INSIDER'S PICK: 2021 MARTINSANCHO VERDEJO RUEDA (Vinous 93points) $21.99

It isn't often that we as wine drinkers get the opportunity to taste the wine that is the not just the standard bearer for a region but the literal starting point and touchstone for the grape variety as a whole (a least not without having to spend a ton of $$$). For most of its history Rueda and Verdejo were most noted in Spain as producers of a Sherry substitute during the Moorish empire occupation of the Jerez region. After the phylloxera epidemic in the late 1800s, there was an effort to make more 'everyday' white wines from Verdejo, but the grape has issues making wines that survive and transport very well, at least at that time, so they largely fell into obscurity until the 1970s. Angel Rodriguez' family had a small plot of Verdejo on their Martinsancho vineyard that had survived phylloxera, and used those cuttings to replant the entirety of their 25 acres starting in 1972. The family was one of the primary names to help establish the Rueda appellation in 1980, and the cuttings from their property have been used to replant most of the region. Thankfully technology has also progressed with the Verdejo grape, allowing it to overcome its shortcomings to produce much more stable and even age-worthy wines like this. Fans of Semillon from Australia and Semillon-heavy White Bordeaux will LOVE this, as it has a lot of the dry and waxy texture that those wines historically feature. Bright and zesty aromas of green apple and citrus that grow more peachy and white fruited as it opens up, strong but not perfume-y. The palate is really where it's at, long and lush with lots of lemon/lime fruit and that lingering skin finish that sets this apart from the more typical everyday versions of Verdejo. A killer wine for Spring salads and fresh seafood dishes, and can handle some cream or fat as well. ​

---