Oh summer. Miami has been SO HOT lately, with a quick stroll outside feeling more like melting on the surface of the sun. I think us Floridians have amnesia about this time of year, because if we remembered it we would gtfo. Luckily, there is always white wine to cool you down, so I sipped on some Bodegas Ordóñez S.L. Nisia Las Suertes 2016.
If you follow my blog, you’d know that I explored Ribera del Duero y Rueda not too long ago. This wine comes from Rueda, which is Spain’s most famous white wine region. The Duero River runs along the northern part of the Rueda region, flowing westward from the east toward the Atlantic Ocean. Most of Rueda’s vineyards are located south of the river, extending all the way to the province of Segovia. Verdejo is the star grape of the region, as it is indigenous to Rueda.
This wine in particular comes from Puras, Valladolid, which is in the Southeast corner of Rueda, in the highest altitude zone with the poorest sandy soils in the region. This part of Rueda resisted the phylloxera hit in the late 19th century. The vineyard is head trained, dry farmed, and cared for with the most traditional methods of viticulture possible. No fungicides, pesticides, herbicides, fertilizers, or irrigation is used. This spectacular vineyard preserves the heritage of the oldest clones of Verdejo in Spain, making it one of the most unique in Rueda, and one of the most important for Grupo Jorge Ordóñez.
Founded in 2004, Grupo Jorge Ordóñez is select group of eight wineries that produce wines from grapes grown in 13 different denominations of origin across Spain. All of the wineries are owned and operated by Jorge Ordóñez. The philosophy of this project is the production of artisan wines from the oldest vineyards of Spain’s indigenous grapes. All of the vineyards are head-trained, dry farmed, and cared for with the most traditional means of viticulture.
Finca las Suertes’ philosophy is to produce high quality, serious, age worthy wines from Verdejo. They age all of their wines sur lie and barrel ferment a large percentage in large format, mostly with high-quality French oak. In 2016, they produced 12,000 bottles.
The wine, of course, is 100% Verdejo and comes from vines planted in 1885. The wine was pale yellow in color and had stone fruit, honey, and white flowers on the nose. It was light and refreshing on the palate with lemon/lime, green melon, minerality, and some vanilla. Delicious acidity. You can find it online for about $30. I enjoyed it in the dead of summer under the umbrella in my yard.
