Blanco
⏳ Drinking Window
2023 - 2025
🍽️ Food & Wine Pairings
Fresh seafood platters, grilled white fish with lemon, and soft goat cheeses.
✨ Technical Specifications
Hailing from the historic Marqués de Riscal, a producer that famously revolutionized white winemaking in the Castilla y León region during the early 1970s. Working alongside legendary French enologist Émile Peynaud, Riscal championed the indigenous Verdejo grape, rescuing it from obscurity and introducing modern, temperature-controlled stainless steel fermentation to the high-altitude, gravelly terroirs of the region. This 'Blanco' embodies that legacy of freshness and innovation. Crafted predominantly from Verdejo, it showcases a bright, aromatic profile characterized by fresh-cut grass, citrus, and tropical fruit notes, underpinned by a vibrant mineral backbone typical of the region's stony, clay-limestone soils.
🍾 About the Producer
Established in 1858 by Camilo Hurtado de Amézaga, Herederos del Marqués de Riscal pioneered modern viticulture in Spain by importing Bordeaux vinification techniques and oak barrel maturation to Rioja Alavesa. Situated in Elciego, the estate capitalizes on high-altitude vineyards framed by the Sierra de Cantabria, planted on chalky clay-limestone soils under a moderating Atlantic-continental microclimate. In the 1970s, Riscal drove the revival of Rueda, introducing Sauvignon Blanc and rejuvenating indigenous Verdejo. Across both denominaciones, the producer champions sustainable, regenerative viticulture, with all estate vineyards in Rueda certified organic and Rioja holdings transitioning swiftly. Winemaking balances classical European elegance with precision: the Reserva and Gran Reserva bottlings deliver supple Tempranillo infused with Graciano and refined via American oak, while the cuvée Barón de Chirel embodies concentrated, old-vine terroir mastery. Crowned by Frank Gehry's architectural masterpiece, Marqués de Riscal remains a global benchmark uniting 19th-century cellar heritage with contemporary oenology.
🍇 Grapes
Verdejo (min 85%), Sauvignon Blanc