Bernabeleva Navaherreros Blanco 2021

The rebooted whites of Madrid (and, for example, the white wine of Alfredo Maestro in Ribera) have opened our eyes and palates to one of Spanish wines' best-kept secrets, the Albillo. However, it won't stay a secret for long. Alongside its Garnachas, Bernabeleva is also gaining distinction for its wildcard whites, which are based on this enigmatic, but seldom seen grape. Sumptuously textured, earthy, saline, and slow to unfurl in the glass, Isart's single-vineyard Cantocuerdas Albillo is a thrillingly savoury and evocative example, while the early drinking, entry-tier Navaherreros is blended with 40% Macabeo, which laces the full-bodied, mineral Albillo with a zesty, racy lift. The wine's Albillo fruit is drawn from the estate's original plantings in the Cantocuerdas vineyard, a sandy, granite-rich, highland terroir of this magical mountain country. The Macabeo comes from more recently acquired sites. The Albillo vines are 85-100 years old while the Macabeo is around 25 years. Both varieties are harvested by hand and each sees a short period of skin contact before wild yeast fermentation in a mixture of large French and Austrian oak and stainless steel. It's a highland-scented wine whose aroma blends scents of Chartreusean herbs with citrus pith and white blossoms. The palate rolls out with well-pitched vinosity, its pulpy, robust mouth feel leavened with vibrant acidity before a salty, lip-smacking close. It has the breadth and texture to work with roasted birds and rabbit dishes, and should be delicious with south-east Asian curries and rich shellfish.