Martín Codax Vindel 2022

Martín Códax works in Vilariño in the Salnés valley of D.O. Rías Baixas in Galicia, the cool, rainy heart of Spanish Albariño. This is a single-variety Albariño grown on the granite and sandy soils of the region, where a wet Atlantic climate and vines trained high on pergolas keep the fruit ventilated and fresh. The maritime setting gives grapes with sharp natural acidity and a clear saline quality drawn from the coastal soils. Vindel is held for twelve months on its fine lees after fermentation, a longer ageing than a standard young Albariño. That extended lees contact releases mannoproteins, which broaden the texture and add a savoury, faintly doughy layer, while a partial malolactic softening rounds the acidity and introduces a light lactic note. The colour is bright yellow with an intense sheen. The nose shows green apple, ripe apple, white peach and quince over subtle spice and cinnamon. The palate is fresh and saline but rounder than most, the lees weight balanced by the acidity that defines the grape, finishing long and coastal. Serve at 9 to 11 degrees.