Martinsancho Rueda Verdejo 2021

There is only a single wine produced here; less than 2000 cases of a Verdejo (100%) that takes its name from a 17th century vineyard or majuelo called Martínsancho.  This wine is juicy and textural, with a fresh racy mouthfeel and the kind of palate-awakening precision that belies its modest price tag. Vintage 2018 furthers the legend with pulpy guava fruit, zesty grapefruit, bay leaf and complex mineral notes. There's a lovely juicy texture leading to a sappy, zesty, stony close. Totally unique and 100% authentic, this is, for us, benchmark Rueda and at a price almost too good to be true.

''Rueda is unusual in Spain for being a white wine region. It’s also unusual in that it’s almost, but not quite, a story of just one grape variety: Verdejo. Of the 18 000 hectares of vines here, 93% is dedicated to Verdejo.'' Jamie Goode, The Wine Anorak