Spain: Finca Allende - Blanco 2020, Rioja

Read Alex's Producer Profile on Finca Allende.

Grape variety: 95% Viura and 5% Malvasía.

The grapes are sourced from Allende’s vineyards in Briones (Rioja Alta) where the vines are an average age of 55 years old!

Finca Allende is one of Spain’s most prestigious wineries, yet it is also one of its most humble: no flamboyant hotel and visitor centre designed by some famous architect, no glitzy marketing, no fleet of tractors or branded ATVs – just horses!

Their sole focus is on making the very best wines possible in the most sustainable way possible; nothing else matters here.

There aren’t many wine producers, particularly in Rioja, who could claim a greater focus on sustainability and respect for the environment than Allende: only organic fertilisers are used; they use horses rather than tractors to minimise soil compaction and carbon emissions; they do not use herbicides or any synthetic chemicals; they use natural cork washed and sterilised without the use of any chemicals.

For this white, the juice is fermented in new French 225L oak barrels for 28 days, followed by fourteen months ageing in the same barrels - the first seven months with the lees (dead yeast cells) to build texture and body (thanks to a process called autolysis), and the remainder without, to preserve freshness. 

I love the colour of this wine, it’s a deep straw-yellow and so bright, almost Sauternes-like in appearance. This is such a complex, textured, creamy white, yet it never tires the palate thanks to its vibrancy of fruit and inherent freshness, while the oak is so subtle and well-integrated.

I love its complexity, it’s a wine you can get lost in, with its tantalising notes of citrus and stone fruit accompanied by hints of honey, toast, and hazelnut. 

A masterclass in winemaking, this is one of the very best white Riojas in my book and is always a real treat.

Renowned wine critic Robert Parker said it is a "phenomenal modern version of classical white Rioja." And it will develop even more depth and complexity over at least the next decade.

This wine is on the wine list at the Hawksmoor restaurants at £70.00 a bottle, as just one example. So it makes sense to cook up a treat and enjoy this at home...

Food Pairing:

A great food wine: roast chicken or turkey (Christmas Lunch!), nutty cheeses such as aged Manchego, paella, seafood such as monkfish, scallops, sea bass with lemon and olive oil.

Cook up a spanish seafood stew with smoked paprika, monkfish, hake, prawns, scallops, etc! 

What the critics say:

Wine Spectator have rated every one of Finca Allende’s wines over 90 points (Outstanding, With A Superior Character And Style).

92/100 (Superior quality, well-balanced, characterful) – Joaquín Hidalgo, Vinous

93/100 (Outstanding, remarkable personality) – Luis Gutiérrez, The Wine Advocate 

17/20 (Superior Quality) - Jancis Robinson MW