Barón de Ley Blanco Semidulce 2025

Barón de Ley farms over 600 hectares along the Ebro at Mendavia in Rioja, with a cellar set in a fortified castle dating to 1548. This Blanco Semidulce is a young, off-dry Sauvignon Blanc, made in an aromatic style with a touch of retained sugar and a low 10.5 percent alcohol. Fermentation is stopped while some natural grape sugar remains, which is what gives the wine its gentle sweetness and lower alcohol, and cool handling in stainless steel locks in the fruit and floral aromatics rather than any oak character. The balance is the point: the residual sugar is offset by fresh acidity so the wine reads as juicy rather than sticky. It pours pale and bright, showing tropical fruits of pineapple and mango alongside white peach, melon and elderflower, with a honeyed edge and a clean citrus finish. Serve cold at 7 to 9 degrees.