2020 Ad Libitum Tempranillo Blanco, Organic, Juan Carlos Sancha, Rioja DOCa, Spain

This was the very first wine developed by Juan Carlos following the grape’s discovery as part of the Universidad de La Rioja minority varieties rescue project. The Tempranillo Blanco grape is a mutation from a single (red) Tempranillo vine that was found in 1988 in an old vineyard located in Murillo de Río Leza, La Rioja. The Consejo Regulador of Rioja accepted this variety as an official grape in D.O.CaRioja in 2007. The Ad Libitum Tempranillo Blanco wine was the first Tempranillo Blanco wine in the world to reach the market. Fermented and aged in stainless steel the Tempranillo Blanco has fantastic breadth across the palate with chilled fleshy white fruits including pear, melon and gentle citrus. 700 cases made
This cooler location, in Baños de Río Tobía (Rioja Alta) in the Najerilla Valley, contributes to the high quality of their wines. Juan Carlos Sancha’s winery also has vines of minority varieties such as Tempranillo Blanco, Maturana Tinta, Maturana Blanca and Monastel de Rioja – varieties that he and his university colleague Fernando Martinez de Toda discovered, rescued from extinction, and developed. Professor Sancha then went on to found the first Rioja winery employing these minority varieties in commercialized wines. Alongside this range under the “Ad Libitum” label he also produces a Grenache from his family’s 100 year old “Pena el Gato”. In the last 20 years, Spain has uprooted over 100,000 hectares (247,105 acres) of Garnacha (Grenache). In the denomination of origin-Rioja, Garnacha has gone from representing almost 40 percent of total vineyard in 1973 to an astounding 8 percent in 2012.