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A duo of delicious dry white wines from a pioneer of Spain’s coastal Rias Baixas region, the 93 pt. 2022 Do Ferreiro Albarino and 96 pt. 2022 Do Ferreiro Albarino Cepas Vellas are produced by the small family winery considered the reference point producer of Albarino, crafted from old vine fruit with minimal intervention and a must buy for Spanish wine aficionados and fans of one of a kind white wines seeking outstanding value.
Established in 1973 in the village of Meano in the Salnes subzone of Rias Baixas, Do Ferreiro founder Gerardo Mendez has assembled over 175 small plots of Albarino spread over 11 hectares with the smallest plot measuring 30 square meters, the parcels once owned by monasteries in the 17th century sliced into tiny parcels as they were sold off to private parties throughout the following decades. Managing Do Ferreiro with his son Manuel and daughter Encarna, the Mendez family vineyards are planted in decomposed granitic soils called sabrego with some of the oldest pre-phylloxera Albarino vines in the region ranging to over 200 years of age, revealing “great natural concentration, while keeping the freshness” according to the Wine Advocate’s Luis Guttierez that allows them to improve with age and enjoying the natural protection of mountains near the rugged Atlantic coast that limits the influence of fog and promotes even ripening. Sourced from vines ranging from 20 to 120 plus years old, the enticing, entry level 93 pt. 2022 Do Ferreiro Albarino is blended from across the estate vineyards, the hand harvested grapes fermented with native yeasts and aged on the lees without stirring for six to nine months in stainless steel, yielding crisp, aromatic citrus and stone fruit hinting of sea-spray and wild herbs with bright acidity and chalky minerality on a fresh, harmonious finish. Described by Vinous critic Josh Raynolds as “one of Spain’s finest white wines,” winemaker Manuel Mendez produced the powerful 96 pt. 2022 Do Ferreiro Albarino Cepas Vellas from the single 1.5-hectare vineyard planted in 1785 in front of the winery (Cepas Vellas translates as “old vines” in the local dialect), fermenting the fruit from the 200 plus year old vines with its native yeasts and aging it on the lees for 11 months to reveal deeply intense fruit and mouth filling richness layered with subtle minerality on a long and lively finish, built to evolve over the next decade and beyond.
Described as “Spain’s quintessential white wine” by the Wine Enthusiast’s Michael Schachner, the fresh and elegant 93 pt 2022 Do Ferreiro Albarino and 96 pt. 2022 Do Ferreiro Albarino Cepas Vellas rank among the upper echelon of Albarinos from an outstanding vintage, already delicious and promising years of pleasurable drinking at a fabulous price. |