The Torres Verdeo 2013 is 100% Verdejo sourced from vineyards in the Rueda DO of Castilla-La Mancha on the west side of central Spain. The brand is Verdeo and the grape is Verdejo which is slightly confusing. Verdejo is the indigenous grape of the Rueda region, they have had Verdejo vineyards in Rueda for 1,000 years. Rueda is located on a high plateau and the vineyards are located near the Duero river. The climate is hot and dry in the summer, though the nights are cool, allowing the grapes to have a long growing season. The soil is high in mineral content, which impart some interesting sub-flavors into the wine. Bodegas Torres is a family owned winery founded in 1870. This Verdeo is a joven or young wine, which indicates it receives little or no aging, it will be at its peak for only 2 years, so the sooner you drink it the better. In the US, wines are not classified as joven or young, but when you see the brands that say Naked Chardonnay or Naked Merlot, those are wines with no oak aging (and little of any kind of aging) and are not suitable for cellering. The alcohol content is 12.5%.
The color is a very pale lager beer yellow, with a hint of green when held to the light. The nose is pretty, a delicate mix of citrus, green apple and herbs. This is a medium bodied, dry wine. The flavors are bold, yet balanced. It tastes of lemon, lime, green apple and melon. The mid-palate adds a brush of fresh herbs and tart grapefruit. This is a food wine, there is a solid amount of acidity, but not enough so that it interferes with you’re sipping enjoyment. The finish is a mix of tart citrus and herbs and linger for quite some time.
The Torres Verdeo is a lovely, adult, delicious wine. It has terrific structure, the flavors have plenty of space to unfold and the acidity hits a nice space in between, which allows it to refresh the palate during a meal and to be enjoyed on the patio as the day cools down. When you go to a store for a bottle of wine, it is easy to find the usual suspects, Chardonnay, Pinot Grigio, Sauv Blanc and Riesling and those grapes produce wonderful wines, but if you dig a little deeper, there is a whole world of exceptional White wines that are a bit off the beaten path. Supply and demand sets the prices with wine and the well-known grapes take most of the market share. That leaves some top quality White wines available for very reasonable prices. Don’t be afraid to take a chance on a grape that you are not familiar with, adventurous wine folks will be rewarded with awesome, affordable wines.
this bottle was received as a sample
