Contino Blanco 2022

Viñedos del Contino lies at Laserna in Rioja Alavesa, on a meander of the river Ebro, and in 1973 became the first single-estate château of Rioja. The wines come only from the estate's own vineyards. Contino Blanco blends Viura with Garnacha Blanca and follows the classic oaked style of white Rioja. The estate sits low by the river on clay and limestone soils in a climate that mixes Atlantic and Mediterranean influences, with warm days and cool nights that hold the grapes' acidity while they ripen. The wine spends twelve months in French oak, a long élevage for a white, and the barrel work is central to its character: fermentation and ageing in oak add vanilla and a light toast, lees contact brings a creamy weight, and the slow oxygen exchange through the wood softens the acidity and builds a nutty complexity over time. Expect a golden colour and a nose of lemon and pear layered with vanilla, beeswax and toasted bread, and a broad, savoury palate with hazelnut and honey on a long finish. This is a white with structure made to age. Serve at 11 to 12 degrees in a large glass. Vegan.