Vinas Murillo, Chapirete Prefiloxerico Verdejo, 2021

In the late 19th century, a plague swept across Europe - a pest called Phylloxera.

It decimated Europe's wine production, and almost every grape variety is now grafted onto American, phylloxera resistant rootstock.

This Verdejo is grown on the last of its kind - 115 year old vines which have somehow escaped the plague. We've never seen a wine like this since starting Winedrops over 2 years ago.

The grapes for the 2020 Chapirete Prefiloxerico are hand-harvested from the gnarled bushes of 115-year-old, pre-phylloxera vines bent so low to the ground, they seem to creep along the surface of the sandy, dry soils. Refreshed by an elevation of nearly 3,000 feet, the centenarian vines transmit an intensity, sophistication, and finesse that is truly remarkable.

Viñas Murillo is a relative newcomer on the scene in Rueda, but with familial roots that stretch back generations. Owners and brothers Alfonso Garcia Cano and José Antonio are following in the steps of their grandfather, known locally as Murillo. He was one of the last corredores in the region—individuals who acted as go-betweens for winegrowers and winemakers.

It was a role that afforded an intimate knowledge of the region’s best sites—something the latest generation has capitalized on, concentrating on ancient-vine vineyards like the one that produced this bottling.