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The February frosts have given way to longer days and sunshine that warms the afternoons in Ribera del Duero. At Bodegas Arzuaga, we think it’s the perfect time to try one of those special wines, a white that’s full of personality: our Fan D. Oro. And to accompany us on this journey, there’s no one better than Jesús Bernad, Bodegas Arzuaga’s Global Brand Ambassador.
The first thing we’re going to ask him is to explain the origins of this Chardonnay that has all the soul of Ribera del Duero. ‘Even its name is special: Fan stands for the Arzuaga family and D. Oro comes from its golden colour. It’s one of the most original white wines in Castile and León since it’s made from Chardonnay grapes – a white wine in the land of reds. Bodegas Arzuaga was a pioneer in vine growing on the moor, at an altitude of 911 metres. That was where they planted the red varieties Tempranillo, Cabernet and Merlot. But Florentino Arzuaga really liked the great white wines of Burgundy, and he began to experiment to see how the grape would adapt to this very extreme climate and the calcareous clay soils. They saw that it adapted very well and they could make wines with lots of personality. So, after more than 20 years, there are now over four hectares of this Chardonnay’. These beginnings may seem far away now, but they resulted in this wine carving out a place for itself at Bodegas Arzuaga.
‘The grapes are harvested when fully mature, and the must ferments in large French oak barrels. Then we do bâtonnage with the fine lees, which are going to give the wine volume, body and flavour. Next, the wine ages for nine months in these French oak barrels, which yield a complex wine, with more personality than a young wine,’ Bernad points out.
Now let’s open it and try it. If you have a bottle at home, we invite you to accompany us in this tasting.
‘It has a beautiful golden colour. On the nose, it’s very original because it has notes of balsamic herbs, pine nuts, ripe fruit such as peach or apricot, and a little, very fine touch of vanilla. On the palate, it’s flavourful, complex, fluid. This is a wine with body, character, that note of ripe fruit, but with a good acidity that gives it freshness, liveliness, with that toasted, vanilla note on the finish,’ explains Bodegas Arzuaga’s Global Brand Ambassador.
To conclude, he reminds us that it’s a very gourmet wine, ‘perfect for accompanying fish, shellfish, white meat, creamy vegetable soups or mature cheeses’.
And Fan D. Oro is just a click away from you, as you can find it in our online shop at https://tienda.arzuaganavarro.com/producto/fan-doro