El Pacto Jesús Acha Blanco 2018

Vinedos El Pacto makes this white in the D.O.Ca. Rioja, drawing on the Senda de Haro parcel in the Alto Najerilla near Cardenas, a site worked by Jesus Acha across his lifetime. The wine is led by Garnacha Blanca alongside Jaina, Malvasia and other white varieties, farmed organically. The parcel's conglomerate soils, rich in clay and iron, give the wine body and structure, while the altitude of the Najerilla valley keeps the nights cool and the acidity firm. Ageing is long: eighteen months in clay jars followed by eighteen months in French oak barrels. The clay allows slow oxygen exchange and micro-oxidation without wood flavour, while the barrel adds a toasty, spiced complexity and further softens the wine, in the tradition of aged white Rioja. The colour is deep gold. The nose is rich and developed, with white peach, apricot and pear over beeswax, toasted bread and honey. The palate is full and dry, textured and savoury, the long ageing giving a nutty, oxidative edge balanced by fresh acidity and a vanilla-tinged finish. Serve at around 12C in a larger glass.