Vina Ijalba Rioja Tempranillo Blanco

Tempranillo Blanco was discovered in 1988 in a Tempranillo vineyard near Murillo de Río Leza in the La Rioja province of northern Spain. While Tempranillo is a dark-skinned variety used to produce red wine, they discovered that one of their vines had undergone a mutation that produced yellow-green clusters. ‘Tempranillo Blanco’ was born and today Vina Ijalba have 1.5 hectares planted with the variety, and this is the first wine ever produced from this very rare Riojan grape. This rare organic white has an exceptional mouthfeel, and is dry, fruity and balanced with 15% of the wine having been aged in  oak, providing complex smokey aromas and flavours.

Dionisio Ruiz planted his first vines back in 1975 with vineyards located on a former old open-cast mine. The revival of these once production poor soils into healthy, organic soils forms the backbone of the Viña Ijalba estate today. Viña Ijalba was the first winery in Rioja to commit to organic production. Not only that, they’ve also revived the land for growing indigenous and now rare Riojan varietals, like Maturana Blanca, Maturana Tinta and Tempranillo Blanco. They lay claim to being the first winery in Rioja to produce a wine made exclusively of 100% Graciano, which is traditionally used as a blending partner with the celebrated variety of the region, Tempranillo. Located just a five minutes drive from the capital of Rioja, Logroño they produce a far reaching range of wines from the young, fresh and fruity Joven styles to the more traditional aged wines of Crianza and Reserva. Both Crianza and Reserva wines must spend a minimum of one year in barrel, with Reserva having a minimum ageing requirement between oak and bottle of three years before release. 70% of their grapes are harvested by hand. Not only has Viña Ijalba managed to fully revive a former open-cast mine for organic winemaking, but they’re revival of almost forgotten local varietals that bring a distinctive element to their wines has also been quite impressive.