he saw that Maturana Blanca goes from green to rotten in no time at all, so he discarded it. He's now trying another variety called Legiruela.