La Pasajera 2024/2025 Victoria Ordonez

Nutritional information per 100 ml

Contains negligible amounts of fat, saturates, protein and salt.

Verdejo

It is thought that in the 11th century the white grape variety Verdejo came from North Africa to Castile. This is not certain, however. What is certain is that Verdejo has been cultivated in the Spanish regions of Rueda, Castile and León for so long that it is considered indigenous there. It only gained popularity in the 1970s, when an experimental winegrower sought a suitable variety for high-quality white wine that could withstand the rigours of the area. Perfectly adapted to the extreme climate and poor soils, the small yellow grape now holds its own among the region's great red varieties. From the late 1980s to the beginning of 2000, the area planted with Verdejo in Spain quadrupled. Today, it covers just under 17,000 hectares. Verdejo translates as ‘greenish’, clearly referring to the wine's greenish-yellow colour. Common synonyms are Albillo de Nava, Botón de Gallo Blanco, Verdeja and Verdejo Blanco. As Verdejo is highly susceptible to oxidation, harvesting takes place at night. In the past, this sensitivity to oxygen was exploited to produce heavily oxidised, sherry-like wines with plenty of body. Today, new technology, rapid transport of the grapes to the cellar and pressing under a protective atmosphere promote fruity notes of gooseberry, citrus and green kiwi. Verdejo is therefore drunk young, although many wines have a good structure for ageing. The harmony between acidity and fruity, slightly bitter aromas makes it an ideal blending partner for varieties such as Palomino, Macabeo and, increasingly, Sauvignon Blanc.

Yeasty nuances and hints of hay and anise, with juicy fruit and brilliant spice. An elegant, fine wine!

Victoria Ordóñez

Seeking a distinctive approach, Victoria Ordóñez decided to focus on the indigenous Pedro Ximénez variety in Andalusia's Montes de Málaga National Park. It is THE grape of Málaga, once grown only there, which brought the wine international fame in the 17th and 19th centuries. After phylloxera, production of these mostly dry wines fell drastically or ceased altogether. She had embarked on a risky, innovative project, as phylloxera meant that Victoria had virtually no reference examples of this wine style. Her research led her to a largely forgotten winegrowing area: the Montes de Málaga, including the municipalities of Málaga, Casabermeja and Comenar. For months, she devoted herself to the arduous task of finding the almost non-existent Pedro Ximénez among many other old vines in the small plots.

After her successful first project, Pedro Ximénez from Montes de Málaga Natural Park, the range was expanded with a new project involving another indigenous grape, Moscatel. This is a variety Victoria Ordóñez knows well and has worked with extensively. This time, she selected vineyards in Málaga's Alta Axarquía region, at almost 1,000 metres above sea level in Sierre Tejeda Natural Park.

Bodega Victoria Ordóñez began with the 2015 harvest, and further new oenological projects have enriched its range ever since.