Bodegas Juan Carlos 2018 Tempranillo Blanco 750ml

Juan Carlos Sancha considers 2018 a great vintage for whites, especially in the Alto Najerilla where he grows the grapes for his 2018 Ad Libitum Tempranillo Blanco. It's a pale, medicinal, balsamic and fruit-driven white from a mutation of the red Tempranillo that was allowed in Rioja in 2008. His vines are 21 years old and were planted at 565 meters in altitude on limestone and clay soils in the Valle del Najerilla. The destemmed grapes were pressed, the juice let to settle and fermented with indigenous yeasts in stainless steel. The wine is bottled unoaked to preserve the character of the grape. It has a fresh and lively palate with volume and a round sensation on the finish.

Score: 91 points -- Luis Gutierrez, The Wine Advocate, 2019