Quinta da Muradella Alanda 2021 White

José Luis Mateo is a dedicated winemaker who rarely attends wine events. That's why we made a beeline for his table as soon as the doors opened at the Alma Vinos Únicos tasting in Burgos last April.

A benchmark of quality and style in DO Monterrei (Ourense, Galicia), Mateo bucks the Godello trend in his area. While some of his wines include a small percentage of an ancient clone of this variety, known as Verdello Antiguo, his white range is primarily based on Dona Blanca, Treixadura and Monstruosa de Monterrei. For reds, he looks beyond Mencía to work with Bastardo (Merenzao), Garnacha Tintorera (Alicante Bouschet), Caíño Tinto, Albarello (Brancellao), Arauxa (Tempranillo), Sousón and Zamarrica, as well as other varieties that he is in the process of reviving.

However, his main concern at the moment is the individuality of his vineyards, given that most of his wines come from single plots. He is currently classifying them based primarily on the soils. He has noticed that younger, deeper soils impart greater freshness to the wines in contrast to older, shallower soils, where the  bedrock (mainly granite) lies closer to the surface. He prefers to grow vines in the region’s elevated, hillside areas rather than the more productive vineyards in the valley.

The recent droughts —Monterrei has a continental climate with very hot summers— have taken their toll. Mateo says that his best vintages in terms of yields were 2015 and 2019, when he produced just over 45,000 bottles. His wines are not easy to find, but they are well worth seeking out.

Today, nearly all of his wines are available in both white and red versions. This includes Candea, the entry-level range produced in separate facilities, which represents around 10,000 litres. The Quinta da Muradella wines, by contrast, have their own cellar. Alanda is a blend of grapes from different vineyards (10,000 litres of red and 7,500 litres of white), while the other labels —Gorvia, Quinta da Muradella and El Pliegue— are all single-vineyard wines, also available in white and red. In addition, Mateo produces an experimental range exploring different grape varieties and terroirs. In Burgos, we tasted a citrusy, austere and mineral Verdello Antiguo (Godello) from a mass selection planted in 2000, and a fresh, unoaked Bastardo (Merenzao) with a joyful rusticity.

We found the 2021 whites particularly compelling. While we highlight Quinta da Muradella Alanda here, as it is the only one currently on the market, we strongly recommend keeping an eye out for the forthcoming release of the single-vineyard Quinta da Muradella.

Alanda is a blend of Dona Blanca, Verdello and Treixadura, reflecting the character of the Monterrei’s village vineyards. Since the 2019 vintage, a third of the wine has been aged in foudre, with the remainder kept in stainless steel tanks. Like most of Mateo's wines, this one has an austere profile, with notes of dry stone and flowers rather than fruit. There are also smoky hints and well-integrated acidity. The wine will benefit from further ageing in bottle —it has a lot more to give— and from some aeration. There is nothing wrong with decanting a white wine.

Meanwhile, the single-vineyard Quinta da Muradella 2021 is predominantly Treixadura, with smaller amounts of Dona Blanca and Verdello. The Treixadura comes from a section of the vineyard rich in clay and iron, which adds juiciness and depth to the palate. The other varieties care grown in a  schist- and sand-dominated area. Maintaining the serious notes of dry stone, this is a more structured wine with greater depth and potential.

13% abv.
10,000 bottles 
€35 
Score: 93