Monte Obarenes 2014

"The white from their Selección Terroir range is the 2014 Montes Obarenes, a blend of Viura with 15% Tempranillo from Haro, a village wine. It was cropped from a cold year that might have benefited white wines over reds. It fermented in stainless steel with indigenous yeasts and half of the wine spent one year in French oak barrels while the rest matured in egg-shaped cement vats with the lees. It's very elegant and perfumed, with subtle notes of tangerine and nicely integrated oak. There is some austerity on the palate and lively acidity. It has varietal character and a very clean personality. 2,950 bottles were filled in April 2016. I also encountered a bottle of the initial 2013, and it was developing very slowly, better than I anticipated, and the oak was much better integrated."