2024 Conde Valdemar, Rioja Blanco, DOCa Rioja, Spain.
The pale and crisply dry Conde Valdemar Rioja Blanco, which is made from 77% Viura, 10% Malvasía, 7% Sauvignon Blanc and 6% Garnacha Blanca grown in the higher and cooler Rioja Alavesa and Rioja Alta areas, is a lovely fresh, lighter framed wine with lemon/lime, peach and Bosc pear fruits, a light herbal note, tropical essences, wet stone and white flowers. Zesty and with delicate mineral tones, the Conde Valdemar Rioja Blanco is a fine and simple Summer sipper and would be a solid companion with ceviche, sardines and shell fish dishes. The fermentation was done in temperature controlled cool stainless steel tank which lasted about two weeks, after which the wine saw a short aging period on the lees before bottling, with a focus on freshness and vibrancy. I also recently had the chance to review the Conde Valdemar Rosé, which was like this white, easy and enjoyable, and both would be nice choices as Bistro pours, they are non pretense clean and transparent wines.
Conde Valdemar is a fifth generation family winery with expansive Rioja holdings, mostly within the higher Rioja Alavesa and Rioja Alta zones, which explains the the balanced nature of their wines and they have put a recent effort into their white and Rosé of Rosado wines, like this one, for the export market and to fill a value niche. The Rioja Blanco, looks like a fun wine as well, made from a combination of Viura, the main white Rioja grape, along with Malvasia, a long time Mediterranean varietal, Sauvignon Blanc, obviously a French transplant, and Garnacha Blanca. The Valdemar family, as mentioned in prior reviews, with their signature Bodegas Valdemar, dates back to 1889, and are known to be innovators in the region, creating Rioja’s first ever barrel fermented white and other unique rare single varietal offerings as well as having vineyards in Walla Walla Valley in Washington State. Conde Valdemar, using their higher elevation sites, also has introduced Rioja to the sparkling wine world, with the release of their sparkling Gran Añada, along many other treats that will intrigue the adventurous wine lovers, that want to see Rioja beyond the classic Tempranillo offerings.
($18 Est.) 87 Points, grapelive