2014 Quinta da Muradella Alanda Blanco Monterrei

2014 was not an easy vintage, there were up to 40 liters of rain during the harvest, not that it's noticeable in the 2014 Alanda Blanco, which is the house blend of white grapes and soils; this wines mixes newer and older vineyards, and is co-fermented without any clarification or settling of the must with indigenous yeasts. The nose is completely mineral, a soil-driven profile, austere, reminiscent of wet granite stones, a really lovely nose. The palate is sharp, vertical, focused, clean and precise, with austere granite minerality that translate into a tactile sensation and an almost salty finish. A textbook, austere, sharp and mineral white. Simply superb. 8,000 bottles produced. 2013 was not an easy vintage, but 2014 was even more challenging with rains during the harvest, so in that vintage there is only one red wine produced. The wines are very transparent with the soils and vintages, something I really appreciate. (LG) (3/2016)

Light yellow. High-pitched citrus and orchard fruit aromas are complemented by suggestions of jasmine and chalky minerals. Spicy, penetrating and pure, offering incisive Meyer lemon and white peach flavors and a touch of honey on the back half. Shows more chewiness and minerality with air and finishes with excellent focus and spicy persistence. This nervy wine would make a fine match with raw shellfish. (JR) (1/2016)

Produced from a blend of grapes in the Galician D.O. of Monterrei, just south of the city of Ourense, proprietor José Luis Mateo's wine manages to cut a wide swath across the palate, showing impressive yellow fruited richness and depth of flavor while maintaining fresh flavors and a lively acidity on the palate. Grape varieties in this cuvee include dona blanca, treixadura verdello and others depending on the vintage, and all hail from José Luis Mateo's 14 hectares of vines. (Joe Manekin, K&L Spanish wine buyer)