Organic 100% Albariño from the Meaño area, a slight touch inland from many of Nanclares y Prieto’s holdings but still firmly in Galicia’s most coastal region of O Salnés. In many ways, it’s made the same as most of their wines: hand harvested, gently crushed into used French oak and rested on the lees for almost a year. But, unlike almost all of their other cuvées, it sees full malolactic conversion. And a first for the winery: it’s made with no added sulfur.

 

These differences represent the spirit of Alberto Nanclares and Silvia Prieto’s work: a restless desire to tweak and improve, cuvée by cuvée, for the best expression of O Salnés’ micro-terroirs. For over a decade, the two have collaborated on a lineup widely regarded to be some of the most interesting (and highest quality) wines coming out of Spain.

 

And, this vintage also marks the first time this cuvée has landed in New York. Just one 450L barrel was made – that’s about 500 bottles – for an especially rare peek into the evolution of their work.

 

 

It’s another triumphant bottle in a string of difficult vintages. With intense mildew pressures in ‘21 and ‘23 (the latter with a loss of ~80% of their fruit), ‘22 gave some breathing room. It was relatively warm and dry, an important counterpoint to the intense cut of freshness provided by Galicia’s rugged coast (and Albariño’s naturally high acidity).

 

The result is a harmonious wine, full of zippy, salty, vibrant Albariño fruit.

 

 

Dare we say while winding down from apple picking? We're eying this classic pork-chops-meet-apples dish with a cider twist. For good measure grab a hunk of salty Manchego or extra-aged Gouda to slice up while you cook.