In 1999 Spanish entrepreneur José María Entrecanales and his wife María Marsans established this winery in La Verdosa, their hunting estate in Santa Cruz de Retamar, a small village in the province of Toledo (Castilla-La Mancha), south of Madrid. With a distinctive dehesa landscape (holm oaks and Mediterranean plants like rosemary, thyme and lavender), the property is home to deer, wild boar, partridges and various birds of prey.
In keeping with the trends of the time, the couple chose international grapes and hired renowned consultants. Richard Smart carried out a soil study and planted 24ha of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Syrah, Petit Verdot on the estate’s sandy soils; and Rioja-based winemaker Miguel Ángel de Gregorio advised on the wines.
When Entrecanales passed away in 2009, his widow took over the project and hired Maite Sánchez, an enthusiastic young female winemaker. Sánchez has been a champion of indigenous varieties and the search of new lands in the region and Arrayán now sources grapes from three different areas: the original vineyards of La Verdosa, south of River Alberche, five hectares of old Albillo Mayor vines grown on sandy soils in Almorox to the north and, finally, the hilly slopes of Gredos. Elevation ranges between 470-510m in La Verdosa to 600m in Almorox. In Gredos, from 750m elevation in El Real de San Vicente, where they grow five hectares on granitic soils, to 980m in Cebreros where Garnacha is grown on schist soils.
Indigenous grapes are now being tested at La Verdosa to study the adaptability and quality potential of Garnacha Blanca, Gris and Peluda (with downy leaves) along with obscure or lesser-known varieties like Mizancho, Rufete, Bruñal, Moravia Agria and Graciano. Some experimental wines have been produced so far, including an excellent rosé made from Garnacha Peluda.
The range has been revamped to showcase the different terroirs, with all the wines in Burgundy-shaped bottles. The entry-level wines are now called Selección and are mostly made from international grape varieties grown on the estate, although they are expected to evolve in line with the new plantings. At the moment there is a rosé made from Syrah, Garnacha and Merlot (€9) and a red (€11) combining the estate's four international red varieties: Syrah, Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon and Petit Verdot.
The premiun wines from La Verdosa carry the name of the estate and the image of Bacchus painted by the artist Eduardo Arroyo, who was a close friend of the family and whose work is present throughout the whole range. The wines include the Garnacha Peluda rosé (€16), a moreish white blend of Garnacha Blanca and Gris (€17) first released under the name Arroyo de Arrayán, and a stunning, limited production Graciano (€25), that shows the freshness that late-ripening varieties can bring to the area.
Similarly packaged, but against a coloured background and under the brand La Suerte, are a white Albillo Real from Almorox and a red Garnacha from El Real de San Vicente in Gredos. Both carry the DO Métrida seal too and cost around €20 in Spain. These wines were a turning point for the winery opening it up to new grape varieties. The white, the only Albillo Real in DO Méntrida, is complex, sapid and deep and can easily compete with the whites from Gredos.
The wines from Cebreros do not have the DO seal as they are made in Arrayán’s winery in Méntrida. The brand in this case is El Bufón, after Arroyo's painting on the label. The Garnacha (€30) shows the darker, warmer side of slate soils, as opposed to the fresher style of El Real de San Vicente. Similarly, the Albillo Real (€23) is richer and opulent and offers an interesting counterpoint to the one from Almorox.
Buy the wines at the winery's website
