BODEGAS ANGEL RODRIGUEZ

ORGANIC RUEDA

What the critics are saying:

Stephen Tanzer's International Wine Cellar, 90 points, outstanding: "Light straw. Strikingly pungent nose shows an energetic citrus and herb personality underscored by zesty minerality; this smells like top-notch Sancerre. Crisp lemon-lime and quince flavors are finely etched and uncommonly concentrated, with a bitter citrus pith quality extending through the finish. Very pretty wine."

Our notes:

The emergence of Rueda as a prestigious white wine region is the story of a unique grape called Verdejo. Although among only a small handful of truly noble Spanish white varieties, it was in danger of extinction by the early 1970's due to pervasive planting of more prolific grapes such as Viura and Palomino. Angel Rodríguez saved the shy-bearing, thick-skinned Verdejo by his stubborn refusal to uproot his 17th Century vineyard, Martinsancho. The vineyard is all bush grown, organic, un-irrigated and cropped at very low levels. The original vines, some over 200 years old (!) still bear fruit. Two glass lined tanks of 20,000 liters are used for fermentation, the wine subsequently transferred underground for clarification and rounding in the cellars. These cellars incidentally are extremely cold (they hold at 10 degree C) and this enables Rodríguez to use no sulphur during winemaking while the wine slowly matures on lees in huge, 100 year old oak vats.