The 2021 Belondrade y Lurton is showing superb, pure, crystalline, clean, pure and expressive, delicate, elegant and subtle. The oak feels perfectly integrated despite being a very young wine. It has notes of white flowers, orange peel, hints of peach and dry hay and is quite varietal, with a faint bitter twist on the finish that, to me, is a textbook descriptor of the Verdejos from yesteryear. It has 13.8% alcohol and a pH of 3.8. 102,023 bottles, 2,533 magnums and some larger formats produced. It was bottled in July 2022.

The 2020 Belondrade y Lurton is already sold out, but for completeness of our database I tasted it next to the current 2021. 2020 was a little warmer and drier, and the wine shows a golden color and a more developed nose with notes of yellow fruit, pollen and hay and a little quince too with time in the glass. The palate is soft and tender, with integrated acidity, very good balance, power and elegance and the pleasant bitter twist in the finish. It's riper at 14.2% alcohol. 106,800 bottles, 1,743 magnums and some larger formats produced. It was bottled in July 2021.

The 2019 Belondrade y Lurton follows the path of purity and elegance of the 2018 but reflecting the drier and warmer year with notes of yellow fruit and straw, clean and varietal. They have been practicing organic viticulture for a while, and this 2019 is the first one to carry the organic certification on its label. It's ripe without excess and is also rich and has very good balance. It was bottled in July 2020 after nine months in 300- and 500-liter French oak barrels. 95,000 bottles and 1,268 magnums produced.

For comparison's sake, I tasted the 2018 Belondrade y Lurton next to the new 2018 Les Parcelles to see the differences and the evolution in bottle. The wine seems to be evolving a little faster than I anticipated (or maybe it was the bottle...). It shows a little honeyed and is fully open and reveals notes of tangerine peel and white flowers. The palate is velvety and tender, with a soft texture, caressing, elegant and subtle.

The 2017 Belondrade y Lurton continues the move started years ago toward more elegance and freshness and especially wood that is much better integrated and less invasive of the varietal aromas of the delicate Verdejo grape. Despite the warm, dry and challenging style of the year,the wine is elegant and perfumed, fresh and varietal, complex, subtle, clean and precise. This is as good as it gets. Bravo! 2017 was a low-yielding vintage that delivered 95,136 bottles, 1,904 magnums, 200 Jeroboams and 60 Imperials. It was bottled in July 2018.