Mar de Frades Albariño 2025

Mar de Frades is one of the best-known Albariños of Rias Baixas in Galicia, made on the Atlantic coast of north-west Spain. The maritime climate here is cool, wet and windy, and Albariño's thick skin resists the damp while the sea air lends the wine its saline character; granite-based soils drain well and reflect through in a firm mineral line. The grapes are fermented in stainless steel and then held six months on the fine lees, which are stirred so the released mannoproteins build a rounder texture, followed by three months in bottle before release to let the aromas settle and knit together. It pours pale with green tints and shows pear, sliced apple and nectarine over white flowers and a clear saline note. The palate is fresh and precise, the fruit carried by a bright acidity and that coastal salinity through to a clean finish. Serve well chilled at 8 to 10 degrees in a standard white glass. Made for the local table of shellfish and fresh fish.