Claudia Malvasía Aromática 2020 Sweet

What makes a wine truly special? Is it originality? Rarity? Craftsmanship? Or is it the ability to move you? Claudia has all of these qualities.
 
Don't let its appearance fool you. This wine is a tribute from Federico Simón Rodríguez, owner and winemaker at Bodegas Tamanca, to his daughter Claudia, who died from cerebral palsy at the age of 34. He says the bottle contains “the most special wine for the most special person."

Claudia is a naturally sweet Malvasía, with all its alcohol and sugar coming solely from the grapes, and aged for nine years in barrels. To produce the high alcohol potential grapes required for such extended ageing, the winery sources the fruit from Llanos Negros (Los Quemados, Fuencaliente) in the south of La Palma, in the Canary Islands. “Malvasia thrives in these very dark, poor volcanic soils exposed to high solar radiation,” Simón explains.

However, these conditions are not guaranteed every year. In recent decades, Bodegas Tamanca has produced this wine only in 2007, 2010, 2020 and 2021. After 12 years of barrel ageing, the 2007 vintage has yet to be released. The 2010, which we tasted recently in Madrid, is still available, but the 2020 and 2021 vintages will take time to reach the market.

The winemaking is resolutely traditional. According to Simón, the process resembles that used for red wine: “We crush and destem the grapes and try to prevent fermentation from starting by cooling them and using low concentrations of sulphur. We then macerate for four or five days to soften the raisins, which gives the wines their slightly deeper colour. The initial must contains almost no alcohol, but it helps dilute the sugar in the raisins, allowing higher alcohol levels to be achieved."

The yield is strikingly low: the must is just 35–40% of the grapes’weight, compared to 70% in dry wines. In years when the grapes develop botrytis, Simon notes that yields may rise to 50%. The result is pure grape essence, and that’s before considering the losses that occur through evaporation during the ageing process. Barrels need to be regularly topped up with wines of similar character.  

This is a multilayered wine, with toasted notes of burnt sugar and raisins, fruit compote (dried apricots and figs) and sweet spices. It is elegant and has good acidity; the freshness is lifted by a touch of volatile acidity, common in sweet wines. It offers superb texture and an excellent aromatic depth, and the finish reveals generous nuttiness. Everything is perfectly balanced, with no trace of cloying sweetness or heaviness.

At a time when sweet wines are in decline, these Malvasías from La Palma are jewels in danger of extinction. While the variety has reinvented as a fantastic dry white, few grapes can produce sweet wines with such concentration and balance.

Francisco Simón is following in the footsteps of his great-grandfather, who already produced wine in the island. His father emigrated to Venezuela. Once back in La Palma, he initially invested in banana plantations before gradually returning to wine production, first in bulk then, after the creation of DO La Palma in 1994, in bottled form. Francisco studied oenology at the Escuela de la Vid in Madrid and has worked at the winery since 1989. 

The winery itself occupies three interconnected caves carved into the lava of Moount Tamanca in Las Manchas (El Paso). Around half of the approximately 40,000 bottles produced each year are sold at the winery's restaurant. After being closed for two years due to the 2021 Cumbre Vieja eruption, the restaurant is operating again, although it no longer opens in the evenings.

The distribution of Bodegas Tamanca is virtually limited to La Palma, so the best way to secure a bottle of Claudia is to buy it directly from the winery. It could be something to add to your list for your next trip to the Canary Islands! Considering the time and effort invested into making this wine, the price is astonishingly modest.

14,5% abv
850 x 50cl bottles (fewer than 100 left)
€35 at the winery
Score: 94