Martinsancho Rueda Verdejo

Ángel Rodríguez Vidal, from a family of winegrowers dating back to 1780, was instrumental in preserving Rueda's indigenous Verdejo grape. His mid-19th-century vineyard, Martínsancho, planted in 1972, provided cuttings to establish a 25-acre vineyard in 1976, known for its low-yield Verdejo grapes producing delicately floral wines with a long finish. A founder of Denominación de Origen Rueda in 1980, Ángel was honored with the Cruz de la Orden Civil del Merito Agrícola by King Juan Carlos in 1982. Today, the winery is run by his daughter, Mª Concepcion Rodriguez, with a dedication to organic practices certified in 2022. Her sons, Arturo and Eduardo, continue the family tradition, with Eduardo studying Viticulture and Enology at the University of Montpellier, France.

The historic 17th-century estate vineyard in La Seca, Valladolid, at an altitude of 480 – 600 meters, features 25 acres of head-pruned, dry-farmed vines on alluvial gravel soils. The grapes are hand-harvested in the cool of the evening, destemmed, macerated on skins, and gently pressed. Fermentation uses only indigenous yeasts at 14º C for 18 – 20 days, with the wine aged on fine lees for 4 months before bottling. This 100% Verdejo wine has concentrated citrus and mineral aromas, notes of Mediterranean herbs and juicy yellow fruit, and finishes with refreshing, persistent acidity. It has 13% alcohol, total acidity of 6.18 g/l, and residual sugar of 1.1 g/l.