The La Antigua Clasico Blanco 2016 was recommended after my mentioning recently having an R. Lopez de Heredia Vina Tondonia Reserva Blanco 2010; Viura (90%), Malvasía (10%). For those of you unfamiliar with the latter, the wines are barrel aged in American Oak and bottled for no less than 10 years. The end result of their 146-year-old process is a wine that maintains the characteristics of how wines of this region were traditionally made. In this case natural gold with a fresh nose, complex, velvety smooth, round, fine with an herbal finish, and very elegant.
The La Antigua Clasico Blanco 2016 was similar in some respects but noticeably fresher with good acidity, floral and citrusy, yellow gold, caramel, and herbs and finished long with spice. A blend of 70% Viura, 20% Garnacha Blanca, 10% Tempranillo Blanco. This wine too is barrel aged for 14-18 months in 80/20 French/American oak. There was a savory aspect as well which pays homage to the time when producers added dry sherry to stabilize the wine. I was pleasantly surprised. In comparison, this wine is 6 years younger and less than half the price. I would love to see how it develops over the next few years. $30.