Alegre y Valgonon - Rioja Blanco 2018

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Informed by the deep history of Rioja, Oscar Alegre and Eva Valgañón make gentle and natural wines, expressing the earth and air in their specific sector of Rioja. These are wonderful, characterful, and inexpensive wines. Oscar and Eva are intent on a village-specific approach to making Rioja wines. The Valgañón family's farm is situated in the little village of Fonzaleche, a pueblo of 80 people in the very limit of la Rioja, and also one of the highest and coldest villages in Rioja. This is where you'll find their key vineyard; 'La Calleja', from which Oscar and Eva make a single vineyard wine. Their other wines blend specific attributes of neighbouring cool hilly villages, Sajazarra and Cihuri, as well as the alluvial-soiled village Cardenas, south of the Ebro, whence very special Garnacha is sourced. Oscar and Eva want to re-establish the taste of the villages, and to make wines on a personal scale, rather than the giant agribusiness version of Rioja as administered by the Consejo Regulador.

The fruit is from old bush-vines from the Obarenes villages, Galbárruli (la Calera vineyard) and Fonzaleche (Bahiarra and Cara Santa Domingo), at around 600m altitude. Viura with 10% Garnacha Blanca. Very gently pressed, only 55% of the must is retained (4500 kg yielded just 2200 litres). A cool fermentation starts in vat and after a week continues in large French oak, where the wine stays nine months with weekly batonnage. 3.1pH. A long-lived, complex and great value white. It’s quiet, and gorgeous! Decant to assist the textural depth of the wine to express fully.

This is a remarkably fresh wine despite plenty of textural material, with deep, subtle richness and power. Aching of chalk, with grapefruit tang and the tart sweetness of lemonade fruit. Layered flavours of cereal, lemon barley and citrus rind. Herb lush, it has perfectly pitched soft roundness texturing a long, fine line of salty acidity.

 

Price: $19.99

In Mixed Case: $16.99

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Quantity Available: 7

Producer	Alegre y Valgonon
Country	Spain
Region	Rioja
Varietal	Grenache Blanc
Vintage	2018
Sku	04498
Size	750ml