Bodegas Amaren, Malvasia 2019

Get to know: Bodegas Amaren, Malvasia 2019

Tasting Note

A very elegant and fresh wine that is very complex. On the nose there are intense aromas of ripe pineapple and pears as well as delicate floral aromas such as orange blossom, dried flower petals, nutmeg, and some lovely brioche. There's a nice, full fruit sensation on the palate and it moves though a rich and full flavoured core to a long finish filled with floral and balsamic notes. The wine has been aged on its fine lees which has added texture and body as well as complexity. It is a stunning and singular example of white Rioja wine from a talented winemaker.

This wines comes alive at the dinner table. Try it with hake cooked with garlic and clams.

Kate Says

"We've always loved Luis Cañas wines, so when we discovered his grandsons Amaren project, we were very interested to find out more. Well, the wines from his modern and imaginative approach are as stunning as you'd expect."

Producer Info

Jon Cañas (Luis Cañas’ grandson) is the imaginative winemaker behind Bodegas Amaren.

Jon has been granted free rein to explore the character of Alavesa’s vineyards, giving us a raw, modern interpretation of Rioja Alavesa. Bodegas Amaren is comprised of some of best and highest altitude vineyards around the villages of Samaniego and Leza, where the soil is poor and gnarly vines, ageing up to and over 100 years old, produces small bunches, perfect for making highly concentrated Rioja wines.

The fruit for this is from the El Pomal vineyard in the village of Leza and was planted in 1912. The Malavasia Riojana has, traditionally, been present in their vineyards often as part of a mixed field blend with Tempranillo, Viura and other grape varieties. In this particular old vineyard they have preserved this grape, which it is also known as “Rojal” given the pink hue it takes when ripe.

Manual harvest in baskets and a grape by grape selection at the winery. Fermentation in a concrete 1.700 litre “egg”. Ageing on its own fine lees in the same “egg” for 14 months with weekly Crianza “bâtonnage”. No barrel ageing. Aged for 2 years in bottle in the Amaren cellar before release.

chile,

75cl

Aperitif

Medium Dry