We couldn’t get any closer to one of the world’s most sought-after white wines, Ygay Blanco. This is because the eponymous Capellania vineyard provides the base for both wines. It’s just 6 hectares at the highest point of the estate, with 80-100-year-old Viura vines. In terms of flavours, Capellania evokes a white wine, yet in texture, it recalls complex, grand red wines.

The nose exudes white stone fruits, pine nuts, bay leaf and hazelnut husk. Smoky and mineral flashes appear, with a precise, fruity core and a soft, juicy texture on the palate. A truly remarkable experience.

After hand-harvesting into small crates, the bunches reach the winery within minutes. Following destemming and gentle crushing, a short period of skin contact ensues, then the grapes are pressed. Fermentation takes place in concrete vats, followed by 23 months of ageing in French barrique barrels, and an additional 13 months in concrete. Bottled in May 2023.

“2019 gave us a smooth, complex, precise Capellania that can age gracefully for a long time.” – Maria Vargas, the estate’s winemaker.