Verdejo 2023 – Javier Sanz

The grapes to produce Verdejo Javier Sanz were carefully harvested by hand, crushed and left to soak on the skins at a low temperature for several hours. The Verdejo Javier Sanz grapes were then pressed and the juice was settled for a period of 24 hours. Once clear, a slow fermentation took place in stainless steel vats at temperatures of below 15°C, using the grapes’ indigenous yeasts. The low fermentation temperatures preserved the fruity aromatics. The wine was cold stabilised and filtered prior to bottling. Javier Sanz’s philosophy is to intervene as little as possible in the winemaking process and they engage in sustainable winemaking practices. 

Javier Sanz’s vineyards are laid out in a mosaic of plots and small vineyards all within the Valladolid municipality of La Seca. Painstaking work takes place in the vineyard to ensure the best quality grapes are grown and yields are kept low: severe winter pruning; debudding and deleafing to help ripening and crop thinning to reduce yields and maintain high quality fruit. The plot is planted with bush vines, keeping the grapes close to the ground allowing them to ripen at night due to the heat retention of the soil, while protecting them from the excessive heat and sunlight during the day. Resistant to weather and disease, these vines are labour intensive to harvest. They grow well in the gravelly pebble soils, which are poor in organic matter and have good drainage. The continental climate, with its large diurnal temperature swings, sees the high daytime temperatures tumble by up to 20 degrees at night. The cold winters and rains in spring and autumn help the grapes to reach the characteristic acidity Verdejo is known for.