Chozas Carrascal - Las Dos Ces Blanco, Vino de Pago, Utiel-Requena, Spain (2023)

TASTING NOTES

Subtle citrus and green apple aromas with a slight grassiness from the Sauvignon Blanc. This Spanish white wine is a blend of 80% Macabeo and 20% Sauvignon Blanc. You might know the former grape as Viura from such wines as white Rioja, as well as it’s important role in Cava. Light, fruity and easy-to-drink, this Blanco is fantastic value.

Chozas Carrascal’s vineyards are at an elevation ranging from about 750-840m. Those lower temperatures mean more chill grapes that retain that crisp freshness. Located in Valencia, in Spain’s Mediterranean coast the climate is decidedly continental due to its altitude, making for hot summers, cold winters and large diurnal temperature variations. The estate’s dry setting is somewhat offset by its limestone-rich soils, which importantly retain moisture. Utiel-Requena produces mostly red wines and nearly 95% of the vineyards are planted with red grape varieties.

Fermented in concrete eggs. 

In 1990, husband and wife team Julin López and María José Peidro purchased an established vineyard in the Requena-Utiel region of Valencia in south-eastern Spain. Shortly thereafter, when their extensive studies identified that their terroir was similar to that of many of the French vineyards they frequently visited as a family, they planted several international grape varieties.  

Today, the Chozas Carrascal vineyard is comprised of 14 plots sitting at 750-840m above sea-level on a thick slab of limestone-based subsoil, distinctive within the region. Their climate is significantly more continental than the rest of the D.O.P., with hot, dry summer days and cool, fresh nights. The winery’s uniqueness was recognized in 2012 when it was awarded ‘Vino de Pago’ status, meaning the winery is its own D.O., separate, distinct and at the top of the Spanish wine hierarchy.

The 30-hectare vineyard at Chozas Carrascal is planted with 12 grape varieties split between local, indigenous grapes—Bobal, Monastrell, Garnacha, Tempranillo and Macabeo—and widely-recognized French examples: Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Merlot, Syrah, Chardonnay, Viognier and Sauvignon Blanc. These vineyards are farmed and certified organic and the wines exhibit elegant structure, intense, complex character and, most importantly, delicious drinkability.