La Comtesse 2018

From Pago Cacheiro, a single-plot vineyard on the Pazo de Barrantes finca, this white is born in the heart of Val do Salnés, in the D.O. Rías Baixas in Galicia. The old Albariño vines draw their character from shallow granite soils covered with sand, under the cool maritime influence of the Atlantic coast.

The grapes are hand-harvested into 20 kg crates, destemmed and then slowly and gently pressed. After settling by flotation, the must ferments for around 60 days at 10 °C in 3,000-litre French oak foudres. The wine then spends twelve months in the same vessels, including six months on fine lees, before a further twelve months of ageing in concrete tanks.

This wine reveals notes of lychee, quince, lemon zest, acacia blossom, fennel, eucalyptus, apricot, vanilla, toasted hazelnut and saline minerality. The palate is broad and silky, carried by a creamy texture and vibrant, perfectly integrated acidity, then stretches out with precision into a long, fresh and persistent finish.

The history of wine in Spain is so ancient that no one really knows who first brought the vines to the region. By the time the Phoenicians arrived some 3,000 years ago and founded the present-day cities of Cádiz and Jerez, viticulture was already well established, and Spanish wines were widely traded throughout the Mediterranean and North Africa. You could say that Spain is a winemaking miracle. After years on the sidelines of the world of fine wines, it is now a major player. Investment and ambition in vineyards and wineries are resulting in increasingly rich, complex (often high in alcohol), and spicy reds that are gaining popularity with international consumers. Proud to have more land dedicated to vines than any other country, Spain is only now beginning to capitalize on this resource in a consistent way. Spain is a chaotic jumble of regions and subregions, much like its landscape is a chaotic jumble of incredibly rugged scenery. A glance at a map reveals the climatic diversity among Spain's many wine regions, from the lush, green vineyards of Galicia on the northern Atlantic coast to the parched vineyards of the southeastern Mediterranean. Spain's saving grace for viticulture is the average altitude of its vineyards, which is over 600 meters. Many Spanish vineyards are thus able to produce grapes with good color and acidity simply because nighttime temperatures are relatively low and the grapes don't ripen until after a sufficiently long growing season. But there is a real treasure trove to be found for those willing to dig, and now that a class of connoisseurs has developed in Spain, all sorts of ambitious investors have done their part to change the image of Spanish wine. Today, a new generation of winemakers has quietly begun to craft spectacular wines and experiment with grape varieties that would have been unthinkable not so long ago. Wine remains an important commodity and an integral part of Spanish culture.