Jade Gross, Chiguita Blanco, Rioja DOCa 2023 - 75cl
Jade Gross came to wine the long way round. Born in Hong Kong to an American father and Chinese mother, she trained as a chef, cooked at Alain Ducasse and El Celler de Can Roca, then spent seven years at Mugaritz in San Sebastián before starting her own tiny wine project in San Vicente de la Sonsierra in 2019. She learned the ropes from Abel Mendoza and Maite Fernández, two of Rioja's most respected artisan growers, and works with a chef's instinct for balance.
Chiguita Blanco is her white, a field blend of traditional Rioja varieties led by Viura with Tempranillo Blanco, Garnacha Blanca and, in most vintages, a little Malvasía. It's made simply: whole bunches fermented in French oak, then six months resting on fine lees in barrel. Farming is low-intervention, the ferment is spontaneous, and production runs to only around 3,900 bottles. It carries Rioja DOCa, which is worth noting given how many natural growers here bottle outside the appellation.
The nose is fresh and floral, with orchard fruit, apple and pear, and a herbal thread running through. The palate is where the barrel work tells: it's textured and gently complex, well balanced, with a soft honeyed note in the background and enough grip to feel serious rather than simply pretty. Bright, mineral and quietly long. Drink it over the next two to three years while the fruit is singing.
How to Serve
Serve at 10-12°C in a full glass. Like most barrel-fermented whites it shows better a touch warmer than fridge temperature, so give it a few minutes out of the cold. No need to decant, but it broadens over the course of a meal.
Where to Drink It
Sabor on Heddon Street, for the Spanish table it was made for. Barrafina, alongside the tortilla and grilled prawns. Noble Rot Soho, for the low-intervention list.
Food Pairings
I'd pour it with roast chicken and garlic, or a paella heavy on the seafood. The lees texture also suits creamy salt cod, and it's a good foil for a plate of Manchego and quince.
