2013 Bodega Javier Sanz, Villa Narcisa, Verdejo, Rueda DO, Spain.
A stunning and lovely white from Spain’s Rueda region, the Villa Narcisa from Javier Sanz is a steal, and an amazingly good summer wine. I have had three vintages in a row of this wine, each one intrigues me more and more, the complexity and drive of this Verdejo is spectacular, especially in this price class, this is a wine you need to grab a few cases of, it’s that good. The Villa Narcisa is the flagship line of wines being crafted by Javier Sanz at his Bodega in La Seca in the Rueda zone, using old vines at higher elevations. Sanz’s value brand Rey Santo is also a wonderful wine as well, but for the price the Villa Narcisa is out of this world. Sanz is the fourth generation family winemaker here and his wines are foul of pride of place, soul and are gloriously hand crafted. The 2013 Verdejo Villa Narcisa is all stainless steel, fermented and aged, lengthy cool fermentations help retain the vibrancy and freshness leaving a crisp, but flavorful example of varietal and terroir. The latest Villa Narcisa shows bright tropical essences, minty/grass, mineral tones and tangy acidity with quince, grapefruit, mango and lemon/lime citrus layers and steely notes plus a touch of white flowers on the nose. This is a remarkable and pretty white that can easily replace many a Sancerre or white Bordeaux, lots of people ask me for value options, and this is one of the best I can recommend, drink over the next 2 to 3 years.
($15 Est.) 93 Points, grapelive
avail at www.sfwtc.com ($13.95)