Barón de Chirel Blanco Verdejo 2022

Barón de Chirel Verdejo is made by Herederos del Marqués de Riscal at Rueda, bottled under the wider Castilla y León regional designation. The group has produced white wine in this part of the Duero since the 1970s, when it chose Rueda for its quality, and today farms extensive vineyards planted to Verdejo and Sauvignon Blanc. This is a fuller, oak aged expression of Verdejo, picked riper and reaching 14.5 per cent, so the wine trades some of the grape's raw cut for weight and depth. After fermentation it spends six months in French oak, where slow oxygen exchange through the wood softens the acidity, adds structure and layers in vanilla, toast and a nutty character alongside the fruit. Time on lees in barrel further rounds the texture. It pours bright gold, with a nose of ripe white peach and pear over vanilla, toasted bread and a hint of dried herbs. The palate is broad and dry, with the oak framing rather than covering the fruit, closing long on almond and citrus peel. Serve at 11 to 13 degrees in a larger glass.