Alegre Valgañón Rioja Blanco '19

Alegre Valgañón is one of the newer wineries to emerge out of Rioja, established around 2010 by the husband-wife team of Oscar Alegre and Eval Valgañón. The estate is located in the far western reaches of Rioja, at the base of the Obarenes Mountains. Soils found here are similar to those throughout Rioja Alavesa and Alta, with limestone-rich clay and sand. 

Traditional, sustainable viticulture is employed, with only organic fertilizers and without herbicides. This style focused on viticulture and winemaking on a small scale, allowing vine-by-vine attention to fruit quality, the inclusion of stems during fermentation, and shorter time in larger barrels. These wines are a pure reflection of the land.

The 2019 Rioja blanco is made from 90% Viura and 10% Garnacha Blanca grown in the town of Galbarruri, just at the base of the Obarenes Mountains. The intact bunches are pressed slowly with their stems and ferment in stainless steel, and some undergo skin contact and malolactic conversion. Then, the wine ages in used French oak for 11 months (500-liter barrels and 1,000-liter foudres). The wine shows a high-toned mix of citrus and orchard fruit on the nose, along with herbal and floral notes. The wine is complex and round on the palate, with some tannin, and the finish is long.