Acios da Xesteiriña Val do Salnés - Albariño (23)

Albariño | 'Xesteiriña' wijngaard | 1.1 hectare | stokken aangeplant rond 1986 | terroir van uniek graniodioriet | whole bunch press in oude pers uit 1970, naar staaltank | vergisting en rijping in gebruikte eikenhouten vaten van 225, 500 en 600 liter | rijping voor 10 maanden en op de lie | 6 mg vrij sulfiet totaal | gelaagd | spanning | puur | levendig | iets peperig | zout | kalk | wat floraal | stro | citrusschil | diep

Acios da Xesteiriña

Opgericht en gerund door de attente, bedachtzame en scherpe 'wijn-guru', José Manuel. Derde generatie wijnboer uit Salnés met een grote voorliefde voor natuur en geologie. Werkt niet alleen aan zijn eigen project, maar helpt ook in de regio als consultant. Sinds 2020 brengt hij zijn single-vineyard Albariño uit, afkomstig van een wijngaard die hij zelf heeft aangeplant, en die ligt op een ader van uniek graniodioriet gesteente. De helft is voor zichzelf, en de andere helft wordt gekocht door Nanclaro y Prieto. Hij werkt biologisch met biodynamische invloeden (niet gecertificeerd). Alles draait hier sinds de jaren '80 al om het laten spreken van terroir. Cult in the making! Sinds 2023 is het project uitgebreid met wat flessen Do Biolo, in wit en rood, gemaakt van gekocht fruit van vrienden. 'Biolo' is de bijnaam van José's familie.

Review

2022: Starting in 2022, the wine was produced without any added sulfites, so there are no separate bottlings with and without sulfur like in 2021. The 2022 Xesteiriña was produced with the few grapes he picked after mildew, the smallest crop in the 40 years of the vineyard. After the pressing, the must was transported by gravity to stainless steel to settle for 12 to 18 hours and then put into barrels of different sizes—all used—where it fermented with indigenous yeasts and then matured there for 10 months. It has ripeness reflected by the 13.5% alcohol but keeping very good freshness and acidity (a pH of 3.0 and seven grams of tartaric acid per liter of wine). It has a golden color and an expressive nose, with notes of broth, pollen and white pepper. It has a round palate with good ripeness and organic flavors. It's tasty with a dry, chalky and granite-salty finish. Characterful. Only 1,250 bottles were filled in July 2023. 93/100 Luis Gutiérrez

2022 was a super challenging year with a massive mildew attack that decimated the Xesteiriña crop, and José Manuel only picked 3,000 kilograms of grapes from his vineyard. Half of that went to the A Graña project they started in 2016 with Nanclares y Prieto, so only 1,250 bottles were produced that year. That's why Do Biolo was born (Biolo is José Manuel's family's nickname), purchasing grapes from neighbors.

2021: The second vintage produced was the 2021 Xesteiriña. It comes from a challenging year, with rain and warm temperatures that favored the development of mildew, which slowed ripening. The vines have never seen herbicides or synthetic products, and the use of any treatment is minimized. The grapes were picked early to avoid more issues, as the forecast was for more rain, so the grapes were healthy but with moderate ripeness; therefore, this has moderate alcohol and a classical profile, with a cold texture and aging potential. The clusters were pressed and the juice let to settle for 24 hours, then 50% was fermented in stainless steel and 50% in 225- and 400-liter oak barrels with indigenous yeasts, and the wines aged for 10 months in those barrels. Malolactic was blocked, adding 30 milligrams of sulfites. The color of the wine is bright and pale, and it has 12% alcohol, a very low pH (3.1) and high acidity (9.2 grams of tartaric acid per liter of wine). It didn't go through malolactic (so, acidity is higher), and it was filtered. There is purity here; the wine is vibrant and tasty, with a faint honeyed touch. The palate shows the vibrant acidity, and I like it better than the nose. 3,100 bottles were filled in June 2022. 94/100 Luis Gutiérrez

José Manuel Domínguez Torres is a small grower who built his winery next to his vineyard in 2022; in the past, the wine was vinified in rented space at Albamar. He works 1.1 hectares of vines, 0.8 of them planted 38 years ago and the rest eight years ago. In 2021, he experimented with a small cuvée without any added sulfur, and in 2022, he produced all the wine that way. There are more wines in the pipeline; he's planting a little bit of red and also buying some grapes to make a white and a red with a second brand. Total production is around 4,000 bottles.