91

2018 Cuatro Rayas Cuarenta Vendimias, Rueda

( €8.50, 13.5%, Available from the winery )

The vines used to produce this impressive, well-priced Verdejo from the go-ahead Cuatro Rayas co-operative are “only” 40 years old, but that would be considered ancient in some parts of the world. Rich and almost exotic, with notes of lychee and white peach, some subtle oak from 20% barrel fermentation in 500-litre barrels and zesty, crunchy acidity.

BuyDrinking window: 2020-23Similar Wines: €5-10, Spain, White, Verdejo
93

2015 Cuatro Rayas Amador Diez Cuvée, Rueda

( €34.90, 13%, Available from the winery )

Made with a selection of the co-operative’s most venerable vineyards, this hails from plots that are all over 100 years’ old. It’s an oxidatively handled style that will appeal to fans of traditional white Rioja, with a mix of French and American oak, lots of toast and spices and flavours of pear, saffron and beeswax underpinned by salinity. Developing nicely in bottle.

BuyDrinking window: 2020-25Similar Wines: €30-40, 90-94, Spain, White, Verdejo
95

2017 Cuatro Rayas Amador Diez Cuvée, Rueda

( €29, 13%, Available from the winery )

One of the most ambitious Rueda whites, this comes from a selection of pre-phylloxera vineyards and is built to age. The oak is better integrated than on the 2015, which is also available in the market right now, supporting a wine with amazing intensity and focus. Nutty and intense, it has flavours of pear, citrus and marzipan, with undertones of fennel and cinnamon, good structure and racy, palate-cleansing acidity.

BuyDrinking window: 2020-29Similar Wines: €25-30, 95-100, Spain, White, Verdejo
92

NV Cuatro Rayas 61 Dorado En Rama, Rueda

( €19.90, 17%, Available from the winery )

Something of a tribute to the fortified wines that were traditionally produced in Rueda – and dominated the region’s production until the 1980s – this is a Sherry-style, solera-aged cuvée of Palomino and Verdejo. Pale, nutty and dry, it’s like a lighter version of a Palo Cortado, with yeasty complexity and a salty, refreshingly tangy finish. Unusual and complex.

BuyDrinking window: 2020-30Similar Wines: €15-20, 90-94, Spain, Fortified, Palomino Fino, Verdejo
93

2018 Naia, Rueda

( £11.89, 13.5%, Bentley's Wine Merchants, Blanco & Gomez, Connolly's Wines, Harrogate Wines, John Hattersley Wines, Kwoff, Mill Hill Wines, North & South Wines )

Made from old vines grown at 750 metres in the village of La Seca, this is a brilliant value Verdejo from Bodegas Naia, which tastes every bit as good it looks. Combining unoaked and lightly wooded components, both of them aged on their lees for four months, it has a winning combination of pear and citrus fruit framed by subtle oak spice and a taut, chalky, mineral-edged tang.

BuyDrinking window: 2020-23Similar Wines: £10-15, 90-94, Spain, White, Verdejo
90

2012 Angosto Almendros Sauvignon Blanc/Verdejo, Valencia

( £12.95, 12.5%, Berry Bros & Rudd )

A blend of Sauvignon Blanc and Verdejo from Valencia? Not exactly run of the mill stuff, but this white duo from Spain’s eastern coast is very tasty stuff. It’s ripe and spicy, with sweet vanilla oak, flavours of pear and honeysuckle and a hint of ginger for good measure. Highly unusual, and further confirmation that Spain’s white wines are on a roll. 

BuyDrinking window: 2014-16Similar Wines: £10-£20, 86-90, Spain, White, Verdejo
91

2012 Joc Blanc, Jordi Oliver, Rueda, Rueda

( €8.50, 13% )

An interloper in the tasting (as it comes from Rueda, not Emporda and is made from Verdejo), but it’s made by Jordi Oliver, hence its inclusion here. Made in a rich, slightly oxidative style with a creamy mid palate and flavours of grapefruit and mango and an undertow of tannin. Very complex, with a minerally finish.

 

Similar Wines: £10-£20, 91-95, Spain, White, Verdejo
89

2011 Herdade do Esporão, Verdelho, Vinho Regional Alentejano

( £8.95, 13.5%, The Wine Society )

White wines from the baking plains of southern Portugal are often rather flabby and dull, but this perky number from one of the region’s best producers is anything but, showing tangy acidity, bright, citrus peel flavours and a minerality that wouldn’t look out of place in Chablis. Bring on the seafood. 

BuyDrinking window: 2013-15Similar Wines: £5-£10, 86-90, Portugal, White, Verdejo