Capellanía 2018

With wines like Capellanía, we begin to have good reasons for thinking that if the great Rioja reds share some similarities with their Bordeaux counterparts, especially regarding their maturity — and we're not just talking of shared history —, there are elements in the Rioja's great Viura whites that bring us close to Burgundy: elegance, complexity, structure and a very well-defined character. However, leaving aside the traditional great icons, namely the exceptional López de Heredia whites, due to their singularity, how many great Rioja whites could you put a name to? Capellanía is undoubtedly one of them and Murrieta has thus established a new concept of the Rioja white, aged exclusively in new wood made of French oak. Capellanía is produced from Viura grapes that come from a single vineyard, planted in 1945 and situated on a plain lying at an altitude of 485 metres, in the highest area of the Ygay estate, owned by the winery. It's a very fine white, extremely versatile gastronomically due to its astonishing complexity, with aromas which range from fresh almonds to delicate fruits in liqueur, with distinct salinity and toasted notes; a serious and profound nose. On the palate, it's powerful and elegant, fresh, and has crisp fruit in its youth, and very good acidity which will lengthen its life for several years; it's voluminous, with a refined creaminess, a touch of very well integrated caramel and a background of camomile tea, hints of honey, dried peaches and apricots and other dried stone fruits. To sum up, a great white with the heart and soul of a red. NOTE: Decanting or oxygenating is recommended half an hour before serving.