Marques del Silvo Blanco 2022

In 1988 local winegrower Jesús Galilea noticed clusters of white grapes in his red Tempranillo vineyard in Murillo de Rioleza, La Rioja. He was stunned to find these clusters of green-white fleshed grapes alongside the normal inky purple-skinned Tempranillo. He decided to cut and graft some of the new white grape shoots, and Tempranillo Blanco was born. In 2009, Tempranillo Blanco was officially included in the register of grapes permitted in the Rioja.

This natural genetic mutation of grapes in the vineyard is actually quite common. Perhaps the most notable of these mutations occurred with the Pinot class of grapes, providing the wine world with Pinot Gris, Pinot Grigio, and Pinot Blanc.

In the glass, the Marquis del Silvo Tempranillo Blanco exudes exotic fruit on the nose leading to a palate redolent of pineapple, mango and orange zest. There's a nice citrusy minerality with salty notes that leads to an herbal-tinged finish of basil and tarragon. There's an impressive amount of weight and mouthfeel, reminding me of a well-made Viognier from the South of France.

This exotic white will pair wonderfully with exotic cuisine, especially Indian and Thai curry.