95% Viura, 5% Malvasía. A full-bodied white wine from Rioja Alta matured 14 months in French oak barrel with lovely notes of lemon, grapefruit, peach, a creamy acidity, hints of vanilla, and grilled nuts. Ideally paired with fish or poultry in cream and soft-ripened cheeses. Finca Allende, the estate created by brother and sister team Mercedes and Miguel Angel de Gregorio is located in the hill town of Briones in the Rioja Alta. 'Allende' can be roughly translated as 'further'; its philosophy is to go further and further towards creating the perfect Rioja. This has been done by marrying the old and the new, by embracing the traditional grape varieties but then treating them to new French oak. A further distinguishing characteristic, apart from their ripeness and structure, is that Allende's best wines are vineyard-based, with focus on the expression of Rioja's varied terroir. Finca Allende have 56 hectares of vines, split among 92 different plots. These cover 14 different terroirs, supplemented by contracts with certain other growers in Briones. The principal cuvée is 100% Tempranillo aged for 13 months in predominantly French oak. The oldest vines (Tempranillo with some Graciano) are kept back to make ”Aurus”. The full potential of the estate is eloquently illustrated by ”Calvario”, a single-vineyard wine from 65+ year-old Tempranillo vines with magnificent aromatics and lush fruit, that clearly underlines the family's qualitative aspirations.
