Jaén Blanca

The name by which Cayetana Blanca is also known (synonyms: Jaén Blanco, Pardina, Blanca Cayetana, Jaén Castellano, among others). Despite the name, about 90% of the plantings are in Extremadura, and it is also grown around Jerez; it covered 39,919 ha in 2015 and was Spain's third most-planted white grape. It is already mentioned in an agricultural treatise of 1513. Vines with an upright habit and medium budbreak, highly productive, with large, medium-to-loose bunches and large, spherical, yellowish-green, thin-skinned berries; late ripening. Traditionally distilled for Jerez brandy, but some wineries are reviving it as a single-variety wine; for example, in Sierra Nevada (Cristina Calvache): pale yellow, fruit and white flowers with balsamic notes, soft, mineral and persistent. In the province of Córdoba, Cayetana Blanca is known as Baladí-Verdejo (Cretazzo et al., 2023). In the Montilla-Moriles DO, Baladí-Verdejo is listed among the complementary varieties to Pedro Ximénez (Distribución y Consumo, 2008).

Source: Diccionario del Vino, “Blanca Cayetana”; Wikipedia, “Cayetana blanca”; Vinos Cristina Calvache.