90 Points, reviewed by Michael Rockich, Appellations Ten
September 20, 2020

We recently reviewed a red, Tempranillo Crianza, from Finca Nueva, and this time we are paying homage to a white, their 2017 Viura.  In the past, and recently in Minervois and Corbieres, France, Viura (AKA Macabeo) was used greatly in blending.  Viura brings resistance to oxidation.  Plantings of Viura in the Pyrenees accelerated over the late 1960s through the 1970s, and a boom for Viura followed in the 1980s.

This pale straw colored 2017 Viura opens by unveiling subtle aromas and flavors.  Increasingly, recognizable traits discretely show themselves.  The  Viura presents hints of dried herbs, English pea, quince, fig, baked apple, and just a glimmer of vanilla-caramel.  The notables of this Virura are its rich body and viscosity both accompanied by excellent balance of the components and taste modalities.  It’s mellow, to employ a word I rarely use, being overused in the past as a catchall, but the term really fits this wine.

You have heard of comfort food?  Think of this as comfort wine!  Finca Nueva’s 2017 Viura is justly comforting.  I paired this wine with red-chard bruschetta oozing EV olive oil, and a white Tuscan garlic-bean soup. The Viura echoed the food’s flavors while also complimenting them.  It was an excellent food companion!

Occasionally I come across a wine that actually has more to offer the next day or two.  This is such a wine, especially so.  Viura is known to possess resistance to oxidation, and this is the assumed reason.  If there is any remaining in your bottle after the first day, I suggest giving it a try.  I keep initially opened white wines in the refrigerator, but not reds.

This wine’s superlatives continue.  Considering the hummingbird’s behavior, perhaps that pale hummingbird on Finca’s labels indicates a nexus.  In addition to all the aforementioned, Finca Nueva’s 2017 Viura is a fiery price-performer and competitor.  Retailing for about $11, what’s to want?  Don’t miss trying this wine!

Rioja, located in northern Spain and bordered by the Basque Country, is known for wine as well as its superb religious architecture.  Finca Nueva is located in Rioja Alta (Navarrete), which has a reputation for elegant wines, and is one of three Rioja districts, the others being Alavesa and Baja.  Finca Nueva‘s wines are vinified mainly from grapes that have been cultivated in Rioja for generations, likely indigenous, and are farmed sustainably near the banks of the Ebro River.  My review of this Viura, and recently their Tempranillo Crianza, clearly evidence the fact that Finca Nueva’s winemaker-proprietor Miguel Ángel de Gregorio has the insight and touch to coax the maximum performance from each grape type.

Among other complimentary descriptors, Migual has been labeled as an agronomic engineer, quite resourceful, and as possessing an astute business mind.  I will mention more about him when I review some additional wines of his in the near term.  Trinchero Family Estates (TFE), the second-largest family-owned winery on the globe and fourth-largest overall, is the exclusive US importer of Finca Nueva’s wines.  About $11.

A sample for review.

(1) Credit Finca Nueva and TFE