Rueda
Verdejo's high plateau
- Soil
- Stony, gravelly soils on a high (~700m), continental plateau.
- Style
- Zesty, herbal, faintly nutty Verdejo; also crisp Sauvignon Blanc.
- Top sites
- Verdejo must dominate for 'Rueda Verdejo'; old vines south of the Duero.
- Vintages
- 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023
- Producers
- Belondrade y LurtonJosé ParienteMarqués de Riscal (whites)
Tip · Riscal (the Rioja red house) revived Rueda for whites in the 1970s. Altitude keeps Verdejo zippy despite the hot continental summers.
Value pick
José Pariente Verdejo · ~$18
The reference-point Rueda — herbal, zesty, faintly nutty Verdejo, brilliant value by the case.
Collector pick
Belondrade y Lurton 'Belondrade' · ~$45 · 2020
A barrel-fermented Verdejo built to age — the wine that proved Rueda could be serious.