Gomez Cruzado "Segundo Año" Rioja Blanco 2023

A lovely classic Rioja profile with hints of stone fruit, honeysuckle and delicate notes of sweet spices and gentle toasty oak. The palate is beautifully textured, with an almost exotic note, evident yet perfectly integrated oak and ripe fruit flavors with balanced citrus acidity. Complex and with a long toasty, citrus finish.

This is a white Rioja that hails from the Haro district, grown and cellared by a firm new to the US market, Gomez Cruzado. The restraint and balance shown in this wine is immediately impressive, and no doubt comes from a judicious stay in unobtrusive oak barrel (the "Segundo Año" on the label refers to the wine's release after two years in the cellar, as it benefits from longer aging). Honeysuckle, stone fruit and that little exotic something that great white Rioja can sometimes display are all featured in this 75% Viura, 25% Tempranillo Blanco, 5% Garnacha Blanca and Malvasia blend. Sustainable viticulture.

The Viura and Tempranillo Blanco grapes are harvested from a single plot, slightly sloping, in a high altitude area of Haro. The soil is stony alluvial, with pebbles on the surface and limestone below. The vines are low-yielding, and harvesting is done by hand. The grapes are hand-sorted at the winery then lightly pressed (around half the stems are included) and spontaneous fermentation occurs. Alcoholic fermentation is in stainless steel at 16ºC, then a third of the wine spends five months in French oak with its lees, and half is aged with lees in concrete. The parts are then blended and bottled.

Founded in 1886, Gomez Cruzado is the smallest winery in the famed “Barrio de la Estacion” or “Train Station District,” an area in the heart of Haro, where Rioja as we know it was born. Gomez Cruzado is sandwiched between some of the most famous names in the region with Lopez de Heredia less than 20 feet away, La Rioja Alta to their left and Muga to the right.