2022 Peña Cruzada

Robert Parker - 95

The old Pies Descalzos white comes from a place called Peña Cruzada, and that's now the main name on the label of the 2022 Peña Cruzada even though Pies Descalzos is printed in small, gray letters underneath. It's of course the same small plot as in previous years under the old name—0.7 hectares of old vines on pink granite soils and sandy texture surrounded by forest. Like the other white, this has contained ripeness, a floral and elegant aromatic profile with more spiciness and a contained 12% alcohol, with freshness and acidity reflected by the pH of 3.37 and the 5.14 grams of acidity. The smaller volume meant the wine fermented and matured in 228- and 600-liter barrels where it matured for 10 months; so, the ratio of oak to wine is bigger than in the white Marañones, and therefore, the aromatics from the wood are more present here. It gives it a more Burgundian feeling but still with the granite minerality and granularity, coming through as elegant and balanced, with a very tasty, almost salty finish. It should age magnificently. 1,472 bottles produced. It was bottled in the summer of 2023.

James Suckling - 94

A unique albillo that shows as many gastronomic attributes of the grape as possible. The flinty, warm-stone minerality is certainly attractive, and notes of sour cream and macadamia nuts confer mealy creaminess and richness to the palate. Full-bodied and creamy yet taut and long. Drink now or hold.