Verdejo is a variety of white wine grapes that are grown in the Rueda region of Spain. The variety from North Africa was introduced in Rueda around the 11th Century, and was thought to have been brought to the region by the Mozarabs. Verdejo is used to create strong wines that are similar to Sherry, and can also be mixed with other varieties. During the 1970s, Verdejo was used by the company Marques de Riscal, which created light and fresh styles of the wine. Verdejo is blended with Rueda wines, which contain 50 percent of the grape variety and 50 percent of another type, typically Sauvignon blanc or Macabeo. The grape variety is usually harvested in the evening and they are placed in the cellar during a time when the temperature is cooler, which gives the wines less oxidation. Wines created from the variety are aromatic, creamy, and have nutty tones and honey flavors. Verdejo lived undiscovered for hundreds of years and is now being used again and rediscovered in the last 15 years. The type grows well in high altitude regions and is now Spain’s main white grape type. The Verdejo grape variety is said to be one of Spain’s best white wine grape types.
Carmo Vinhos Madeira Verdejo 10 Yr an amber medium dry wine with medium body and acidity. Rich aroma and flavor of dried fruits, nuts and caramel, showing a vibrant character, lengthy and well balanced. An excellent aperitif or as an accompaniment to pates.
El Cortijillo Blanco La Mancha is made from 100% Verdejo
El Cortijillo Verdejo shows a pale straw green color. It is fresh and aromatic with floral notes, peach, crisp apple and tropical fruits. A mineral accent and herbal notes. Good acidity, it is refreshing on the palate, fruity and smooth.
Ossian Capitel Verdejo is made from 100% Verdejo.
Ossian Capital represents a particular expression of very old Verdejo vines, taking its potential far finesse, elegance and longevity. It is made in selected years with a selection of extraordinary grapes.
Color: Old golden yellow color with greenish reflections.
Aromas: Surprisingly nuanced and profound.
Flavors: Fresh, full and very light.
Review:
"The 2020 Capitel is pure Verdejo from the oldest vines from the Peña Aguda vineyard in the village of Nieva on slate soils. This is the last vineyard to be bottled and has higher alcohol (14%) than the rest of the vineyards despite now harvesting earlier. The wine has a different aromatic profile but getting closer to the style of Ossian, less opulent than in the past, with more energy, quite fruit-driven with some exotic notes reminiscent of banana skin. The whole clusters were pressed and the juice put to ferment in barrel where the wine matured with the lees and, starting this year, without bâtonnage, because they feel the wines have enough volume and stirring the lees can bring more oxidation to the wine. 2,500 bottles produced. - Luis GUTIERREZ"
- Robert Parker's Wine Advocate (January 31st 2023), 93+ pts
Ossian Capitel Verdejo is made from 100% Verdejo.
Ossian Capital represents a particular expression of very old Verdejo vines, taking its potential far finesse, elegance and longevity. It is made in selected years with a selection of extraordinary grapes.
Color: Old golden yellow color with greenish reflections.
Aromas: Surprisingly nuanced and profound.
Flavors: Fresh, full and very light.
Review:
Color: bright yellow. Aroma: ripe fruit, spicy, white fruit, citrus fruit. Flavour: balanced, fresh. Style: taut. Color: bright yellow. Aroma: powerful, creamy oak, ripe fruit, spicy. Flavour: rich, good structure, long, toasty, fine bitter notes.
-Guia Penin 96 Points
Ossian Quintaluna Verdejo is made from 100% Verdejo
Quintaluna is a young wine that is made exclusively from Verdejo in the province of Segovia. 60% is very old grape: pre-phylloxera (ungrafted). 40% is made of very young grapes on trellises, grown certified organic, with low yields. The key to success for the Verdejo grape is held in the soil. Ideal soil has a high content of sand and pebbles of different sizes. Some have higher proportions of clay and others have significant proportions of clay and limestone. As the pebbles and sand allow for good drainage, the clay holds enough moisture to allow the vines to thrive.
The color is a straw yellow with greenish reflections. On the nose, you will find aromas of white flowers, stone fruit (peach), and citrus (lemon, mandarin). It also displays tropical fruit aromas. The palate is complex. Natural acidity is evident in the freshness and length on the palate. Almond and ripe fruit flavors are found in the mid-palate with fresh grass and citrus on the finish.
It pairs wells with all kinds of appetizers, entrees and salads.
Review:
"Light, bright straw. Fresh pear, orange pith and a suggestion of pungent flowers on the powerfully scented nose, along with a building mineral nuance. Juicy and incisive in the mouth, offering Meyer lemon, pear and quince flavors accented by a spicy ginger flourish. Silky and focused on the finish, which shows powerful floral lift, minerally cut and impressive persistence. - Josh Raynolds"
- Antonio Galloni's Vinous (February 2021), 92 pts
Ossian Quintaluna Verdejo is made from 100% Verdejo
Quintaluna is a young wine that is made exclusively from Verdejo in the province of Segovia. 60% is very old grape: pre-phylloxera (ungrafted). 40% is made of very young grapes on trellises, grown certified organic, with low yields. The key to success for the Verdejo grape is held in the soil. Ideal soil has a high content of sand and pebbles of different sizes. Some have higher proportions of clay and others have significant proportions of clay and limestone. As the pebbles and sand allow for good drainage, the clay holds enough moisture to allow the vines to thrive.
The color is a straw yellow with greenish reflections. On the nose, you will find aromas of white flowers, stone fruit (peach), and citrus (lemon, mandarin). It also displays tropical fruit aromas. The palate is complex. Natural acidity is evident in the freshness and length on the palate. Almond and ripe fruit flavors are found in the mid-palate with fresh grass and citrus on the finish.
It pairs wells with all kinds of appetizers, entrees and salads.
Review:
"The 2020 Quintaluna is pure Verdejo from small plots on sandy soils in the province of Segovia, fermented in stainless steel with indigenous yeasts. They still use grapes from external suppliers but are working toward using 100% their own grapes (which they might achieve in 2023); therefore, the wine is not certified organic, because some of the vineyards from the growers are not certified. It has a balsamic nose reminiscent of bay leaf, dried yellow flowers, chamomile and pollen intermixed with pit fruit. It has a dry palate and a chalky texture, with balance and finesse, with moderate ripeness and 13.5% alcohol. 110,000 bottles. - Luis GUTIERREZ"
- Robert Parker's Wine Advocate (January 31st 2023), 92 pts
A barrel fermented, old vines Verdejo made in a style different from what we typically see in this white varietal. It has a remarkable complexity, resulting in the smoothness and depth of a high-end white. Very suitable for cellaring.
Golden yellow color with greenish reflections. Complex, toasty aromas of nuts & dried fruit. Large, creamy, spicy, balanced and voluminous.
Rice with fish, cooked seafood, grilled seafood, baked white fish.
"The eponymous 2020 Ossian was produced with Verdejo grapes from old, organically farmed vines around the village of Nieva (Segovia), a zone where phylloxera didn't reach. They consider 2020 their finest vintage to date, with a big change from 2018 and when they have achieved a much better understanding of their vineyards. It has notes of pit fruit and sweet spices, with good weight on the palate, moderate alcohol (13.5%) and ripeness and good freshness and balance. It's serious and with potential to develop in bottle. 80,000 bottles produced. - Luis GUTIERREZ"
- Robert Parker's Wine Advocate (January 31st 2023), 94 pts
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Palacio de Bornos Verdejo Rueda is made from 100% Verdejo.
Mechanical and manual harvest. Fermentation takes place in stainless steel tanks at controlled temperature of 15-16º C for 18 to 20 days. Cold stabilization, filtration. Clay and limestone with small round stones.
Straw-like yellow color with fresh green tones.
Hugely aromatic, with tropical fruit, tangerine, lemongrass and lemon thyme. Fruity notes with anise and minerals, typical of the Verdejo grape. Full in the mouth, well structured, dense and persistent with a lingering aftertaste. The wine has great length and a delicious mouth-filling richness, and finished with a precise acid cut.
As a light aperitif, ideal at any time of the day, with a tapas or small snack, with Pasta al Pesto, Mousse of Tuna fish and lime..
Enjoy with everything from sushi to spicy Cajun shrimp!
Masseto 2020 is a wine that has embraced all the key traits of the vintage. It displays excellent concentration both in terms of colour and bouquet. They remain persistent and vivid in the glass without subsiding over time. The potency of this wine returns on the palate with beautiful length and balsamic flavours. The integrity of the tannin reveals the ageing potential typical of Masseto.
Review:
Intense and full on the nose, fragrant with ripe black fruit, floral aspects and soft spicing. Round and full on the palate, it's rich and muscular yet tight and neatly coiled with a liquorice, graphite, pepper, cinnamon and clove tang that gives this immediate but enjoyable spice. Feels well worked, juicy with high acidity that lifts the palate and gives freshness and brightness alongside really quite mouthwatering strawberry and raspberry fruit with such captivating dried floral and bitter orange rind aspects. Tannins are super fine and so well integrated yet this maintains a grip and hold from the very beginning through to a long and sustained finish. Nuanced and complex, still packing a punch in terms of power, but this feels sophisticated, suave, purposeful and controlled. Not elegant, this is more of a caged animal with it's full potential yet to be unveiled, but it is classy. A truly delicious wine with so much purity and sense of place. Malolactic fermentation in 100% new barroques, with each batch kept separate for the first 12 months of ageing before being blended and returned to barriques for another year, totaling 24 months. The wine was then aged for a further 12 months in bottle before being released.
-Decanter 100 Points
Pago de Carraovejas El Anejon is made from 93%, Cabernet Sauvignon 5% and Merlot 2%.
El Anejon vineyard is a terraced plot on a steep slope, oriented toward the sun and with great views of the Castle of Peñafiel. The soil of the narrow terraces has a compact, loamy limestone texture. The presence of the white-colored limestone calcium salts contributes to a distinctive minerality in this wine. Only made in exceptional vintages.