This Long-Ignored Spanish Grape Is Now Producing Stellar, Age-Worthy White Wines
When we heard that famed Spanish region Ribera del Duero allowed the bottling of a wine made from a white grape, Albillo Mayor, a few years ago, we were highly skeptical. After all, many of the wineries here already produce white Verdejo in neighboring Rueda, and Ribera’s entire reputation hinges on making some of the country’s best Tempranillo. Far from being another fresh, fruity white that Spain has become known for, within a few short vintages of the first bottles’ release, it is obvious that Albillo Mayor can be crafted into complex, age-worthy whites. Some of the best wineries in Ribera del Duero and surrounding Tierra de Castilla y León region are making bottles that will mature gracefully in cellars for years to come.
While the grape was first approved for production as a single varietal wine in 2021, it has been cultivated in the Duero Valley since the Middle Ages and has been used in small amounts alongside Tempranillo as a blending grape, much the way Viognier is added to Syrah in the northern Rhône. In both cases, the addition of the aromatic white adds a light floral lift to the wine’s bouquet. Because of its history here, many Albillo vineyards in the region and surrounding area are at least 50 years old, offering lower grape yields and increased concentration of flavor.
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One of the Albillo pioneers in Ribera del Duero is Bodegas Valduero, which is currently run by sisters Yolanda and Carolina García Viadero, who first started working with it when they bought a vineyard containing 12 acres of the variety in the 1990s. They began making a version meant for long aging in 2012—when it still could not be labeled DO Ribera del Duero—and the current vintage release of their Blanco Reserva is 2016. “We began with this idea in 2012 because the acidity was fantastic, and we saw how year after year the acidity of the Albillo was so regular and so high,” Carolina says. Having done Albillo trials with wood barrels from several countries, her winemaker sister is also a pioneer in the use of oak from Canada to age her white wine. The only woman to have been elected head of the Ribera del Duero consejo, she was also one of the main proponents of this indigenous variety being bottled under DO regulations rather than as a vino de tierra.
“There are only a handful of producers making wines with 100 percent Albillo Mayor, but due to its success I’m sure more wineries will consider including it in the future,” says April Cullom, who makes wine in Ribera del Duero under her Alma de Vino label. She’s not making any Albillo Mayor herself yet, but she’s a fan of the grape, drawn to its aromas of tropical fruit, peach, and citrus, barrel aging adds spice notes along the lines of Chardonnay. Cullom recommends pairing it with pork dishes, roasted chicken, or grilled vegetables.
“Albillo Mayor represents a historical legacy of our region and a symbol of enological diversity within Ribera del Duero,” says Marcos Yllera, co-proprietor of Grupo Yllera, whose wineries include Bodegas Yllera and Meraldis. The variety, which is a parent of Tempranillo, almost disappeared as the reds of the region became more popular and co-fermentation with white grapes fell out of favor. “Albillo has been gradually recovered, and today this white variety allows us to showcase a different side of our winemaking identity, offering freshness, elegance, and authenticity,” Yllera says. His Meraldis Albillo Vinificación Integral is complex and round in the mouth, offering good acidity and flavors of green apple and pineapple with touches of jasmine and spice.
There are also a handful of producers working with Albillo Mayor outside the confines of Ribera del Duero, such as Bodegas Clunia, which bottles under the Vinos de la Tierra de Castilla y León appellation. With vineyards sitting at 3,280 feet above sea level—similar to the highest within Ribera del Duero. “In these high-altitude conditions, the extreme climate shapes the fresh aromas and balanced mouthfeel,” winemaker Pablo Pavez says. “The high thermal gap between day and night temperatures during the ripening period ensures slow ripening and ideal aromatic expression.” Pavez notes that on its own Albillo Mayor has flavors of apricot, pineapple and grapefruit with subtle floral and herbal nuances, and that “aging in oak barrels adds elegance and complexity to its unique bouquet.”
One of the factors that caused us to doubt the viability of Albillo Mayor when Ribera del Duero first announced its addition to the region’s offerings is that many wineries here also own sister properties in neighboring Rueda, where they produce white wines made with the Verdejo grape. It seemed like an unnecessary intrusion on Ribera’s reputation for some of the finest red wines in Spain and the entire world, but in retrospect we admit we jumped to that conclusion before tasting several vintages of Albillo from a wide range of producers. What we have found is a complex grape that is at its best when aged in barrel and then further matured in cellar before release, resulting in rich complex wines that are ready to drink on release but can also benefit from a few additional years of cellaring at home. Going through our notes over the last couple of years, we have compared several to white Burgundy for their flavor profile, complexity, and mineral notes.
Around 1,235 of the 57,000 acres of grapes in Ribera del Duero are planted with Albillo Mayor, and out of more than 300 wineries in the region, around 30 currently bottle this “new” white wine, with more expected to come aboard with each vintage. “Albillo Mayor stands out for its elegance, its ability to produce more subtle wines with a silky texture, as well as floral and mineral notes that make it truly special,” Yllera says. Look for bottles from Pinea, Callejo, Clunia, López Cristóbal, Resalte, Valduero, Dominio de Alguila, Comenge, Valdaya, Meraldis, and Marañones. Your palate will thank you.
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