2021-C Ramirez de la Piscina Blanco, Rioja Alta, Spain (750ml)
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A Monthly Wine Club Selection
Pale straw yellow. Exotic floral aromas mingle with stone fruit and chalky minerality. The palate shows layers of Asian pear, yellow apple, citrus zest, guava and yellow dragon fruit. Bright with mouthwatering acidity and a touch of crushed minerals through the juicy finish.
In 1945, Julio Ramírez de la Piscina started cultivating the family vineyards to produce and sell grapes. In 1973, the family decided to build their own winemaking facility, and Bodegas Ramírez was founded. His sons, Julio, Cecilio, and Pilar took over the winery in 1980. In 1987 the name was changed to Bodegas Ramírez de la Piscina, the ancient aristocratic family surname, which originated from the 12th century Romanesque church near the vineyards called Santa María de la Piscina.
Today, Ramírez de la Piscina produces a range of traditional Rioja wines. All of the vineyards are estate owned and the vast majority of the plantings are Tempranillo. The Viura, Chardonnay, and Malvasía for the Blanco come from multiple proprietary vineyards located in Ábalos and San Vicente de la Sonsierra subregions of the Rioja DOC.
A blend of 85% Viura, 10% Chardonnay and 5% Malvasia, the fruit was harvested entirely by hand. Ater the grapes were carefully sorted, they were destemmed and transferred to stainless-steel tanks for 24 hours of skin contact. The maceration was temperature-controlled to avoid spontaneous fermentation. The grapes were gently stirred in the tank using hydraulic paddles, to homogenize the mixture and help extract the phenolic and aromatic compounds that give the wine its mouthfeel and characteristic aromas. The must was gently extracted using a pneumatic press. The juice was cold settled for 24 hours then fermented at 59°F over a period of two weeks.