Albillo Mayor El Arenal 2022 Bendito Destino

Professional reviews

Robert Parker (94)

One of two whites sourced from different places, the 2022 Albillo Mayor El Arenal comes from a centenary plot in the village of Baños de Valdearados in the province of Burgos. It underwent foot stomping, "browning" the juice, then was basket pressed and settled in a stainless steel tank before fermenting spontaneously in second-fill barrels. There was no bâtonnage and no racking, and the wine spent 24 months in second-fill François Frères barrique. It comes in with 12.8% alcohol, a pH of 3.12 and 6.01 grams of acidity. This is darker in color, more Meursault, with a Tondonia-like twist, more powerful and rich and a little oaky still. This comes from the vineyard with sandy soils (hence the name, as "arena" is the Spanish word for sand). 2022 was super warm and dry, and the wine reflects that. The palate shows marked chalkiness. This is more powerful but keeping the minerality and the freshness. 570 bottles produced. It was bottled in August 2024. This plot was affected by frost in 2023 and 2024, so they couldn't produce the wine those years.