Let’s all just close our eyes and pretend we're in Spain. One sip of El Marujo is enough to transport us there: it’s clean and pretty; full of juicy strawberry flavor, with a playful “hair-down” attitude. Its life begins in the heart of Villar de Arnedo where it's raised on clay and limestone soils, spontaneously fermented, and aged for six months in concrete. All of this gives the wine a dexterity and exuberance that's surprising in a Rioja. Clara Espinosa, who works with her father, Felipe, to bring us these wines, uses traditional agricultural practices, following the lunar calendar to plan planting, harvest, and other crucial moments in the winemaking process -- and perhaps some not so crucial moments too: Filipe is said to schedule his haircuts in accordance with the moon. Though some of these techniques are ancient, the result feels novel and modern, a marriage of tradition and the cutting edge that reminds one of Spain itself.
-Talia
