Maturana tinta

Synonymies: bastardo (Dão and Douro in Portugal, Orense), carnaz, godello tinto, maría ordoña (Galicia), merenzao (Bierzo), verdejo negro/tinto (Asturias and Rueda), Trousseau (France).

This grape is widespread in Spain, Portugal and France, with early flowering and ripening, which produces wines lacking in colour and structure. However, in Rioja, which is where the term maturana tinta is most common, at least according to the wines tasted for the Guide, the wines are completely different, they show a strong personality, with a lot of colour, rustic and herbal aromas, with a powerful, tasty and tannic mouthfeel. There are very few examples of single-varietal wines, being very common its use as a variety that adds complexity and structure to the wines.

Everything seems to suggest that the red maturana from La Rioja is actually another variety. The Control Board of the DOCA. Rioja itself states that "DNA analysis seems to relate it to the Castets variety, which has practically disappeared in France, its country of origin", so we could be talking about an erroneous synonymy created by local usage and customs. The cycle of this "maturana tinta" (red maturana) from La Rioja is late budding and medium ripening.