Our love-affair with Albarino is admittedly a fairly recent one. For too long our encounters with this hugely popular grape variety were at best simple and unremarkable. A recommendation from a trusted source put us on to this young project, Narupa, who set out in 2013 to recover their historic family vineyards, wrestling them back from co-operative control in order to produce hugely distinctive, ageworthy Albarino.
Starting off with a mere 0.3HA in 2013, as of late 2021, the project has expanded to a mighty 1.5 hectares in total! Consequently, production is small but intensely focused on delivering Albarinos that defy expectations, favouring low yields, minimal intervention in the vineyard and a hands-off approach in the winery. All the project's wines hail from the Salnes appellation; by all accounts the best part of Rias Baixas for Albarino, with pergola trained plots on sandy granitic soils in both coastal and inland locations. Spontaneous fermentations are carried out in a combination of steel and oak and aging takes place for around a year in barrel. Unusually, the wines are then held back in bottle for an extended period to take on mature, complex flavours before being released at such time the estate deem them “ready to drink”. “Alala” is the estate’s flagship wine, a selection of the best fruit of the year.
Read MoreRunning totally counter to the norm in Rias Baixas 2017 is the current vintage for Alala and the wine we are pleased to offer today. As Chardonnay prices continue to rise, this offers a similarly round, clear-cut expression of fruit, but one that is delivered with typical notes of nuts, sea breezes, lime and blossom. Textural, savoury yet versatile, this is a quality white that can be enjoyed on its own or with a wide range of foods.