Nekeas Blanco 2023

Spain has a reputation at the moment for producing modern, characterful wines at brilliant price points. This is a cracking example. Soft, round and refreshing with lovely flavours of cantaloup melon, white nectarine and lemon peel. Navarra's cooling altitude and ‘cierzo’ winds temper the heat and aide freshness, without stripping away any of the sunshine characteristics that give weight and roundness. A subtle herby note on the finish is very sophisticated. This will be a dinner party go-to for me. Very tasty as the aperitif, but equally a great accompaniment to fleshy white fish like cod, hake and halibut.  

Winemaking in Nekeas dates to the 16th century, and it was thriving till the middle of the 20th century when industrial development around Pamplona and depressed grape prices achieved what the phylloxera blight had failed to do. Little more than the smaller, inaccessible plots of mostly old-vine Garnacha survived.

Thankfully since the 1990s the descendants of the original grape growing families have revived old traditions on these often impossibly steep slopes at 450-650 metres above sea level at the foothills of the Pyrenees. Here, Nekeas benefits from a rare meeting of Atlantic and Mediterranean influences, bringing freshness, altitude, and slow ripening to its wines. Under the long-standing guidance of winemaker Concha Vecino, one of Spain’s leading female winemakers, the house style leans toward balance and drinkability, whilst remaining true to Navarra's unique terroir.