Verdejo “Menade”, Rueda, ES, 2018

Winemaker Notes
Straw yellow in color with green reflections, this wine is clean and bright. On the nose, there is a concentration of varietal and mineral aromas -- notes of fruit mix with more herbaceous aromas of laurel, fennel and thyme. This Verdejo is dry, balanced and round with volume on the palate. There is a certain bitter touch, typical of the varietal. Natural acidity holds a long and elegant finish.

The three siblings behind Menade are Marco, the viticulturalist, Richard, the winemarker and Alejandra managing sales and communications. Each has a tremendous amount of respect for what their family has achieved in Rueda but they are not content to rest on anyone’s laurels. Marco has converted the property to organic farming, Richard has traveled widely to learn his trade working stints in Spain, France, Hungary and Chile – experiences which have taught him that the future of Rueda lies in championing the indigenous Verdejo variety, and Alejandra has been happily traveling the world promoting the terruño of Rueda and the wines of Menade.
The Sanz siblings agree that organic farming, a high proportion of old vines grown on chalk and careful harvesting at night are essential to produce vibrant and fresh wines. Fermentations are done in temperature controlled tanks under a blanket of CO2 and using only indigenous yeasts. A variety of tank sizes are at their disposal, so fermentations can be made by flavor profile and minor variations of soil. While it common in the DO to blend Sauvignon with Verdejo, Richard makes three purely Verdejo cuvées for us – each expressing a unique variation of the varietal.