Ossian Verdejo Vides y Vinos Capitel 2023 750ml

The single-vineyard 2023 Capitel was produced with the grapes from an ancient 1.1-hectare plot in Nieva, called Peña Aguda, a unique place on slate, schist, quartzite and limestone, where the plants are extremely old. This is a vineyard that is different from the rest and has always been the backbone of Capitel, but since 2019, the wine has been 100% from there. The clusters were pressed, and the juice fermented with the full lees and indigenous yeasts in 666-liter oak barrels—a change this year, as it used to ferment in 228-liter barrels—and the wine was kept without racking in those barrels for 12 months. It's still pale and young, with a bright color and a nuanced nose with a core of white fruit, herbs and flowers with a smoky and spicy touch. It has a dry, chalky mouthfeel and a bitter and salty twist in the finish. The texture from the slate is completely different. The 2023s have contained ripeness and around 13% alcohol. In general, the 2023s are fresher than the 2022s. 2,941 bottles were filled in February 2025. 2023 is the first year they have been working biodynamically—they received the certification in 2025—and since 2020, I have seen this wine gain in precision year after year, irrespective of the conditions of the vintage, a sign of a vineyard on its way up. Bravo to the team!