Ponce Albilla Selección 2022

The 2022 Selección Albilla is a new top-of-the-range white. It comes from two plots of vines (70% granite and 30% limestone and gravel) one in Villamalea and another one by the winery at a higher altitude, where they find the added seriousness and complexity they were looking for. The wine is mineral and salty, age-worthy and precise with some creamy oak. It fermented in 600-liter barrels and 750- and 1,000-liter foudres with around 70% new oak, where the wine matured sur lies for 11 months. It has 13% alcohol while keeping amazing parameters of freshness and acidity. The nose reveals abundant smoky and toasty notes, a combination of the oak and the lees. The aromatic profile is very different from the Reto/Ponce White. He wants elegant and fine oak to be perceptible but not overwhelming, following the style of some of his favorite whites, like the ones from Burgundy, and he's looking for a wine that has aging potential. However, with new wood, he feels the whites get struck-match notes that he wants to avoid. He will use the same oak containers for the following vintages, so the effect of the élevage should diminish in future years. And this initial vintage should integrate the oak with more time in bottle, as the wine in the palate shows freshness, balance and austerity. 5,000 bottles were filled in July 2023.

The spicy wood, ripe apple and pie crust character doesn’t hinder the expressions of minerals and brininess. This is quite powerful on the palate, with a broad form and texture, but the mid-palate is not fleshy but rather minerally and acid-driven. Long, punchy, mouthwatering, saline finish. Fascinating energy. Buy a case. Drink now or hold.