200 Monges Reserva White 2007

The name of the Vinícola Real winery can be traced back to its medieval roots in the historic town of Albelda de Iregua. It stepped into the spotlight in 1994 with its first signature wine, 200 Monges Red, which was a tribute to the monks of the San Martín de Albelda Monastery. These monks were responsible for writing the Vigilian Codex.

More than 20 years later, this prestigious winery in the Rioja Baja region has brought an exclusive, reserve white wine to the market, of which only 5,500 bottles have been produced. It is a blend of Viura and Malvasia, with a touch of Garnacha Blanca. It is a slow-aged white, requiring no less than 10 years of patience and ageing prior to being released on the market. It is first aged for 14 months in French and American oak barrels. It is then aged for another 24 months in vats, and then finally perfected in the bottle after 46 months of reductive ageing in the cellar itself. The result is impressive: a mature and complex wine, yet with surprising freshness despite its ageing. Golden hued, its nose reveals itself slowly, forming a delicate and complex bouquet of ripe fruit, dried rose petals, honey, toffee and toasted nuts. The mouthfeel is that of a red that lingers on the palate.

The wine is full, energetic and intense with good acidity, creating a seemingly never-ending finish. It is a white in a league of its own, not to everyone’s taste, but for connoisseurs and wine drinkers looking to discover something new.