Both classic and original…
That’s the least you can say about
Las Llanas, the top white cuvée from
Oscar Alegre in Rioja.
From a tiny 0.2 ha plot in Sajazarra, he produces just 900 bottles of this traditional-style white.
The early vintages still had a slight orange-wine character, but since 2021, the wines have become much more refined. The grapes are fermented with the skins, giving the wine more body and authenticity.
They come from century-old vines, a field blend of Viura, Malvasía, White Grenache and Calagraño. This last variety, one of the rarest in Spain, is planted on fewer than 5 hectares, between Rioja and the Basque Country. Recent research suggests it is genetically related to Garnacha Blanca.
This is a white wine built to age, in the style of legendary classics like Tondonia Blanco or Castillo Ygay Blanco, but crafted with even greater precision… and above all: harder to come by, yet easier on the wallet!
Oscar and Eva’s vineyard sits on the northern edge of the appellation, and they are often the last to harvest – resulting in very low yields and consistently tiny production volumes.
We managed to get 90 bottles for Belgium – that’s 1/10 of the total production!