The WineIf you and I set out to craft a delicious world-class wine for under $29 we'd be foolish to start with dry-farmed, 65+ year-old, certified organic vines growing in well-drained hillside (1,780 feet) soils of slate & sand. And even follisher were we to turn this pristine fruit over to three big-name winemakers. But that's exactly how this wine was born. Like I said, a lot of wine for your money.
Fermented with ambient yeast then aged in cement tanks for six months instead of wood, allowing the vineyard to shine through. Fined with Bentonite (prehistoric sea shells, so... is it Vegan or not?) and bottled with just a whisper of added SO2 (a scant 0.063 grams /Liter!)
One of the three grapes used in Spain's famed sparkling wines from the Cava DO, Macabeo (or Viura, when it's from the Rioja region - same grape, different name) is known for adding finesse and elegance, but can also, as here, yield a honied wine with expressive fruit and a broad palate.
13.5% ABV <1,000 cases produced.
The Winery
Named for Saint Frontonio, a martyr whose head was separated from his shoulders, and when thrown into the river with great disdain by the powers that be, insisted on floating upstream against the tide. The owners felt this was symbolic of their spirit at the winery, producing "small big wines" from relatively unknown areas.
