Marqués de Cáceres Antea 2025

Marqués de Cáceres was founded in Rioja in 1970 by Enrique Forner and is now led by his daughter Cristina. Antea is the house's barrel-fermented white, a blend of Tempranillo Blanco and Viura from the D.O.Ca. Rioja. Viura is the region's traditional white grape, prized for freshness and structure, while Tempranillo Blanco, a natural white mutation of Tempranillo, adds aromatic lift and citrus detail. The vineyards sit on the clay and limestone soils of Rioja, where a continental climate of warm days and cool nights preserves acidity as the grapes ripen. Rather than being fermented cold in steel, the wine is fermented in oak barrels. Fermenting in wood integrates a light toast and a fine, creamy texture into the fruit, and the wine then rests a short time before bottling. The result is rounder and more textured than a simple fresh white while staying bright. The colour is straw-yellow with golden glints. The nose shows white peach, pear and white flowers over lemon and a hint of almond. The palate is smooth and balanced, the barrel texture carried by clean acidity to a gently honeyed, mineral finish. Serve at 10 to 11 degrees.