Rolland & Galarreta Rueda

This wine forms part of the Rolland & Galarreta project, a venture which unites two wine cultures: the French and Spanish. Consequently, the expertise of the famous and highly-regarded French winemaker, Michel Rolland, a consultant for some of the world's most reputable wineries, has joined together with the experience of the founder of Araex & Spanish Fine Wines, Javier Galarreta, one of the leading names in business of Spanish wine exports.

In the making of their Verdejo in Rueda, Rolland and Galarreta have been able to count on the grapes and installations of the Val de Vid winery in Valladolid. There, the must undergoes a cold maceration with the grape skins in order to enhance the variety's characteristic aromas. After that, fermentation takes place at 16º C, with the clear objective of conserving the grape's basic freshness. Contact with its lees confers structure and volume on the palate, and the small percentage of wine (30%) that matures in new barrels from Saury (France) for two months is blended with the rest to endow profundity and complexity to the final product, an atypical and fascinating Verdejo that proves it's still possible to make very individual wines in the Rueda DO.

Its golden colour indicates a certain evolution, whilst its nose exhibits a complete palette of aromas: flower petals (jasmine and orange blossom), quince, green melon... On the palate, it's creamy and fresh, enveloping and smooth. With due patience and concentration, we can just about accept there's a Verdejo wine in front of us, yet it's so unlike the more usual offerings it's not easy; it attains a level of complexity rarely found which makes it a special wine, capable of accompanying any number of dishes and providing a pleasant surprise for new recruits and expert tasters alike.