Qué Bonito Cacareaba 2024

Qué Bonito Cacareaba is the white from Bodega Contador, the personal project of Benjamín Romeo in San Vicente de la Sonsierra, in the Rioja Alta. The wine blends Garnacha Blanca with Viura and Malvasía, the classic white grapes of the region. The Sonsierra sits on the slopes below the Sierra de Cantabria, on clay and limestone soils, where altitude and cool nights hold acidity and give the whites their freshness and length. The wine is aged for eight months on its lees in barrel, and it is that combination of barrel and prolonged lees contact that shapes it: the fine lees add texture and a subtle nutty character, malolactic softening broadens the palate, and the oak contributes structure and a measured spice rather than overt wood. The colour is bright straw gold. The nose shows ripe white peach and pear with citrus peel, honey and almond, and a light vanilla and beeswax from the ageing. The palate is broad, textured and dry, with a saline, mineral finish. Serve at 10 to 12 degrees in a full white glass. It pairs with richer fish, roast poultry and nutty cheeses.