Botani Moscatel Old Vines 2024 White

 A native of Málaga, Spanish wine importer Jorge Ordóñez was first captivated by the sweet Moscatel wines of Axarquía, a rugged corner of Andalusia. In the late 1990s, he persuaded Telmo Rodríguez to work in the area. A few years later, after meeting Austrian sweet wine specialist Alois Kracher, Ordóñez partnered with him to launch his own project in the region.

“Our goal was to produce unfortified sweet wines, but Alois convinced me to make dry wines too, and that’s what ultimately allowed us to survive,” Ordóñez admits. Although Kracher passed away in 2007, his son Gerhard remained involved in the project.

Unlike other Spanish regions where Moscatel can range from light to heavy, the steep vineyards of Axarquía, the character of slate soils, and the freshness provided by elevation and maritime influence combine to produce fragrant whites with real substance on the palate.

When it was released in the 2005 vintage, Botani set a new benchmark for dry wines in the region. Drawing on years of experience, Jorge Ordóñez believes that grape ripeness is crucial to the winemaking process. In recent years, sampling the grapes has become a daily ritual to pinpoint the ideal picking times in an area where harvest begins in early August. “This is one of the most challenging places to make wine in Spain because potential alcohol levels can shoot up overnight. It has taken us ten years to get our heads around it,” says Ordóñez.

The rugged terrain, with slopes of up to 70%, and the fragmented and scattered nature of the vineyards make things even more complicated. The challenge is compounded by the fact that the grapes are sourced from 42 hectares divided into 54 plots, farmed by 48 different growers — the winery owns just one vineyard. These plots are spread across Almáchar and El Borge, between 600 and 700 metres elevation. Persistent drought in recent years has further reduced yields, dropping furtherto 1,500–2,000 kg/ha in the 2024 vintage.

These days, Botani wines are drier and crisper. They retain Moscatel's signature aromatic intensity — lavender, white flowers, citrus peel and lychee — but feel slightly sharper on the palate, with vibrant acidity balanced by the texture gained from lees ageing.

Ordóñez has always championed old, goblet-trained, dry-farmed vines. In winemaking, he favours lees ageing.  Botani, for example, spends six months ageing in stainless steel tanks.

14% abv
60,000 bottles
€16 
Score: 92