Verdejo
⏳ Drinking Window
2023 - 2025
🍽️ Food & Wine Pairings
Fresh seafood and grilled shellfish, traditional Spanish tapas like garlic prawns, and fresh goat cheese salads.
✨ Technical Specifications
Hailing from the high-altitude, sun-drenched plains of Castilla y Leon, the Marques de Caceres Verdejo is a vibrant testament to one of Spain's most beloved native white grapes. While Marques de Caceres established its legendary reputation in Rioja, the winery ventured into the Rueda area of Castilla y Leon to capture the unique expression of Verdejo. Grown in gravel-rich, stony soils that retain the day's heat, the vines endure harsh continental climates balanced by cool nocturnal breezes. To preserve the grape's delicate, intensely aromatic profile of citrus, white peach, and fresh herbs, the grapes are harvested at night under cool temperatures. Fermented entirely in temperature-controlled stainless steel, this wine avoids oak to let the crisp, mineral-driven terroir and natural herbaceous complexity of the Verdejo grape shine through.
🍾 About the Producer
Established in 1970 by Enrique Forner in Cenicero, Marqués de Cáceres spearheaded the modern renaissance of Rioja. Drawing on his experience revitalizing Bordeaux estates like Château Camensac, Forner enlisted legendary oenologist Émile Peynaud to introduce temperature-controlled stainless steel fermentation and French oak barriques, shifting focus toward vibrant fruit character rather than oxidation. Today directed by Enrique's daughter, Cristina Forner, the house collaborates closely with multi-generational growers across Rioja Alta and Rioja Alavesa, cultivating primarily Tempranillo, Garnacha, and Graciano across calcareous clay and alluvial terraces sheltered by the Sierra de Cantabria. Beyond benchmark oak-matured Rioja expressions—such as Crianza, Reserva, Gran Reserva, and the flagship cuvée Gaudium—the estate has strategically broadened its footprint. Its repertoire now includes crisp Verdejo and Sauvignon Blanc from Rueda, Deusa Nai Albariño from Rías Baixas, and method traditional Cava, all maintaining the firm’s hallmark of meticulous quality, freshness, and structural finesse.
🍇 Grapes
Verdejo (min 85%), Sauvignon Blanc