Mar de Frades Finca Valiñas 2021

Mar de Frades sits in the heart of the Salnés Valley in Pontevedra, on slopes that overlook the Arousa estuary and take the sea breeze directly off the Atlantic. Finca Valiñas is a single-vineyard Albariño, and the maritime setting is central to the wine. Cool nights and a long ripening season hold the grape's natural acidity, while the granite and sandy soils of the Salnés give it a saline lift. This bottling is fermented in French oak rather than steel and then aged six months on its lees in barrel. The barrel ferment and lees contact build texture and a light toast, and the slow oxygen exchange through the wood softens the wine without covering the fruit. The result has a brilliant golden hue and a nose of lemon, white peach and white flowers, with beeswax and a toasted, bready note underneath. The palate is broad and savoury, carried by citrus and stone fruit over a firm mineral spine, and it finishes long and salty. Serve at 10 to 12 degrees in a white wine glass.