Bernabeleva Camino de Navaherreros Blanco 2024

Bernabeleva works granite soils at around 700 metres in the Sierra de Gredos, within D.O. Vinos de Madrid, farming 35 hectares of old vines under respectful agriculture. This white leads with Albillo alongside Macabeo and other local varieties. Granite is a poor, free-draining rock that keeps yields low and lends a firm, mineral thread to the wine, while the altitude brings cool nights and a wide diurnal range that hold on to acidity and slow ripening for aromatic freshness. The wine is aged nine months in oak barrels, but the fruit and mountain minerality stay in front rather than the wood. Ageing on the lees during that time adds a little texture without masking the vineyard character. The colour is bright straw-yellow. The nose is fresh, with lemon, green apple and white peach over white flowers and a faint earthy, stony note. The palate is dry and precise, the modest oak folded into a mineral, saline structure driven by cool-climate acidity to a long finish. Serve chilled at 9 to 11 degrees.