Verdejo, 2018. Blanco Nieva

Blanco Nieva is owned by Faustino Gonzalez of Bodegas Martue. Nieva, which means "snow," is located in Rueda in north-central Spain. Martue, on the other hand, is located in La Mancha, which is almost in the middle. Gonz?lez spent a lot of time and money creating two wineries roughly 100 miles from each other. But, he had a very good reason. He wanted to make outstanding wine and while La Mancha was perfect for red wines, Rueda was the capital of Spain's white wine culture.

There is no grape in Spain that is more closely identified with Rueda than Verdejo. Wine-speaking, Rueda almost always conjures Verdejo. There is a very good reason for this. The Verdejo grapes from here are nothing less than spectacular. Literally, no area on earth can claim the stamp on Verdejo that Rueda can. It's one of the great synergies of the wine world.

Martue was created in 1990, but Nieva came along almost 20 years later. It was Faustino's passion for Verdejo which drew him here, knowing that he couldn't make the same wine in La Mancha. Lucky for us he did, as wine has been made in Rueda since the 12th Century. The vineyard is 3,000 feet in elevation and boasts vines that range from 25 to 90 years of age. This is what accounts for the incredible presence and power of this selection. From the Asian pear to the grapefruit and peach, it begs for scallops in butter and saffron.

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