Ad Libitum Tempranillo Blanco 2025

Ad Libitum Tempranillo Blanco is made by Juan Carlos Sancha in Baños del Río Tobía in La Rioja Alta, in the D.O.Ca. Rioja. Sancha farms 5.5 hectares organically in the Najerilla valley and has been one of the driving forces behind rescuing the region's old and near-forgotten varieties. Tempranillo Blanco is a white mutation of Tempranillo, recovered in Rioja in recent decades, and this vineyard is twenty years old and planted on clay-lime soils. The clay holds water for steady ripening while the limestone content lends freshness and a mineral lift, and the higher, cooler ground of Rioja Alta preserves acidity. The fruit is harvested by hand into boxes and destemmed, then made in a fresh, unoaked style with no barrel ageing so the wine shows clean varietal character. It pours pale lemon with a green tint. The nose is bright and citrus-led, with green apple, lemon and white peach over white flowers and citrus peel. The palate is dry and crisp, the fresh acidity carrying the orchard fruit to a clean, lightly saline finish. Serve chilled at 9 to 10 degrees.