Luis Cañas Vinas Viejas Blanco 2019

A beautifully balanced example of white Rioja that straddles the styles of the old and the new. Vibrant citrussy Viura is blended with the more weighty Malvasia and the brief barrel maturation adds a honeyed roundness to the crisp lemony fruit. Beautiful golden yellow colour with bright lemon-tinted reflections. Elegant, combining hints of flowers, fruits and hazelnuts. Dry, with just enough acidity to make it fresh and lively with a structured and tasty finish of ripe fruit. Bodegas Luis Cañas has been at the heart of Rioja since 1928 though the contemporary story begins in 1970 when Luis Cañas became the first Rioja Alavesa winemaker to bottle his young wine rather than sell it in bulk. Situated in Villabuena, Luis Cañas utilise their knowledge of the local climate, terroir, cultivation methods and a real sense of pride and dedication to create these unique wines; every harvest Luis Cañas, now 86, stands at the head of the selection table keenly ensuring only the best parcels of grapes are used. The end result is wine consistently packed with fruit and wrapped in a silky, oak laced layer of flavour that seems unique to Rioja: truly world class. Grapes are hand selected and brought to the winery in the smallest tractors in the region. They are hand sorted at one of the wineries two Mistral sorting tables, where Juan Luis Cañas stands watch at each harvest. Fermentation occurs in French Oak Barrels for 17 days before the wine is aged in new French and American oak for three and a half months, with lees, until bottling.