Cullerot 2018

The white 2018 Cullerot had just been bottled when I tasted it. It's a wine that was born as an accident and has changed a lot, and it's now produced with a blend of (mostly) local varieties sourced from different growers—approximately 25% Macabeo and 25% Pedro Ximenez and 10% each Malvasía, Tortosina, Verdil, Chardonnay and other whites. It matured in buried 2,600-liter tinaja for six months. The summer was wet and cool, which benefited whites (it was a more challenging year for reds), and they got a good crop and could sort and select the best grapes. The wine is fine and elegant, Mediterranean and spicy, with notes of fennel and aniseed. It also has a balsamic, bay leaf-like note. It's long and narrow, with good freshness and acidity, in line with the 2016. Very tasty and a bargain for the price. They now produce 45,000 bottles of this and control about 15 hectares of white grape varieties. - Luis Gutiérrez.