Nestled in the south-west corner of Galicia on the Atlantic coast bordering Portugal's Vinho Verde region, Rias Baixas has firmly established itself as the star region of modern Spanish white wines. Production is mostly small scale, labour-intensive and dominated by family-run bodegas, all of which contributes to the high-quality, idiosyncratic character of the wines.
Albariño (aka Alvarinho in Vinho Verde) is the dominant grape in the region, robust and thick-skinned enough to withstand the local cool, humid, maritime conditions. It yields intensely aromatic wines evocative of almonds, peaches and citrus-peel scents with elegant, grassy overtones. Albariño is ideally enjoyed in its youth and is particularly suited to seafood due to its crisp acidity and clean, pure fruit.
It is sometimes also blended with other Galician grapes - the perfumedTreixadura or the herbal-scented Loureira, for example - but it is as a single varietal wine that it really shines, unoaked and fermented in steel tanks to retain its streak of youthful fruit and vitality.
Having founded his own winery in 1979, Benito Santos played a leading role in the establishment of the Rías Baixas DO in the 1980s. The winery’s vineyards are in the Salnés Valley and the vines average 30 years in age. Here, picturesque trellises raise the grapes high above the ground, minimising the risk of rot – a perennial hazard in a region far wetter than most of the UK.
Well-defined aromas of stone-fruit leap out of the glass along with hints of bitter lemon and grapefruit pith. The palate’s fresh acidity and salinity complement its relatively full body. Like all the best Albariños, this has a gentle salty, mineral finish, evocative of long, seafront lunches. Drink now to 2021.
Well-defined aromas of stone-fruit leap out of the glass along with hints of bitter lemon and grapefruit pith. The palate’s fresh acidity and salinity complement its relatively full body. Like all the best Albariños, this has a gentle salty, mineral finish, evocative of long, seafront lunches. Drink now to 2021.