MacRobert & Canals La Nave Blanco 2023

Bryan MacRobert (who’s from South Africa and once worked alongside Eben Sadie) fell in love with Clara in Spain and moved countries to make wine with her and her father. Together, they've spent 15 years piecing together small, high-elevation, old-vine plots across Rioja. They work to find the finesse hidden behind all the standard oak-aged Tempranillo, and to show the region's true, quiet diversity.

The summer of 2023 a very hot one that saw lots of rain right before harvest. Concerned about losing the fruit, they decided to pick early. And that's how the ended with this delicious, balanced beauty at just 11.5%. It’s a magic little blend of 85% Viura, 10% Garnacha Blanca, and 5% Malvasía Riojana (also known as Alarije!), fermented wild in concrete and left on its lees for a year. Light but vibrantly, insistently fresh. All lifted florals, white camellia, broken chalk, and fresh lychee. Crisp, linear, quietly thrilling.