Evans’ picks: a dozen of the best white Rioja buys
Marqués de Murrieta, Capellanía 2012 96 £ 14.95-£ 25.50 Blanco & Gomez, Fortnum & Mason, Harvey Nichols, Laithwaite’s, Le Vignoble, The Tasting Room, The Wine Society, Tanners A modern classic: the palate builds with layers of French oak, white flowers and sweet spices. Supple, well-rounded, very complex. Murrieta is doing great things with its reds, but don’t miss this. Drink 2017-2020 Alc 13.5%
Finca Allende, Mártires
2015 95 £ 130 Fields Morris & Verdin Allende’s top white from a single vineyard of Viura planted 1970. It was a warmer year than 2013, yet this is gloriously fresh. Nine months in new French oak after a short time on lees delivers a complex white, pure and delicately smoky. The 2014 is also on top form. Drink 2017-2027 Alc 14% R López de Heredia, Viña Tondonia Reserva Blanco 2004 95 £ 25.20-£ 32 Berry Bros & Rudd, Georges Barbier, The Solent Cellar Only recently released – and terrific value at 13 years old. Impressively fresh; López de Heredia has the recipe for the elixir of life. Fermented in venerable ancient vats ( 100-plus years) and aged for six years in oak, there’s exceptional refinement. It’s an original: penetrating, intense, developed, softened by almonds and honey. Drink 2017-2027 Alc 12.5% Remelluri, Blanco 2013 93 £44.99-£ 56.70 Bottle Apostle, Hedonism, Highbury Vintners, Hook & Ford, Indigo Wine Seven varieties – and not a drop of Viura or Malvasia among them – make this very individual Rioja. Matured in a mix of concrete and oaks of different sizes. Definitely a case where a blend is so much better than a single-varietal wine. Certified organic from 2013, which was not a great year – but this has a refined freshness with a touch of minerality and wild herbs. Drink 2017-2023 Alc 13% Abel Mendoza Monge, Malvasia 2015 92 £ 22.75-£ 25.95 Drinkmonger, Find Me That Wine, Winedirect Fresh, with ripe pear and quince. A fine velvety texture, and note of vanilla from five months in new French oak. Seductively silky finish. Delightful to discover the character of Rioja’s Malvasia; it’s not as opulent as some of the other versions. Drink 2017-2021 Alc 13.5% Sierra Cantabria, Organza Blanco Reserva 2015 92 £ 18.30-£ 21.50 Bybo, Exel Wines, Great Western Wine, Quality Wines A blend of 50% Viura, 30% Malvasia and 20% Garnacha Blanca, this is a reflection of the vineyards around San Vicente de la Sonsierra. Notes of tropical fruit peek out behind the fine overlay of oak and the creamy backdrop of lees. As always from Marcos Eguren this is scrupulously made. Drink 2017-2020 Alc 13.5%
Abel Mendoza Monge, Garnacha
Blanca 2015 91 £ 22.95 Drinkmonger Another fine single white varietal by the unstoppable Abel Mendoza. A very fine expression of Garnacha Blanca, showing white peach and pear and underlined by subtle oak. Drink 2017-2021 Alc 13% Juan Carlos Sancha, Ad Libitum Maturana Blanca 2015 91 £ 14.50 WoodWinters Wines made by a professor of oenology risk being super-technical, but that’s not the case here. With an organic winery, Juan Carlos Sancha has rescued and developed some of Rioja’s disappearing varieties. 2015 was a warmer vintage and the Maturana Blanca shows a fleshy palate, with smoky oak and a crisp edge. Drink 2017-2020 Alc 13.5% Olivier Rivière, Jequitibá 2015 91 £ 26 Buon Vino I discovered this wine in Australia. The name (a Brazilian tree, apparently) prompted me to buy, but it’s the liquid inside that prompts a repurchase. Working biodynamically in Laguardia, Olivier Rivière brings out an impressive expression of waxy fruit from the Viura grapes, then adds texture and complexity with a year in larger, older oak barrels. Drink 2017-2020 Alc 13.5%
Palacios Remondo, Plácet
Valtomelloso 2014 91 £ 19.50 Berry Bros & Rudd A modern classic: 100% Viura, aged in 2,000-litre foudres for 10 months. Perfectly balanced, run through with refined oak, fresh with notes of yellow peaches and a grapefruit pithiness. Rich, plump finish. Drink 2017-2021 Alc 13.5%
Exeo, Cifras Blanco 2013 90 N/A UK www. bodegasexeo.com Visiting Exeo was such fun. A precipitous drive to the top of Labastida village brings you to a winery tucked away behind closed doors. Difficult to pin down their enthusiasm at times, but Garnacha Blanca is a good place to start. Aged in second-year French oak, the fruit is toned down and replaced by a creamy citric character. Drink 2017-2019 Alc 13.5%
Exopto, Horizonte de Exopto Blanco
2014 90 18.95 (2015) Vagabond Wines Working in the barrel business too, Tom Puyaubert has a subtle understanding of the role of oak. Horizonte is a blend of Viura with a little Garnacha Blanca and even less Malvasia. A classic from Laguardia with a fine run of freshness zipping through, overlaid by aniseed and spice. Drink 2017-2021 Alc 13%