Benito Santos Igrexario de Saiar Albarino Organic 2023 750ML

Winemaker Description

Zesty, mineral, citrus, salty and solid, with ample fruit. This is not a retiring white. In the mouth it is balanced, with notes of peaches, green apples, and tropical fruit. Even with it’s structure is has a soft texture in the mouth followed by a very clean tangy finish.

Benito Santos is a central figure in the modern history of Albario and the Ras Baixas D.O. He began working in his grandfathers vineyards in the 1930s and made wine for serving in his bar wines that repeatedly won prizes in the annual Fiesta de Albario in Cambados. He was instrumental in the creation of the Ras Baixas D.O. in the 1980s. The current owners now farm three vineyards in the Val do Salns subzone of Ras Baixas, each of which is next to and named after an ancient church: Saiar, Bemil, and Xoan. All of the vineyards are now certified organic a rarity in rainy, mildew-prone Ras Baixas and winemaking uses only native yeasts and minimal sulfur. Benito Santos wines are salty, mineral, and structured, with ample fruit but none of the overly tropical flavors of many industrially-produced Albarios.