Alonso & Pedrajo La Pequeñita Blanco Macerado Malvasía Riojana 2020

Alonso & Pedrajo farm in La Rioja in northern Spain and were the first winery in the region to achieve B Corp certification. La Pequeñita is built from Malvasía Riojana, an aromatic local white grape, made in an orange style through extended skin contact. The wine spends four months fermenting and macerating in clay amphorae, then eight months on its lees in barrel. Skin contact draws tannin, pigment and phenolic compounds from the grape skins, giving the amber colour and structural grip. The porous clay allows slow, gentle oxygen exchange that adds savoury complexity, while the long lees ageing releases mannoproteins that soften the texture and add a subtle bready depth. The result is amber in the glass, with a nose of dried apricot, orange peel, almond and beeswax over dried herbs. The palate is dry and grippy, with nutty, honeyed fruit, a waxy mid-palate and a long, savoury finish. Serve at 12 to 14 degrees in a generous glass to let the aromatics open.