Martín Códax Lías 2023

Martín Códax draws Lías from Pé Redondo, an experimental single vineyard the estate owns in the Salnés valley of D.O. Rías Baixas in Galicia. It is a single-variety Albariño from the granite and sandy soils typical of the zone, where a cool, wet Atlantic climate and high pergola training keep the fruit fresh and healthy. The maritime setting delivers grapes with bright acidity and a saline edge. The wine is named for its lees, the spent yeast left after fermentation, and its style is built around them. After a controlled cool fermentation at around seventeen degrees, which protects the delicate aromatics, the wine is aged on those fine lees. That contact releases mannoproteins that thicken the texture and add a savoury, doughy note, giving the wine more weight and length than a standard young bottling while keeping its freshness. The colour is pale lemon with green glints. The nose shows green apple, lemon and white peach over white flowers and a hint of fresh bread. The palate is crisp and saline, the lees texture rounding the mid-palate before a long, mineral finish. Serve at 9 to 11 degrees.