2023 Victor Ausejo Parcela 333 Garnacha Blanca Rioja DOCa 6pk 6x750ml

Víctor Ausejo Viticultor is a micro-project in Alberite, in Rioja Oriental's Iregua Valley — a corner of Rioja historically known for growing grapes, not bottling them. It was Víctor's father, Antonio, a longtime vineyard expert, who convinced him in 2014 to uproot Tempranillo and plant Garnacha Blanca at El Peinao instead, a vineyard between Alberite and the village of Clavijo. Víctor made the leap from working as a plumber to studying viticulture and oenology, eventually turning his grandfather's garage in Alberite into the small winery he now works from.

Parcela 333 comes from the lower, cooler section of the two-hectare El Peinao vineyard in Clavijo, sitting at 546 meters above sea level on clay-ferrous and alluvial soils with an east-west orientation. The site benefits from a gentle slope, good aeration, and balanced sun exposure, farmed sustainably with organic fertilizer and no herbicides. Grapes from this valley-bottom section, where there's more water and the fruit develops very good natural balance, are set aside specifically for Parcela 333 — a fresh, varietal white designed to show real character while remaining approachable young.

Garnacha Blanca is the true identity of the Víctor Ausejo project, a historic Rioja variety that today occupies less than half a percent of the appellation's total vineyard area. Production is tiny by design — Parcela 333 is a limited-release wine, part of an artisanal range built one parcel and one vintage at a time. The wine's earliest vintage was singled out by critic Tim Atkin as the "white discovery of the year," a nod that helped put this small Iregua Valley producer on the radar of importers and collectors alike. The estate continues to earn recognition in the Rioja wine press, with recent vintages scoring well with Robert Parker's Wine Advocate and appearing among the standout producers in recent editions of the Rioja wine guide