Ochoa Oxoa Moscatel de Grano Menudo 2023 White

Bodegas Ochoa reintroduced the Moscatel de Grano Menudo (Muscat-à-Petit-Grains) grape variety to Navarra. After serving as director of the Navarra Viticulture and Oenology Research Institute (EVENA) between 1981 and 1992, Javier Ochoa relaunched his family winery in Olite and began planting some of the varieties recovered by the institute. Today, Bodegas Ochoa cultivates 25 hectares of Moscatel de Grano Menudo on its Traibuenas estate, in the Ribera Alta subzone south of Olite, accounting for 25% of the overall surface area planted to the variety in the DO.

The variety’s first expression at the winery focused on concentration, in the form of a sweet wine. The family went on to pioneer a fresh, pure, unfortified style that, at the time,  was highly original —often described as the sensation of biting into a crunchy berry. A few years later, after taking over from her father, Adriana Ochoa sought greater depth through the addition of a small amount of alcohol while still retaining the natural freshness of the fruit.

A significant part of Adriana’s work has been devoted to shaping more contemporary expressions of the estate’s signature white variety. MDO Moscato de Ochoa is arguably the most successful adaptation of the Italian Moscato d'Asti style in Spain. The variety's delicate nature and the skill with which it is produced — Adriana studied the process thoroughly in Italy — have been key factors in this regard.

Last year, the winery unveiled Oxoa, its first dry Moscatel de Grano Menudo, at BWW (Barcelona Wine Week). The aim from the outset was to produce a complex wine with the capacity to develop well in the bottle. The grapes are sourced from a very specific section of the Traibuenas vineyard, halfway up the hillside. Fruit from the lower part of the vineyard is harvested very early and used for the MDO, while grapes from the best-exposed, well-ventilated section, which is ideal for raisining, are reserved for the sweet wine. Oxoa is fermented and aged for six months in French oak barrels, followed by a further 10 months on the lees in egg-shaped concrete tanks.

The 2023 vintage, the only one released so far, has evolved beautifully. Alongside the variety's recognisable grapey aromas, it shows generous notes of dried herbs (lavender, rosemary, fennel) set against a subtle stone fruit background. Despite the delicate profile, the wine offers good flavour concentration on the mid-palate, along with pleasant bitter notes and an evocative, aromatic finish. 

There are many paths to delicacy in Spain, and Moscatel de Grano Menudo is undoubtedly one of them.

12% abv
€17 
2,000 bottles
Score: 92