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El Botijo is a limited production wine, straight from a garage in Valdejalon (North-East Spain) where Master of Wine Fernando Mora and Mario Lopez make wines with the absolute minimum of fuss. The Las Cellas vineyard is owned by Mario’s family, and was sold to the local cooperative for 40 years until Mario and Fernando decided to start tinkering in their garage. It’s named after the ancient clay drinking water container – still used today – to cool water in Spain’s hot, dry climate.
- Winemakers: Fernando Mora (MW) and Mario Lopez
- Farming: Organic
- Grape Varieties: 100% Garnacha Blanca
- Terroir: Handpicked grapes from a dry farmed, certified organic vineyard with 25 year old vines belonging to Mario’s family. The soils are clay and sandstone with some pebbles at 450 meters elevation.
- Vinification: Wild yeast primary fermentation in stainless steel with elevage on the lees with batonnage for three months.
- Tasting Notes: Garnacha Blanca can tend toward the heavy, oxidative side but with meticulous care in the vineyards (Farming_Organic, dry-farmed), harvesting early and a non-interventional approach in the winery, the Botijo Blanco coaxes out the vibrant citrus side of the varietal. A fresh, elegant surprise for sure and one that will stump even the best blind tasters. This wine sees all stainless steel aging, but does get a healthy dose of battonage, which is a stirring of the lees (yeast) which creates a fuller-bodied mouthfeel. We love this wine with roast chicken or anything that has some weight, like swordfish with preserved lemons and capers, or seafood paella.
- Scores: 91+ Wine Advocate, "Produced with white organic grapes from the same zone as the red version, the 2022 Botijo Blanco is pure Garnacha Blanca from dry-farmed vines on white limestone soils. It fermented in concrete with indigenous yeasts and matured in concrete with the fine lees and bâtonnage for five to seven months. It's varietal, waxy, fresh and balsamic, with a note reminiscent of bay leaf, amazing acidity and moderate alcohol and ripeness (13%). It has a bitter and salty twist in the finish, the tastiness of limestone." - Luis Gutierrez