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www.buyersandcellars.ca Cellar Profile
Melea wines are the creation of the Madrid-based Long family, one of Spain’s premier negociants. This small, talented team of wine professionals have been dedicated to sourcing, marketing and exporting award-winning Spanish wines for nearly two decades. The Melea project is a limited range of organic, vegan wines inspired by the rare bee Anthophora Melea. Bees play a vital role in our food supply chain. They are also important actors in the production of wine, pollinating the vines and carrying around the natural yeasts of the vineyard that are used in the fermentation process.
Region
Castilla-La Mancha is located on a large plateau in Spain’s interior. The third largest autonomous region is Spain, it is surrounded by three different mountain ranges, enjoying an interesting cross between a Mediterranean and Continental climate. Soils are mostly reddish-brown clay, with high levels of limestone and chalk. There is no real dominant central city in the region, but rather small villages and communities scattered throughout, each enjoying its own wine and gastronomic traditions. Known primarily for producing bulk wine, some producers have taken great strides in recent years to restrict yields and take more care with viticulture, and the region now produces elegant and complex wines that offer tremendous value.
Vineyard
Melea’s vineyards are planted in limestone and chalk-rich sandy soils. Practicing dry farming, these Organic certified vines are greatly stressed by dense plantings and well-drained soils, producing a scant 3kg of fruit per plant. The evenings see a fairly large diurnal shift in temperature, which helps maintain acidity and freshness, and produces wines with complexity and depth of flavour.
Varieties
Grown almost entirely in Spain, this aromatic white variety shows its best when planted in poor quality, well-drained soils. Wines from Verdejo wines are herbaceous, making it a natural blending partner for Sauvignon Blanc, but there are stone fruit notes, as well as citrus elements. With age, better examples of Verdejo give nutty characteristics. Most often enjoyed young and fresh, it has telltale acidity that allows for mid-term cellaring.
Winemaking
Hand-harvested from low-yielding vines in late September, long after most of the region harvests whites, in order to attain full flavour development. Fermented with indigenous yeasts, utilizing temperature control to ensure a clean ferment. Fined with a vegan pea protein.
Tasting Notes
Pale greenish-gold in colour, with inviting aromas of pineapple, lemon, cut grass and flint. On the palate, the wine is zesty and refreshing. Notes of tart citrus, white flowers and nectarine, with a salty tang of minerality. Serve chilled with grilled shrimp or fried chicken.