Gomez Cruzado's Blanco '2 Ano' is a Burgundian style which reflects the land, rather than purely varietal expression. The resulting wine has character and weight whilst retaining fresh acidity and appealing aromatics.

Poised, yet complex nose with notes of honeysuckle, stone fruit and gentle toasty oak. The palate is beautifully textured, with an almost exotic note, evident yet perfectly integrated oak and ripe fruit. Complex and with a long toasty, citrus finish.

The Gómez Cruzado winery dates back to 1886 when Angel Gómez de Arteche started to produce and bottle his own wine in Haro, at the very heart of Rioja Alta. This was in the day when the wine trade between Rioja and France passed along the Tudela-Bilbao line, and the key Rioja wineries were located around the station of Haro. The winery sits just 100m from the station to this day. Subsequently bought by Angel and Jesus Gomez Cruzado in 1916, and more recently by the Baños family, David González (winemaker) and Juan Antonio Leza (viticulturalist) now head up the winemaking team. They have been working with Gomez Cruzado for over 10 years, crafting wines from vineyards of old bush vines in the most elevated areas of Rioja Alta and Alavesa. They source from almost a hundred different plots across 3 distinct regions: Alto Najerilla, Bajo Najerilla and Sierra Cantabria. Sierra Cantabria (Rioja Alta and Alavesa): Vines grow in poor, white, chalky-clay soils, on sunny slopes at the highest part of the sierra (up to 750m altitude) - where the Mediterranean and Atlantic climates meet. The area produces wines with freshness and elegance. Bajo Najerilla (Rioja Alta): in the triangle formed by the villages of Uruñuela, Cenicero and Torremontalbo, where the Najerilla river flows into the River Ebro. Tempranillo vines grown in alluvial soils at an average altitude of 500m – in a warmer, more temperate continental climate with a notable Mediterranean influence. Wines have high maturity and excellent ageing capacity. Alto Najerilla (Rioja Alta): Garnacha vines over 80 years old, planted in ferrous clay soil at around 750m altitude, on north-facing slopes near the Sierra de la Demanda. The continental climate confers strong fruitiness and marked acidity on the resulting wines.

The Viura and Tempranillo Blanco grapes are harvested from a single plot, slightly sloping, in a high altitude area of Haro. The soil is stony alluvial - with pebbles on the surface and limestone below. The vines are low yielding, and harvesting is by hand into 200kg crates. The grapes are hand-sorted at the winery then lightly pressed (around half the stems are included) and spontaneous fermentation occurs. Alcoholic fermentation is in stainless steel at 16ºC, then half the wine spends 5 months in French oak (not roasted, steam bending) with its lees, and half is aged with lees in concrete. The parts are then blended and bottled.

Roast chicken and pasta dishes with creamy sauces.