Mar de Frades Albarino 2023

Mar de Frades Albarino, Val do Salnes, DO Rias Baixas, Spain, 2023

Grape: 100% Albarino, hand picked, fermented on lees in stainless steel tanks using indigenous yeasts, unoaked.

Fresh, sparky Albariño from rainy Galicia in northern Spain, balancing salt and citrus with tropical fruit, so that the mango, pineapple and lychee soften the lime and greengages, resulting in a pleasing, food-friendly whole.

Vineyard: Mar de Frades lies in the heartland of Rias Baixas, Salnes. This is the truest expression of the terroir, nestled upon the Galician coast where the seawater washes up on the shore finds its way through the breeze onto the skins of Albarino grapes giving its notorious salinity. Paula Fandino is one of Galicias gifts and crafts incredible wines from these vines that they try and maintain with zero sulphur additions. Due to the very marginal climate (where many of the world's greatest wines are created) this is not always possible, but it is certainly at the centre of the wineries ethos in the vineyard. Rias Baixas has a very unique trellising system called a Parra which is supported by the iconic granite posts you can see in the region. This ensures the grapes get as much sun exposure as possible and limits the damage caused by pest and disease.

Vinification: The finest Albariño grapes were selected in the cellar. After this, the fruit goes through selection tables and only the whole, healthy and turgid grapes (12% of the total harvest is discarded) pass to the maceration process, where with the help of CO2, the most delicate aromatics are derived from the grapes. The juice is fermented naturally with their own yeast in a slow and delicate, controlled environment to capture the most Atlantic and refined, mineral aromas.

Food Matching: Ideal as an aperitif or with starters like smoked salmon. Also it is a great companion for any kind of vegetable dishes such as artichokes and asparagus.