Belondrade Branco

Description

Belondrade Belondrade Quinta Apolonia is our most varietal expression of Verdejo, named after Didier Belondrade’s eldest daughter, Apolline Belondrade. It is a clean, direct wine that is refreshing yet delivers surprising depth and complexity. Its profile and character are markedly different from its older sibling, ‘Belondrade y Lurton’ – the flagship wine of the Belondrade estate. Apolonia can be seen as a reflection of the true face of Verdejo. **Vinification** Selected musts undergo spontaneous fermentation with indigenous yeasts, carried out separately according to plot and harvest date. The wines then age on their lees in French oak barrels. After a maturation period of 9 to 12 months, the final selection and batch sorting are completed. The wine subsequently ages in bottle for a minimum of six months before release. After five or six years, it begins to reveal the complexity and nuances of a great wine. **2025 Harvest** In 2025, the harvest at BELONDRADE was a study in balance among water, temperature, and constant work. The cycle began with a warmer-than-usual winter and prolonged fog until the end of spring, creating humidity pockets. With organic viticulture in practice, the scope for intervention is necessarily limited, so vineyard monitoring was continuous and particularly demanding to control sanitary pressure. Spring was very rainy but mild, and the lack of high temperatures during that period delayed bud break, extending the cycle and encouraging a slower, controlled maturation. Summer, on the other hand, altered the rhythm. It was dry and extremely hot, with hail episodes on several plots that impacted yield. The final balance resulted in a harvest significantly smaller than that of 2024, but with a clear positive point: the grapes that were not damaged arrived at the winery in exceptional sanitary conditions, ideal for preserving freshness and acidity. The harvest began on September 1 in a staggered, phased manner, guided by constant sampling to pick each plot at its optimal ripening moment. Thanks to the excellent work of the field and cellar teams – and the rigorous triple selection of the grapes – the campaign finished on September 18. **Awards** 93/100 – DWA (2024) 92/100 – Guía Peñín (2024) **Allergen Information** Contains sulfites. **SKU**: 107473-1