Flaco Blanco 2016
Product Details
Your Rating
Somm Note
Winemaker Notes
Pale straw. Lemon pith, green apple and orchard fruit are framed by a touch of floral tone and mineral notes on the nose. On the palate, bright but weighty, with good persistence to the juicy apple and pear fruit. Finishes dry and clean.
Flaco, made with Spain's signature Tempranillo grape, means "dude" in English. In the words of The Savvy Lush, Flaco "is the best goof-proof, budget-friendly wine out there. Spain is the largest producer of Tempranillo. These thick-skinned grapes are grown in regions that have hot days followed by cool evenings. This creates a concentrated, yet balanced flavor." It is produced by Compania de Vinos del Atlantico in the Demoninacion de Origen (DO) of Vinos de Madrid. Flaco shows the complexity of a serious wine for the price of a song!
The luscious fruit and soft texture make it a perfect wine for everyday drinking. Madrid is not only the capital of Spain but also one of the country's most interesting wine growing regions. The outskirts of this great royal city are full of old Tempranillo vines. Most Spaniards do not know that Madrid makes wine, and therefore don't know the incredible values that Madrid showcases at the present time. Madrid is the great unknown.
White grapes are used in two famous types of Spanish wine, Sherry and Cava, but we will limit this discussion to still whites. Let’s begin with perhaps the best known and most highly regarded internationally, Albariño . Produced in the region of Rías Baixas, just above Portugal in northwestern Spain, Albariño typically sees no or little oak and is medium to medium-plus in body. Aroma and flavor notes often include citrus and peach, often with subtle floral notes and a suggestion of sea spray, giving the wine a zesty feel. Often bottled as a single varietal, Albariño is sometimes blended with other indigenous grapes like Loureira and Treixadura. Try one of these Spanish whites from Forjas del Salnes.
Let’s look at a few other Spanish white wines. Godello also hails from northwestern Spain and presents a profile of grapefruit, minerality and a slight smoky quality. Enjoy a bottle from Bodegas Avancia. The region of Rueda, northwest of Madrid, is home to Verdejo , which makes refreshing, un-oaked white wines whose herbal vibrancy recalls Sauvignon Blanc . Protos makes a tasty version. Up north in the Basque region, we find the wine called Txakoli (sometimes called Txakolina). Pronounced “sha-ko-LEE,” it’s made from a local grape called Hondurrabi Zuri and is light, fresh, citrusy, dry … and with razor sharp acidity that makes it a fantastic partner with local seafood and tapas. Ameztoi Gertariako is a good Spanish white wine producer to check out.
The Penedѐs region, best known for the oceans of delicious Cava it sends to the world, also produces still Spanish whites, sometimes from international varieties like Chardonnay , and often from the same grapes used for Cava. These include Parellada, Xarel-lo and Macabeo. Avaline produces a fine example of Penedes white. Finally, we visit the Rioja region. While it is historically and internationally famous for its reds, Rioja also produces fine Spanish white wines. These are usually based on Viura (the local name for Macabeo) and make good everyday sippers, although some aged versions can be stunningly complex. A good place to start is the white Rioja from Bodegas Muga.
As you can see, Spanish white wines offer a vast opportunity for exploration!