Conde Valdemar Rioja Blanco Finca Alto Cantabria 2021
A successful blend of modern fruit and traditional oak ageing: lemony, smoke- and vanilla-scented, with subtle aromas of peaches and apricot, and beautifully balanced. Complex and full-bodied, with a savoury and saline character characteristic of the limestone soil of Alto Cantabria. Long and very elegant aftertaste.
Unusually for Rioja, all the Valdemar grapes come from the family’s own vineyards (almost 300 hectares), giving unrivalled control over the quality of the fruit at every level. The grapes for this wine came exclusively from the Alto Cantabria vineyard, planted in 1974 on limestone and sandy loam soils. In 2019 it was certified as a “Viñedo Singular” - a category that can only be achieved by those parcels with notable features of quality and distinction.
Selected grapes were hand harvested into boxes with subsequent temperature balancing in cold storage. The wine, made with free-run juice, was fermented in stainless steel tanks and French oak barrels, followed by six months’ ageing on the lees with weekly bâtonnage in French oak barrels.
| RRP | £30.25 |
| Vintage | 2021 |
| Alcoholic strength | 13% |
| Country | Spain |
| Region | Rioja |
| Grapes | Viura 100% |
| Contains sulphites | Yes |
| Organic | No |
| Biodynamic | No |
| Closure | Cork |
The roots of Bodegas Valdemar go back to 1889 and Joaquin Martínez Bujanda, and it remains an independent estate, specialising in Rioja. They are committed to using 100% estate-grown fruit, which has allowed Valdemar both to keep quality consistent and also to experiment with different sites and obscure grape varieties. Unusually for Rioja, all the grapes used by Bodegas Valdemar come from estate vineyards (290 hectares of them). The range of wines makes the most of this consistency and flexibility, from unoaked entry-level Riojas bursting with flavour, to dense and complex rarities.
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