Spain's Denominación de Origen of Rueda is southwest of Ribera del Duero. The region surrounds the town of Rueda and it's been making wine since the 11th century when the Verdejo varietal was brought from North Africa and planted there. For most of its history in winemaking, Rueda was focused solely on that Verdejo grape until phylloxera came to town in 1890 and stuck around until 1922, forcing them to bring in other grape options. Today they grow Verdejo, Viura (AKA Macabeo), and Sauvignon Blanc for whites and even four reds are allowed (Tempranillo, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Garnacha).
But Verdejo is still the queen of Rueda, and to carry the name of the Rueda DO the wine must be 50% Verdejo at the least. To be called Rueda Verdejo it must have a minimum of 85% Verdejo but they're usually 100%. The varietal creates a tasty, well-rounded white wine that goes great with any kind of poultry, especially grilled herb-rubbed chicken.
This is the second of two wines that were sent to me by RiberaRuedaWines.com, the first being Alsonso del Yerro 2010 Ribera del Duero.
Bodegas Veganzones was founded in 1956 and the 912 de Altitud (Altitude 912) label was created in 2005, named after the 912 meters above sea level of the vineyards. This Rueda is from "over 750 meters" however, and on non-irrigated, sandy soil. Tierra Arenosa, what the winery calls this Rueda, actually means Sandy Land. It's 100% Verdejo and has an ABV of 12.5%.
It's got a nice colorful, summery label. It just looks like it'll be super refreshing ice cold on an oppressive August day... sigh... when does summer return again? The wine could really do without the synthetic cork, though. C'mon guys, get with the screw cap! Sheesh!
I just spent the whole day cleaning the entire house. The fish in the tank are happy, the wife is happy, the dog is asleep, the kid is asleep, and now it's time for daddy to get happy with some wine before he falls asleep. I've got the bottle ready to rock, cheese and crackers ready to be devoured, and the music going. Tonight's selection is some classic rock. The song to kick it off is Def Leppard's Pour Some Sugar On Me. Wait, when did this become classic rock? I remember when this song came out! Is this another sign of getting old? Well, shit...
Alright, so I'm pouring the wine into the glass now. It's vegetable oil in color. The tech sheet says that it was given a touch of carbonation for freshness but I don't see any sign of it at all. None whatsoever. So it must be a reeeeeeeally small touch.
On the nose you're immediately hit with young, freshly cut grass. Then there's aromas of mango, peach, lemon zest and the feeling of a chalkiness, kinda. Ccoooould that chalkiness feeling on the nose be from that phantom carbonation? Hmmmmm? It's medium bodied and on the palate there's flavors of passion fruit, banana, pear juice and chives. There really isn't all that much acidity until the finish, and that's accompanied by lemon zest, chives and a silky coating on your teeth.
This is a highly enjoyable white that's loaded with personality and I loved every second of it. But when I wrote this review it actually went on for a few more paragraphs because I was under the impression that it would cost $27 and I was struggling with a rating. Like I said, I loved it... but $27? So I gave it a 3 out of 5 for Satisfying. Well, the very next day I was informed that it'll actually run you $16 so I had to change my rating and reshoot the video. At that price everything changes! For $16 this is an outstanding deal for Rueda!
This is the second of two wines that were sent to me by RiberaRuedaWines.com, the first being Alsonso del Yerro 2010 Ribera del Duero.
Bodegas Veganzones was founded in 1956 and the 912 de Altitud (Altitude 912) label was created in 2005, named after the 912 meters above sea level of the vineyards. This Rueda is from "over 750 meters" however, and on non-irrigated, sandy soil. Tierra Arenosa, what the winery calls this Rueda, actually means Sandy Land. It's 100% Verdejo and has an ABV of 12.5%.
It's got a nice colorful, summery label. It just looks like it'll be super refreshing ice cold on an oppressive August day... sigh... when does summer return again? The wine could really do without the synthetic cork, though. C'mon guys, get with the screw cap! Sheesh!
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| I'M ALL FAT-FREE'D UP! IMAGE SOURCE: eghts.com |
Alright, so I'm pouring the wine into the glass now. It's vegetable oil in color. The tech sheet says that it was given a touch of carbonation for freshness but I don't see any sign of it at all. None whatsoever. So it must be a reeeeeeeally small touch.
On the nose you're immediately hit with young, freshly cut grass. Then there's aromas of mango, peach, lemon zest and the feeling of a chalkiness, kinda. Ccoooould that chalkiness feeling on the nose be from that phantom carbonation? Hmmmmm? It's medium bodied and on the palate there's flavors of passion fruit, banana, pear juice and chives. There really isn't all that much acidity until the finish, and that's accompanied by lemon zest, chives and a silky coating on your teeth.
This is a highly enjoyable white that's loaded with personality and I loved every second of it. But when I wrote this review it actually went on for a few more paragraphs because I was under the impression that it would cost $27 and I was struggling with a rating. Like I said, I loved it... but $27? So I gave it a 3 out of 5 for Satisfying. Well, the very next day I was informed that it'll actually run you $16 so I had to change my rating and reshoot the video. At that price everything changes! For $16 this is an outstanding deal for Rueda!
QUALITY VS PRICE RATING
Price: $16
Rating: 4.5/5 = Recommended / Highly Recommended (what does that mean?)
The bottle used was supplied free of charge by RiberaRuedaWine.com for the purpose of this unpaid review. To have your wine reviewed follow this link.
The bottle used was supplied free of charge by RiberaRuedaWine.com for the purpose of this unpaid review. To have your wine reviewed follow this link.
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