Kiki & Juan Blanco 2023

Kiki & Juan Vino Blanco is a fresh and vibrant, quaffable Spanish white. Granny Smith apple and Bartlett pear jump from the glass, followed by layers of green fig and chamomile. There’s a noticeable honeydew melon aroma coming through. Crisp and dry on a medium-bodied palate. 

Hand-picked at night to retain freshness, a majority of the fruit is destemmed into an INOX tank where it soaks overnight before pressing the next morning. Native (pied du cuve) co-fermentation occurs in the tank, where the wine ages on lees for 9-10 months. No additions except SO2. Unfined, filtered, vegan.

The grapes come from multiple small lots, scattered across the high elevation calcareous soils of Requena. Warm days give ample ripeness, but are chased away with very cool nights which preserve acidity. The Macabeo vine age is 40 years on average, and the Sauvignon Blanc was planted in the '90s. The most unique quality of Requena is it’s high elevation, where the UV spectrum allows phenolic development to fulfill at low sugar levels. Basically that means great flavor at low alcohol.

Kiki & Juan is a new Spanish project from John “Juan” House (of Ovum fame) and his business partner Kerin “Kiki” Auth Bembry. They met on a bus in Spain in 2011 and formed an instant connection that is expressed in these joyful wines. “Kiki” uses her longstanding relationships with friends and grape growers in Spain to find the organic vineyards that winemaker “Juan” will use to create low-intervention wines that are a reflection of their vineyard and vintage.

Native fermentation in cement, amphora, and stainless steel. Nothing is added except sulfur. The goal is to make simple, fresh wines from old-fashioned techniques. These are certified organic crushers that playfully express the terroir of Utiel Requena in Valencia.