La Unidad Sking or Queen 2023

La Unidad works in the Sierra de Gredos at Cebreros, in Castilla y León, where old bush vines of Albillo Real grow on granite soils at altitude. The high, sunlit days and cold nights ripen the fruit while holding acidity, and the sandy granite gives the wine a fine, mineral spine. This is a textured white rather than a simple crisp one: the grapes spend about a month on their skins, and the extended skin contact draws phenolics and a little tannic grip from the grape skins, deepening both colour and structure. Eight months on the lees then adds a creamy, savoury weight. The result oscillates between the wild and the polished, as the producer intends. The colour is bright gold. The nose shows ripe peach, pear and a nostalgic note of honey and dried herbs. The palate is dry, broad and lightly grippy, the stonefruit carried by lees texture to a long, faintly waxy finish. Serve at 11 to 13 degrees in a large glass. It suits roast chicken, pork, grilled white fish and roasted squash, where its texture and gentle grip stand in for a light red.