white grape · rare
Maturana Blanca
Rioja, Spain
Say it
mah·too·rah·nahblahn·kah
The 'r' in Maturana is an intervocalic tap, not a trill; Blanca's two syllables are both short.
On the palate
lemongrapefruitgreen applewhite peachorange peel
How you spot it blind: mandarin-bright citrus with piercing acidity and a soft bitter finish
The story
First written down · 1622, Nájera, Rioja, Spain
DNA-confirmed (2021) Castellana Blanca × Savagnin cross; first variety documented in Rioja (1622, as 'Ribadavia'), near-extinct by the 20th century and revived when Viña Ijalba planted the first dedicated vineyard in 1995.
Family tree: Castellana Blanca × Savagnin
Where it lives
DOCa Rioja (Rioja Alta, Rioja Alavesa)
Shows up as
still whitesparkling