This is a delightful white and is actually the most 'ordinary' of the wines made by the extra-ordinary folk in the Urbina family.
This is classic European white wine but in a seriously attractive, structured and engaging style. Made from Viura it is aged on its lees for 4 months and the left to rest for a year in tank before being bottled and left again. Retaining some of its zingy freshness, it has developed a fresh cashew nut note and has the feeling that there are more and more layers to come, just like the other wines that Urbina produce.
Pear, apple and melon lead to fresh, untoasted nuts and a textured finish, making it superb with food.
It's from a family winery in the very west of the Rioja Alta subzone, where all the vineyards they own are farmed organically. They have 150 years of tradition in the same family and are certainly not swayed by modern trends to high-extract, big, punchy and dense styles of wine (not that we don't like those styles, it's just interesting to know where this family stands!). Aging wine in their own cellars until ready for consumption is a noble but expensive occupation: what's incredible is that they don't charge us a massive premium for it.
This is wine that is from a classic European wine region, made perfectly in a traditional method and aged, released and sold as a continuum of a that tradition out of which which they have grown. It's very respectable.
And the wines are immensely enjoyable.
Region: Rioja Alta
Country: Spain
Grape(s): Viura
Style: Vibrant, Refined, Pure, Perfumed, Organic, Mineral, Medium-Light, Iconic, Herbaceous, Fruity, Fresh, Elegant, Complex, Bright, Balanced
Best food matches: Warm Salads, Tuna, Trout, Tapas, Sushi, St Stephen's Day, Squid, Soft Cheeses, Shellfish, Seafood, Scallops, Salads, Poultry, Pork, Oysters, Mature Cheeses, Lobster, Lamb, Hard Cheeses, Grilled Vegetables, Goat's Cheese, Fine Dining, Duck, Christmas Dinner, Cheeses, Charcuterie, Baked Fish, Asparagus
Alcohol: 12.5%