Zarate Rías Baixas 2015 Albariño This small well run cellar was established in 1920 by the Zarate family and is located in the Salnes Valley. Eulogio Pomares currently oversees the vineyards which are planted on granitic rock, and now beginning to replant some vines to biodynamics. The Zarate is sourced from 11 vineyards with an average age of 35 years. Only two Rias Baixas producers make reds and Zarate is one of them. Caino Tinto and Loureiro Tinto are both made from indigenous grapes of the same name and are both tiny production around 300 bottles. They are noted to be wines with an elegant, floral, tart, almost salty character…
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La Val Rías Baixas Albariño 2014 Bodegas La Val was established in 1985 and was one of the first wineries in Rias Baixas. Unusual for the area, La Val only uses its own estate grown grapes rather than buying them from local growers. They own 150 acres of Albariño most of which are located in the Condado do Tea sub-region. The particular micro-climate of their main holding in Condado do Tea allows them to be the first winery to open the harvest, which is typically in the first half of September. Jose Maria Ureta is the current winemaker and he is extremely well respected in the D.O. and considered to…
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Don Olegario 2012 & 2013 Riax Baixas Albariño I recently tasted both the 2012 and 2103 vintages of Don Olegario Albariño. The Falcon brothers currently manage Bodegas Don Olegario, however the tradition and passion for wine was inherited from their grandfather Adolph Falcon, who since 1950 was dedicated to the marketing of wine locally. Olegario, the Falcon brothers father, established himself as winemaker in 1980, bought the vineyard and began making Albariño wine under the name of Don Olegario, and in 1988 joined Dorian Baixas. Today, the third generation of Falcon brothers are committed to maintain the same style and quality of wine produced by their father. Rias Baixas is…
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La Caña Albariño 2012 Sitting here waiting out the storm I decided I wanted something bright and crisp reminding me of warmer times, so I grabbed a bottle of La Caña Albariño. Wine maker Alistar Gardner (from New Zealand) hand selects Albariño from old vines planted in 1966. About 75% of the wine is fermented in stainless steel tanks and the balance is fermented in French Oak until bottling. The winery is located at the southern tip of the Salnes valley in Rias Baixas, close to the Atlantic Ocean. The soil is poor composed of granite and is highly acidic due to it’s proximity to the Atlantic. Vivid yellow appearance…