Albariño Selección de Añada

Marisol Buena has always thought Albariño has the capacity to age quite gracefully. When visiting Pazo, the family is quite proud to pour you past vintages to taste. During a visit in 2014, we had the privilege to taste the 2007 Albariño burnished by age so the fruit took a backstage to a sweet and delicate minerality. It’s also no secret that we normally prefer to drink our Pazo after at least a year in the bottle – despite its youthful charms right upon release. The realization that there was certainly another aspect to Albariño that wasn’t being explored, and a forgotten tank of Albariño that got left behind one vintage, led to the creation of the Selección de Añada. Selección is sourced from a single plot of Albariño located mid-slope behind the Pazo called Los Bancales. These vines were planted on granite pergolas nearly a half-century ago and are some of the oldest vines on the property. Like mid-slope sites everywhere it benefits from its sheltered position away from the winds at the top of the hill or the cool humid air at the bottom. This cuvee spends at least 30 months on its lees after fermentation is complete. It is a powerfully dense and mineral wine, coiled, and capable of at least another decade of evolution. It is a testament to Albariño’s ability to be more than a quaffable wine to enjoy with freshly caught shellfish. Not that we mind that aspect of the variety.