Viñas del Vero La Miranda de Secastilla Garnacha Blanca 2013: Wow color—bright yellow with green iridescence;
highly aromatic apple, lemon, spice nose; tasty fruit—tangy apple, lemon meringue, pear, peach, spice, honeysuckle, smoke, minerality on the palate; crisp, dry, light, nice cutting acidity makes it food friendly; creamy in the mouth, good balance, nuances of oak on the finish. Very friendly effort. This is nowhere near your everyday white. The grapes come from ancient bush vines of rare white garnacha (the white version of garhacha/grenache and only cultivated in Aragon, Spain; some Viñas del Vero vines are a century old). The dry-farmed vineyard is at 2,300 foot elevation, in the Secastilla Valley in northeastern Spain, in the foothills of the Pyrenees. The soil is sandy/loamy and very stoney; the bush vines are fortuitously placed to receive maximum sunshine and white gypsum in the soil helps provide indirect sunlight on the bunches, encouraging their fruit-forward flavors; same time, altitude and soil keep the grapes well away from becoming blowzy or flabby. The wine comes from the Somontano Denominación de Origen (Somotano means “beneath the mountain”). Viñas del Vero is the leading producer in the D.O. with some 40% of production. It seems in the past Viñas del Vero went overboard on oak—that was an unfortunate style for a while just about everywhere—but they clearly came to their senses; this oak is nicely done, lingering in background, offering a suggestion of spice. There is an ancient tradition in the Secastilla Valley, where the female of the house owns the property, land and estate, hence the name of this particular estate is “La Miranda.” Due to its specific terroir, climate, and characteristics of the Secastilla valley, the estate belongs to the prestigious Association of the Great Estates of Spain. The wine is a very nice alternative to chardonnay; pair with light meats, quiche, oily fish, cured cheeses. $15