Cullerot 2023

Cullerot means tadpole. A small white wine that wanted to grow and improve in an area of reds. The clay jars that are part of the history of the winery show its benefits with white wines. Purity and freshness, a lot of freshness. Just what it takes. Grapes from old vineyards throughout the region, from agreements with 6 producers that represent 12 hectares of 5 different autochthonous varieties. Sometimes it is agreed to pay a price per kilo but normally it is preferred to pay per hectare so that the grower does not worry about production and to better control the crop. In this way it has been possible to preserve these old and precious vineyards of the Tierras dels Alforins.

Robert Parker (92): 2019 was marked by torrential rains in the second half of the harvest, and when I say torrential, it is not an exaggeration, as they got 300 liters in three days! The white grapes for the 2019 Cullerot were picked before that. They work with five different local varieties from seven different growers that own 15 hectares in total. The 2019 breakdown is 30% Pedro Ximénez, 30% Macabeo, 10% Malvasía, 10% Tortosina, 10% Verdil, 5% Merseguera and 5% Chardonnay, and the wine is 12.5% alcohol and has good freshness. It started fermenting in stainless steel with indigenous yeasts and finished in tinaja, where it matured for six months. This has come a long way since the initial, almost accidental vintage in 2009. It's now serious and harmonious, subtle and elegant, with finesse and balance. They added Macabeo and Merseguera grapes from a couple of new vineyards, and there's also more Pedro Ximénez, all austere and not very aromatic grapes, with just a hint of fennel and aniseed but more austere than anything. It's juicy and fresh and makes you salivate. This shows that you don't need oak to achieve a complex white. This is nearly as good as the 2018, when they were thinking about the vintage of the century! 50,000 bottles produced. It was bottled in February 2020. They are experimenting with Assyrtiko grapes. Stay tuned...