Molino Real “Mountain Blanco”

Sierras de Málaga, Spain |  2019

At just 750 cases produced annually, this bottle is such a flex from southern Spain. Málaga is a place of extraordinary beauty, but what many don’t realize is that the mountainous Mediterranean region of Competa produces some of the most mysterious and serious wines in the country (when you can find them). Molino Real’s vineyards are planted to old bush-trained vines clinging to steep, oxidized Paleozoic slate slopes in Axarquía. The sites are intentionally not terraced in order to preserve these ancient soils, even though erosion is a very real factor. This is true mountain viticulture where you can actually taste the altitude.

Molino Real is part of Spain’s wine-rockstar Telmo Rodríguez’s mission to revive historic and nearly forgotten Spanish wine traditions. The project began in the mid-1990s with the goal of restoring Málaga’s legendary Mountain Wines eventually expanding into dry expressions of Moscatel like this bottle. What makes this wine so compelling is that it’s 100% dry Muscat de Alejandría (yes, related to Moscato, and no, not sweet). It’s handled in a way that keeps it bone-dry, nervy, and saline rather than perfumed and blousy like many assume wines from the Muscat family to be.

After aging a remarkable seven years, the 2019 shows incredible balance: citrus blossom, orange peel, and mountain herbs layered over structure, grip, and a savory, earthy finish that leans into salt and fennel. Pair it with grilled shrimp, marinated anchovies, anything fried with lemon, herb-forward salads, or salty cheeses. If you’re building a snack board, consider opening this after guests arrive because it will disappear quickly.