Bodegas Nodus Capellana Blanco 2024, Utiel-Requena DO, Organic

Capellana Blanco is a certified organic white from Bodegas Nodus in the DO Utiel-Requena, in the high country inland from the city of Valencia. It is made from 100% Macabeo, a selection of grapes from the historic Finca El Renegado vineyards, the oldest part of the family estate around the town of Caudete de las Fuentes. The vines grow at around 800 metres above sea level. The producer describes it as a pleasant, well-balanced white that is both elegant and rich in sensations.

In the glass it is a pale yellow. The nose is fresh and clean, with citrus, hints of apple and pear and gentle mineral undertones. The palate is very fresh and crisp, with flavours of pineapple, citrus and pear, a touch of white flowers and a pleasant, persistent finish.

Serve chilled, at around 8–10°C. It is an excellent partner for seafood, grilled fish, fish and chips, crab salad, paella, goat’s cheese and tapas, and works well as an aperitif on a summer evening. Capellana Blanco is best enjoyed young, within a year or two, while it is at its freshest.

Bodegas Nodus is a family estate at Finca El Renegado in Caudete de las Fuentes, in the Utiel-Requena area of inland Valencia. Adolfo de las Heras Marín founded the estate in 1985, when most of its vines were over 40 years old and planted with the native Bobal grape, and he pioneered international varieties such as Merlot and Cabernet in the area. In the late 1990s his son, Adolfo de las Heras Polo, took over and modernised the winery, adding Syrah, Chardonnay and Cabernet Franc and turning the old farmhouse into the Entreviñas hotel. The estate of vineyards and forest, dotted with eight centenary holm oaks, is farmed organically, and its wines carry EU organic certification through the CAECV. In 2023 Nodus became the first winery in the Valencian Community to achieve Sustainable Wineries for Climate Protection certification.