Vega Tolosa Tardana 2023 White

Many Spanish producers are delving into their local varietal heritage and Vega Tolosa, a family winery in Casas Ibáñez, in DO Manchuela, is no exception. Their latest focus? The white variety Tardana.

Vega Tolosa owns 200 hectares of vineyards, organically farmed for more than 15 years. While Bobal, with a significant presence of old vines, dominates their plantings, their white wines have traditionally focused on Macabeo, Moscatel and international varieties such as Chardonnay, Viognier and Sauvignon Blanc. They also had very small quantities of the local Albilla.

The pandemic provided an opportunity for the family to propagate and plant the Tardana and Albilla material they had identified in one of their oldest plots, originally planted in 1930. The result is a new 2.5-hectare vineyard located in the Tamarosa area. The 2023 vintage was the first for both varieties, yielding just  1,870 bottles of Albilla and  2,564 bottles of Tardana -a wine we found particularly interesting.

Tardana had almost disappeared in Manchuela. According to the latest data from the Ministry of Agriculture (July 2024), only 59 ha remained in Castilla-La Mancha. In Valencia, where the grape is known as Planta Nova, it covers 677 ha, mostly within the neighbouring DO Utiel-Requena.

Its decline was largely due to its late ripening –true to its name, as tarde means late in Spanish- which made it vulnerable to adverse autumn weather. Another drawback was its naturally low alcohol content. However, these two elements are highly valued in the current context of climate change.

Tardana is one of those Spanish varieties with a rather neutral character, although it reflects the characteristics of the land where it is grown. Its bright acidity makes it very versatile for food pairing. Its thick skin has also encouraged some producers in the region, such as Gratias, to produce it as an orange wine.

Vega Tolosa’s recovery project is spearheaded by the new generation, sisters Rocío, 25, who is in charge of winemaking, and Mari Luz Tolosa, 30, who is in charge of wine tourism. With careful pruning to limit yields to around 2,500 kg/ha, the best thing about Tardana, according to Rocío, is its resistance to the summer heat. It is the last variety to be harvested, even later than Cabernet Sauvignon, which had the longest cycle in the family\'s vineyards. In 2023, Tardana was harvested in the second week of October while Albilla, on the other hand, is an early-ripening grape and was harvested in August.

Vega Tolosa Tardana is a clean white wine with aromas of white fruits and wild herbs, with some smoky notes. The most interesting part is on the palate, thanks to its bright acidity, sapid character and a surprising assertiveness despite its relatively light body. With an alcohol content below 12%, it offers freshness without weight. Aged for six months in new 500-litre French oak barrels, followed by a further six months in the bottle before release, the oak plays a very discreet role.  Given the vineyard’s young age, it is an impressive effort. And like all Vega Tolosa wines, it is certified organic.

Producing around one million bottles annually, Vega Tolosa still retains a small percentage of bulk wine (10%) for regular clients. The focus is on exports, with 70% of the wine sold outside Spain, to EU countries, the USA, China and Japan.
 
11,5% abv.
2,564 bottles
€25 
Score: 91