PORFÍA BLANCO
2025
A tricky one. It started off great, but the summer turned weird — unusually cool with strong west winds. That slowed down ripening and in some areas, it just didn't fully get there. Acidity dropped a bit toward the end, but the wines came out with a lot of finesse and elegance.
2024
A tricky one. It started off great, but the summer turned weird — unusually cool with strong west winds. That slowed down ripening and in some areas, it just didn't fully get there. Acidity dropped a bit toward the end, but the wines came out with a lot of finesse and elegance.
2023
Pretty solid vintage. Consistent weather with no major issues led to wines of very good quality. Definitely one to stash a few bottles from — it's a keeper.
2022
Tough vintage. Several heat waves hit right when the grapes were at pea-size, causing the vines to go into vegetative shutdown. It was a struggle, but the vines bounced back in the end, and those who had the patience managed to pull off a decent harvest.
The whole debate about whether old native grape varieties — the ones that were everywhere in our vineyards before phylloxera — can actually make great wines is still very much alive.
A lot of people say they're not good enough, and that's why no one bothered with them after phylloxera. Others think it's just because they weren't that productive, or they were late-ripening and kind of a pain to grow. Me? I decided to see for myself.
That first vintage, I did eight micro-vinifications with eight different varieties: Beba, Mantúa de Pilas, Doradilla, Indiana, Cañocazo, Mantúa Castellana, Jaén Blanca, and Vigiriega.
Now, depending on the year, I work with five or six of those varieties — rescued from different old vineyards 'cause they're super rare. They make up 50% of the final blend. The other 50% comes from Listán grapes from the youngest part of my vineyard in Miraflores (24 years old).
Not everything is black and white.
Honestly, two of those varieties didn't impress me much the first time around. But four of them? Super solid for blending — each one brings something unique to the table. Aroma, acidity, texture... they help fill in the blanks, especially in tricky vintages.
And two of them? Straight-up world-class. Great at expressing the soil, fresh acidity, and a super clean, focused character. Totally in line with how I see wine. I even grafted them onto my own vines to see how they'd handle being so close to the coast. And yeah — there's already a plan to plant a small vineyard with them soon.
