This wine takes its name from El Helechal, the name of this very steep vineyard where the soils have high levels of flint, slate and limestone, which are ideal for producing fine white wine.
Rufete Blanco grapes are crushed and part of the must is macerated for up to two weeks on the skins. It is then blended with the rest of the fermenting must that was direct pressed.
“The golden colored 2018 El Helechal was produced with Rufere Blanco from a sloped vineyard planted 18 years ago on slate soils. Part of the wine fermented with the skins for 15 days, a process that seems to have marked the wine in aromas and texture, and the rest was pressed directly and matured in 500-liter oak barrels. It has the profile of an orange wine with notes of quince, ripe yellow fruit and something earthy coupled with fine tannins in the palate and some creaminess from 10 months in used French oak barrels. It has very tasty flavors and finishes with an almost salty sensation. 1,300 bottles were filled in August 2019.”  92pts Luis Gutiérrez-Wine Advocate