2019 Bernabeleva Madrid Cantocuerdas Albillo Bianco, Castilla La Mancha

Golden yellow. Creamy fruit on the nose, aromas of blood orange (pulp and zest), with notes of roasted peanuts and popcorn. A tight and powerful acidity, lively, a playful palate, with a long and savoury finish.

91 points falstaff.com

Biodynamic. Along with its reds, Bernabeleva is also gaining fame for its wildcard whites, which are based on the enigmatic Albillo grape. Sumptuously textured, earthy, pure, and often slow to unfurl in the glass, these are fantastically unique whites that are completely out-of-step with the prevailing trend for instant gratification. This is our first shipment of a new white bottling that draws heavily on the estate’s old-vine Albillo, blended with the estate’s younger, field blend plantings of Macabeo, Garnacha Blanca, Malvar and Moscatel.

 Harvested manually, the grapes were softly pressed into a combination of used oak barrels, large oak vats and stainless steel. Fermentation occurred spontaneously with wild yeast. Some of the wine went through malo and some did not.

 Striking a delicious balance between pulpy, weighted fruit and lacy minerality, the altitude sourcing is immediately apparent—fruit purity and soaring acidity carry silky weight and a slightly grippy texture born from a touch of skin contact. The finish is poised and balanced with grapefruit-like bitterness and a final saline nudge. Character!