Tardana from Utiel-Requena, Valencia, Spain; light plus bodied and dry with notes of underripe melon, lime and lemon citrus, tart yellow apple, star fruit, dried herbs, hazelnut, and stony minerals, with bright medium plus acidity and a bold finish. Organic

Founded in 1945 by Francisco Martinez Bermell, Vera de Estenas has been crafting wines from their 47 hectares of estate fruit since their inception. Situated at 800m elevation near the mouth of the Estenas river near the foot of the Sierra del Remedio mountains, their en vaso trained vineyards run northwest to southeast along a broad swath of calcareous clay soils. Summer brings scorching heat, but a cooling wind called the Solano brings relief, and nighttime temperatures can drop substantially due to the high elevation, helping to preserve acidity in the grapes. Under the current leadership of Felix Martinez, Vera de Estenas is producing some of the region’s most compelling wines, from Bobal vines as old as 100 years.