Tempranillo Blanco!?! THE BIRTH OF A NEW VARIETY
Rioja is practically synonymous with red wine. Vineyards are dominated by Tempranillo, Garnacha, and to a lesser degree Mazuelo (aka Carignan). Still, there are some white wines to be found in the region, if you’re looking in the right places. And sometimes, one will pop up, right in front of you, from where you least expect it.
In 1988, a winegrower, walking through his vines in the village of Murillo de Río Leza, noticed one of his Tempranillo vines was a little unusual--from one of the shoots, instead of the deep purple clusters that hung from the rest of the vine, there were golden yellow-green clusters. What was going on?
Most wine grapes, Vitis Vinifera, are propagated asexually; each vine planted comes from a cutting of a donor plant, making them genetically identical. But each year, as the vines produce new shoots, each new shoot is a chance for the plant to mutate. What this winemaker noticed was Tempranillo mutating into a white grape, something entirely new and unseen in the region.
From that single shoot, discovered way back in the 1980s, vines were propagated, vineyards developed, experimental wines made, and the results evaluated. Was this new variety even worth growing and making into wine? It was an open question for a long time.
A handful of intrepid winemakers took up the challenge, aided by the local university in Logroño, and invested the time and resources to discover what Tempranillo Blanco could be. It was not until 2007 that the variety was officially recognized and sanctioned by the Consejo Regulator, the local governing body. Currently, there is a sum total of 6 wineries producing a commercially available wine. One of those is Bodegas Paco Garcia.
Francisco Garcia and his wife, Julia Pablo, started the family winery in 2001, in the town of Murillo de Río Leza (that's right, where Tempranillo Blanco was discovered). By 2008, their son, Juan Bautista, along with his wife Ana, assumed operations of the winery, and their tenure has been marked by innovation and imagination from the beginning.
As we toured the cellars, every corner revealed another experiment and creative solutions to winemaking. Case in point, the custom, alternating conical tanks (in the photo above) are not only space-saving, but also allow different levels of extraction from the grapes for more control. With imagination driving so much of their process, it's no wonder they were attracted to working with Tempranillo Blanco.
It also shows them as leaders in a new era for Rioja. Already, their "El Yergo" Tempranillo Blanco was selected by the Consejo Regulator as the exemplary wine for the variety.
The world of wine moves slowly--vineyards take decades to develop, and winemakers get one shot a year at making wine. What we have on offer today is the bleeding edge of something new and exciting coming out of a storied region. More importantly, it's not just good, it is GREAT! I will come right out and say it: This is, hands down, the most interesting, utterly unique, and straight-up delicious wine I’ve tasted this year.
BODEGAS PACO GARCIA
• 'El Yergo" Tempranillo Blanco 2024 •
Paco Garcia allows this new variety to show its merits front and center, without blending in other varieties. Yet, following in the tradition of other white wines in Riojas, they opt for a short time in French oak barrels to enhance the texture of Tempranillo Blanco.
Tasting this stopped us in our tracks. It is highly aromatic, intense, and penetrating. A full spectrum of scents escapes the confines of the wine glass: citrus, pineapple, ginger, mango, jasmine, and orange blossom. The palate is creamy in texture with a hint of vanilla and biscuit, with a rich mid-palate. The acidity develops the dimensionality of the wine, leaving you with a long and elegant finish.
This description doesn’t begin to do this wine justice. Consider the decades of labor and patience to discover the value of this new and unique variety. Beyond the novelty, is this something truly worth checking out? Absolutely! And I look forward to seeing more and more of this in the years to come.