2024 Rodrigo Méndez, Albariňo “Cies” Rías Baixas DO, Galicia, Spain.
Wow, I had never had Rodrigo Méndez’s wines before and this was a thrill, a pure, zesty crisp and aromatic Albariño at its finest with an array of salty fresh green apple, citrus and tangy peach fruit, mineral tones, a touch of bitter almond, herb and lime blossom. This medium bodied terroir driven white is drinking exceptionally well right out of the gate and should age nicely a while too, best to enjoy this with sea foods, especially shellfish, as I enjoyed it with, thanks to Charlotte Joyce and her cracked crab risotto. This Cíes Albariño is produced from grapes grown in three vineyards, with two high on the slopes and one low in the valley floor and set on mostly granite with sand and some dark organic matter. All three vineyards are located in Meaňo, close to the cool Atlantic, within the top Val do Salnes sub zone of DO Rías Baixas in Spain ancient Galicia region, which is the spiritual home of Albariňo. The Cies sees a natural fermentation and half is oak aged for 12 months and half is aged in stainless steel tanks. The portion aged in oak gets its elevage in well used large 2,000 liter barrels and does not undergo malolactic fermentation, to preserve its bright intensity.
Rodrigo Méndez in 2012, according to his importer Olé Obrigado, decided to establish his own personal project located in Meaño under his own name with the goal being to produce wines that authentically express the terroir of Galicia’s Rías Baixas region while adhering to biodynamic farming principles, which only a few others were doing at the time. The Cíes Albariño, named after the Cíes Islands off the coast of Pontevedra, is a small-production wine, which Méndez says, that embodies a traditional expression of Albariño from the Val do Salnés sub zone, which captures in my opinion the soulful sea shore essence of the place. The Cies is fermented with indigenous yeasts, then it is partially aged in old wooden vessels without temperature control, which he explains is a technique once more common in the region before the introduction of stainless steel in the 1980s. By reviving this method, Rodrigo Méndez is producing distinctive, age-worthy Albariños, like this Cíes, that honor the region’s historic winemaking heritage. Méndez, also does some very rare single cru bottlings, which I now definitely want to try, after enjoying this Cies, and I am glad to my favorites Nanclares y Prieto and Do Ferreiro another exciting label from the Rias Baixas, an area on my bucket list to visit!
($40 Est.) 94 Points, grapelive