# El Coto Blanco (2025)

- **Producer:** El Coto de Rioja
- **Colour:** white
- **Type:** still
- **Grapes:** Viura, Verdejo, Sauvignon Blanc
- **Region:** Rioja, Spain
- **Style:** Classic
- **Alcohol:** 12.0%
- **Average price:** €7
- **Vegan:** Yes
- **Contains sulphites:** Yes
- **When to drink:** Now or Later
- **Serving temperature:** 7–8 °C
- **Aromas & flavours:** peach, lemon, grapefruit, apple, pear

## About this wine

Founded in 1970 in Oyón, El Coto de Rioja has grown to become the largest vineyard owner in Rioja. Under head winemaker César Fernández, the estate pioneered high-altitude white winemaking in the region. By blending indigenous Viura with cool-climate varieties like Verdejo and Sauvignon Blanc grown at their Finca Carbonera estate—the highest vineyard in D.O.Ca. Rioja—El Coto modernized the region's white wine style, shifting it from heavy and oxidative to fresh, crisp, and vibrant. Today, El Coto Blanco is the best-selling white wine in Rioja.

## Interesting facts

- El Coto Blanco is the best-selling white wine in the entire D.O.Ca. Rioja and one of the top three in Spain.
- The Sauvignon Blanc and Verdejo grapes are sourced from Finca Carbonera, the highest elevation vineyard in Rioja at up to 875 meters.
- To prevent oxidation, the grapes are protected by a curtain of carbonic gas and dry ice immediately upon arrival at the winery.

## Food pairing

This crisp, unoaked white wine relies on its vibrant acidity and clean citrus profile to cut through the richness of seafood and balance light, creamy textures. Its light body makes it an excellent match for delicate proteins like white fish and shellfish, while its refreshing character complements the tanginess of fresh goat's cheese.

## Wine making process

The grapes are harvested by hand and immediately chilled under an inert gas atmosphere of carbonic gas and dry ice to prevent oxidation. After cold-settling and static cleaning at low temperatures, fermentation takes place in temperature-controlled stainless steel tanks at 14°C to 18°C using selected yeasts. Malolactic fermentation is strictly blocked to preserve the wine's natural, vibrant acidity. The wine is 100% unoaked, aged entirely in stainless steel tanks to maintain maximum freshness and varietal definition before bottling.