Critical Acclaim: New York Times, Eric Asimov April 2, 2020 "A lot of insipid albariño is out there. Those wines tend to be slightly sweet, with flavors of tropical fruits. This one from Benito Santos, made with organic grapes, is not one of them. It’s tense, alive and vibrant, floral and saline with a lively citrus tinge. When I drink this, I find myself craving oysters and clams on the half-shell."
We are currently stocking the 2019 vintage (the NYT article features the 2018)
Taste: It has aromas of white flowers and flavors of white peach and lemon zest. It has bright and minerally acidity but also good texture, making it great to pair with any seafood or stand alone.
Winemaker/Winery: Benito Santos is a central figure in the modern history of Albarino and the Rias Baixas D.O. He began working in his grandfather’s vineyards in the 1930's and made wine for serving in his bar – wines that repeatedly won prizes in the annual Fiesta de Albarino in Cambados. He was instrumental in the creation of the Rias Baixas D.O. in the 1980s.
The winery now farms three vineyards in the Val do Salnés subzone of Rías Baixas, each of which is next to and named after an ancient church: Saiar, Bemil, and Xoan. They bottle each of the three vineyards separately in order to preserve the distinctive terruños of each. Benito Santos is among the few producers in the D.O. who’s making, real, unconfected wines - wines that taste like Albariño and express their terroir. As Albariño has become fashionable, many producers have taken the path of making highly commercial, heavily manipulated wines. In particular, many producers use specific yeasts to get more tropical, fruity aromas and flavors. Benito Santos wines are salty, mineral, and structured. All of the vineyards are now certified organic – a rarity in rainy, mildew-prone Rías Baixas – and winemaking uses only native yeasts and minimal sulfur.
