Showing 1 to 6 of 6 (1 Pages)
Buy Wine from Bodegas José Pariente
Among the gentle undulations of the Castilian moors, where the wind blows mercilessly and the limestone peeks beneath the skin of the soil, lies Bodegas José Pariente, a firm that has redefined what it means to make Verdejo in Rueda. Officially founded in 1998 by Victoria Pariente, José Pariente' s daughter, this winery not only bears her father's name, but also his obsession with precision, finesse and varietal expression. However, José Pariente' s first steps as a winemaker date back to the 1960s, when he made artisanal white wines from old Verdejo vines in the area around La Seca, one of the highest and most austere areas of the appellation.
Rueda - The harsh plateau where Verdejo finds its voice
Rueda, located on the northern plateau at an altitude of 700-800 metres, is characterised by an extreme continental climate, with cold winters, short and very hot summers, and strong temperature fluctuations between day and night, even in the middle of August. This thermal amplitude is decisive for the natural acidity of the Verdejo to be preserved and its fruity aromas to develop without losing tension. But it is the soil that makes the difference: stony soils on the surface, with clay-limestone subsoil and good drainage, which force the vines to go deep to survive. It is there, in this struggle, that character is born.
From the young wine to the bottled landscape - The evolution of Verdejo
At José Pariente, that character is transformed into a range of wines where Verdejo is no longer just a young, fruity wine, but a vehicle for expressing the landscape. From the homonymous wine, José Pariente Verdejo, which many consider to be the modern benchmark of the variety, with its clean nose of white fruit, fennel and slightly bitter notes at the end, so typical of the variety, to much more ambitious elaborations such as José Pariente Fermentado en Barrica, where the work on lees and the ageing in French oak raise the structure of the wine without blurring its origin.
Old vineyards, goblet-trained vines and an interpretation without make-up
The most interesting thing, however, happens at the margins. In recent years, the winery has opted for small winemaking processes where it experiments with microvinifications, vats, used barrels and concrete tanks, seeking less obvious nuances and a more precise reading of the vineyard. One example is their José Pariente Finca Las Comas, a single varietal Verdejo from a single plot planted in 1910, in goblet-trained, ungrafted vines. Here, the winery dispenses with technical correctness and allows the wine to show its texture, its slight rusticity and its marked salinity. It is not a wine for everyone, but it is for those who understand that true complexity is not always easy or complacent.
Respect for the old vineyard is a constant feature of the winery's philosophy. In La Seca, where the wind gives no respite, some vines have survived more than a century without irrigation, chemical fertilisers or modern clones. They are low vines, almost dragged by the soil, which produce very little but with an unusual concentration.
Sauvignon Blanc in Castilian soil - An experiment that has taken root
These vines also produce the winery's most personal wines, such as its interpretation of Sauvignon Blanc, which, unlike the exuberant whites of New Zealand or the Loire, is expressed here with citrus notes, minerality and an almost saline mouthfeel. It is no coincidence: the clone was planted by Victoria in the 1980s, when the variety was hardly known in Spain, and today it is part of the house's DNA.
Beyond Verdejo - Inky elegance from Toro
José Pariente has also been a determining factor in the stylistic transition of Rueda, moving away from the overly aromatic and commercial wines of other big houses to focus on texture, structure and ageing potential. Many of its wines benefit from a few months in bottle, and some even years, something that until recently was unthinkable for a Verdejo.
Today, the third generation, represented by Martina Prieto Pariente, continues this path of exigency and sensitivity. Under her direction, the winery has also explored new areas, such as the Toro DO, where they make red wines under the Prieto Pariente name, with a fresh, floral and elegant interpretation of Tinta de Toro, far from the extreme concentration that has historically characterised the area. Again, the idea is not to impose a style, but to read precisely what the place wants to tell.
- ;
-
- ;
-
- ;
-
Buy Wine from Bodegas José Pariente
Among the gentle undulations of the Castilian moors, where the wind blows mercilessly and the limestone peeks beneath the skin of the soil, lies Bodegas José Pariente, a firm that has redefined what it means to make Verdejo in Rueda. Officially founded in 1998 by Victoria Pariente, José Pariente' s daughter, this winery not only bears her father's name, but also his obsession with precision, finesse and varietal expression. However, José Pariente' s first steps as a winemaker date back to the 1960s, when he made artisanal white wines from old Verdejo vines in the area around La Seca, one of the highest and most austere areas of the appellation.
Rueda - The harsh plateau where Verdejo finds its voice
Rueda, located on the northern plateau at an altitude of 700-800 metres, is characterised by an extreme continental climate, with cold winters, short and very hot summers, and strong temperature fluctuations between day and night, even in the middle of August. This thermal amplitude is decisive for the natural acidity of the Verdejo to be preserved and its fruity aromas to develop without losing tension. But it is the soil that makes the difference: stony soils on the surface, with clay-limestone subsoil and good drainage, which force the vines to go deep to survive. It is there, in this struggle, that character is born.
From the young wine to the bottled landscape - The evolution of Verdejo
At José Pariente, that character is transformed into a range of wines where Verdejo is no longer just a young, fruity wine, but a vehicle for expressing the landscape. From the homonymous wine, José Pariente Verdejo, which many consider to be the modern benchmark of the variety, with its clean nose of white fruit, fennel and slightly bitter notes at the end, so typical of the variety, to much more ambitious elaborations such as José Pariente Fermentado en Barrica, where the work on lees and the ageing in French oak raise the structure of the wine without blurring its origin.
Old vineyards, goblet-trained vines and an interpretation without make-up
The most interesting thing, however, happens at the margins. In recent years, the winery has opted for small winemaking processes where it experiments with microvinifications, vats, used barrels and concrete tanks, seeking less obvious nuances and a more precise reading of the vineyard. One example is their José Pariente Finca Las Comas, a single varietal Verdejo from a single plot planted in 1910, in goblet-trained, ungrafted vines. Here, the winery dispenses with technical correctness and allows the wine to show its texture, its slight rusticity and its marked salinity. It is not a wine for everyone, but it is for those who understand that true complexity is not always easy or complacent.
Respect for the old vineyard is a constant feature of the winery's philosophy. In La Seca, where the wind gives no respite, some vines have survived more than a century without irrigation, chemical fertilisers or modern clones. They are low vines, almost dragged by the soil, which produce very little but with an unusual concentration.
Sauvignon Blanc in Castilian soil - An experiment that has taken root
These vines also produce the winery's most personal wines, such as its interpretation of Sauvignon Blanc, which, unlike the exuberant whites of New Zealand or the Loire, is expressed here with citrus notes, minerality and an almost saline mouthfeel. It is no coincidence: the clone was planted by Victoria in the 1980s, when the variety was hardly known in Spain, and today it is part of the house's DNA.
Beyond Verdejo - Inky elegance from Toro
José Pariente has also been a determining factor in the stylistic transition of Rueda, moving away from the overly aromatic and commercial wines of other big houses to focus on texture, structure and ageing potential. Many of its wines benefit from a few months in bottle, and some even years, something that until recently was unthinkable for a Verdejo.
Today, the third generation, represented by Martina Prieto Pariente, continues this path of exigency and sensitivity. Under her direction, the winery has also explored new areas, such as the Toro DO, where they make red wines under the Prieto Pariente name, with a fresh, floral and elegant interpretation of Tinta de Toro, far from the extreme concentration that has historically characterised the area. Again, the idea is not to impose a style, but to read precisely what the place wants to tell.