This is rare, very fine, under-rated and scintillating white wine.
If it were Burgundian there wouldn't be any left.
It is from a classic European wine region, made impeccably well, aged to perfection and in a tried, respected and proven traditional method.
This is wine that is for serious wine-lovers.
But! It's not priced like that at all. Not only does the Urbina family make excellent wines, they age them for us until they are ready to be consumed, and then... they don't charge extra?! It's a real win-win scenario and we have been completely won over by our discovery of the winery.
A genuine treat for us and we hope for you too, at superb value for money.
This is a white wine that was fermented with natural yeasts, left in contact with its lees and aged in American oak barrels for 6-8 months and then left to rest for years before being released for sale. It was unfiltered too so there is a quite lovely haze thrown in some glasses, but that's all good (and it's part of the charm).
The flavours are off the charts, but aren't delivered in an overly-intense manner and not all at once: stone fruit, melon and ripe citrus with hints of jasmine and fennel yield to a palate with those flavours assisted by apricot, honey, dried grass and blossom. There is a freshness to the wine that also shows a subtle bitter twang at the back of the palate that makes your mouth water: this is a spectacular food wine.
It's from a family winery in the very west of the Rioja Alta subzone, where all the vineyards they own are farmed organically. They have 150 years of tradition in the same family and are certainly not swayed by modern trends to high-extract, big, punchy and dense styles of wine (not that we don't like those styles, it's just interesting to know where this family stands!). Aging wine in their own cellars until ready for consumption is a noble but expensive occupation: what's incredible is that they don't charge us a massive premium for it.
This is wine that is from a classic European wine region, made perfectly in a traditional method and aged, released and sold as a continuum of a that tradition out of which which they have grown. It's very respectable.
And the wines are immensely enjoyable.
Region: Rioja Alta
Country: Spain
Grape(s): Viura
Style: Vibrant, Refined, Pure, Profound, Perfumed, Organic, Mineral, Medium Bodied, Meditation, Iconic, Herbaceous, Fruity, Fresh, Fleshy, Elegant, Creamy, Complex, Bright, Balanced
Best food matches: Warm Salads, Tuna, Trout, Tapas, Sushi, St Stephen's Day, Squid, Soft Cheeses, Shellfish, Seafood, Scallops, Salads, Poultry, Pork, Oysters, Mature Cheeses, Lobster, Lamb, Hard Cheeses, Grilled Vegetables, Goat's Cheese, Fine Dining, Duck, Christmas Dinner, Cheeses, Charcuterie, Baked Fish, Asparagus
Alcohol: 12.5%
