Barco Del Corneta La Sillería 2021

La Sillería comes from the village of Alcazarén, in the Tierra de Pinares comarca, south of Valladolid in Castilla y León. These very old, ungrafted Verdejo vines, some 150 years old, were rescued from abandonment in 2013 with the help of the villagers. Planted at 770 metres on sandy soil and surrounded by pine forests, they face a continental climate with harsh winters and wide temperature swings, ideal for whites with fine tension.

The grapes are harvested by hand, then pressed and fermented with native yeasts in 300- and 500-litre barrels. The wine is aged for 12 months in the same barrels, then 5 months in stainless-steel tanks to gain precision. This respectful approach integrates the oak while preserving the varietal character and minerality of this sandy terroir.

This wine reveals notes of yellow peach, apricot, almond, white flowers, sweet spices, fennel, chalk and lemon zest. Ripe fruit and floral nuances are balanced by a lovely mineral freshness. The palate, broad and rich, with fine breadth but no exuberance, reveals a chalky texture, pleasant bitterness and a saline, persistent finish.

The history of wine in Spain is so ancient that no one really knows who first brought the vines to the region. By the time the Phoenicians arrived some 3,000 years ago and founded the present-day cities of Cádiz and Jerez, viticulture was already well established, and Spanish wines were widely traded throughout the Mediterranean and North Africa. You could say that Spain is a winemaking miracle. After years on the sidelines of the world of fine wines, it is now a major player. Investment and ambition in vineyards and wineries are resulting in increasingly rich, complex (often high in alcohol), and spicy reds that are gaining popularity with international consumers. Proud to have more land dedicated to vines than any other country, Spain is only now beginning to capitalize on this resource in a consistent way. Spain is a chaotic jumble of regions and subregions, much like its landscape is a chaotic jumble of incredibly rugged scenery. A glance at a map reveals the climatic diversity among Spain's many wine regions, from the lush, green vineyards of Galicia on the northern Atlantic coast to the parched vineyards of the southeastern Mediterranean. Spain's saving grace for viticulture is the average altitude of its vineyards, which is over 600 meters. Many Spanish vineyards are thus able to produce grapes with good color and acidity simply because nighttime temperatures are relatively low and the grapes don't ripen until after a sufficiently long growing season. But there is a real treasure trove to be found for those willing to dig, and now that a class of connoisseurs has developed in Spain, all sorts of ambitious investors have done their part to change the image of Spanish wine. Today, a new generation of winemakers has quietly begun to craft spectacular wines and experiment with grape varieties that would have been unthinkable not so long ago. Wine remains an important commodity and an integral part of Spanish culture.