Hacienda Lopez de Haro Blanc (75cl, 12.5%)

A 100% Viura white wine from Rioja Alta, Spain, bottled at 12.5% ABV. It is a barrel-aged white Rioja. The grapes are sourced from vineyard plots in Badarán in the Upper Najerilla Valley at over 600 metres above sea level, on iron-rich clay soils, with roughly half the fruit from old vines, predominantly Viura with some Malvasía. After harvest the grapes undergo 24-hour maceration, light pressing and controlled fermentation in small vats, then rest three to four months in French oak barrels. The nose opens with ripe peach and mango, layered with lemon zest and a faint musk, with barrel-derived dates and banana. On the palate the entry is fresh and fleshy with ripe stone fruit and tropical notes, crisp acidity and gentle roundness from the oak. The finish is long and balanced, trailing lemon and mango with a slight oiliness and fine chalky minerality.