Igrexario de Saiar Albarino 2011 Sucesores de Benito Santos

The beauty of true Albarino is the ability to capture that moment that is present in most people’s minds – when you are walking beside the sea on an autumn day and the on-shore breeze blows a saline spray over the tops of the white horses that form the breaking waves over the shingle beach.

All too often, this is sadly lacking in Albarino, none of that here with this superb find from Benito Santos in Rias Baixas, Galicia. Full of lovely mineral fruit and a delicate, but definite salinity. This excellent Albarino is the perfect companion for grilled fish or seafood for the upcoming warm spell that we are expecting.

Albarino is a noble grape variety of the Rias Baixas D.O. in Galicia, north-western Spain and Benito Santos is one of the best wineries producing fine wines from this under-estimated grape variety, producing stunning results vintage after vintage with international acclaim. The winery was named after its founder Benito Santos in 1933, who was a major proponent of the grape variety and indeed has had a major hand in getting it to where it is currently.

Today, the wines are made by Todd Blomberg, an American hailing originally from San Francisco, but who now has his feet firmly in Galicia. The winery farms three small vineyards, of which this wine comes from their 5.64ha organically certified Igrexario de Saiar vineyard. It is their most ecological site, using techniques as close as possible to ‘natural winemaking’, although a small amount of sulphur is used, just to keep the results as fresh as possible. In addition, fermentation is in stainless steel, at controlled temperatures, which further aids the process.

The beauty of Galicia as a region and particularly Rias Baixas, is the proximity to the Ocean, which gives rise to the lovely delicate saline character that is present in great Albarino (and also top Alvarinho, the same grape variety produced just across the border in Portugal). The 2011 wine is really fresh fruited, with delicious salinity and great underlying acidity. Zippy acidity, backed up by a delicious lemony citrus and classy mineral and stone-fruit flavours. The flavour was long and really nicely balanced and would provide the perfect foil for grilled fish and light summery bites.