2018 Bodegas y Viñedos Garciarévalo, Verdejo “Casamaro” Rueda D.O., Spain.
Antonio Arévalo’s Garciarévalo Casamaro Verdejo is a intensely bright and concentrated white wine that is highly entertaining and crisply refreshing, making it a beautiful Summer sipper with eye popping citrus and stone fruits as well as light mineral tones. Garciarevalo is a family-owned winery established in 1991 in the town of Matapozuelos, in the heart of the Rueda wine region in Castilla y León with a collection of hundred year old Verdejo vines and a long history of working the land here. Now Bodegas y Viñedos Garciarévalo is a youthful team led by Antonio and Manuela Arévalo, with Rodrigo Arévalo in charge of viticulture, which is all organic and vineyard management, and Reyes Martínez Sagarra as the oenologist and winemaker running the cellars. The Casamaro is considered the young vine Rueda Verdejo in the lineup and comes from vineyard parcels that range from 15 to 145 years old at 900 meters above sea level and set on very sandy soils.

The 2018 is vividly fresh and pure with tangerine, lemon/lime and tangy peach fruits, dynamic acidity, a touch of gooseberry, verbena, orange oil and wild herbs all of which reminds me bit of a Sauvignon Blanc, but with a bigger personality and density. The Casamao is a usually a blend of 85% Verdejo and 15% Viura which due to the fact that it is all interplanted and gives the wine a bit more complexity and texture with a touch of tropical fruit. The Bodegas y Viñedos Garciarévalo Casamaro Verdejo was fermented and aged 100% in stainless steel from direct press and straight to bottle to preserve purity, fruity flavors and fresh details, again helping make this bottling a perfect brisk and zesty white for warm days and lighter cuisine, it is especially good with calamari, sole, sand dabs and clam dishes as well as soft cheeses. The Rueda white wines are some of the best values in Europe and producers like Javier Sainz and Garciarévalo are small family producers to look for!
($16 Est.) 90 Points, grapelive

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