Bodegas Naia, Naiades - An extraordinary wine produced from 8 small plots of ancient, mainly pre-phylloxera vines (many well over 100 years old). Fermentation and ageing in new French oak for 8 months results in a seamless and vibrant mix of ripe, honeyed fruit, structure and richness. Winner of the 2009 Best White Wine Over £10 Trophy at the New Wave Spanish Wine Awards.
Bodegas Naia has established itself as one of Rueda's star producers. Grapes come from the estate's 21 hectares in La Seca (the region's outstanding ‘cru', where thick gravel over clay subsoil creates fine, incisive wines with distinct minerality) and grapes bought in from a further 20 hectares.
Winemaker Eulogio Calleja crafts wines with great depth, which like the striking labels, stand out from the crowd. While most modern Rueda tends to be in a simple, aromatic, technological style, here the maturity of the vines (30-100 years), strict grape selection and extended lees ageing give wines with delicacy, ripe yet restrained stone fruit characters, lovely texture and the ability to age.
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