The 2022 Gran Vino Albariño was cropped from a warm and dry year is the third vintage of this new cuvée from their 12 hectares in eight different plots (Cacheiro, Huerta, Besada, Eira, Ferradiña, Ferradura, Tomadiña and Souto) in the Valle del Salnés plus a further hectare rented from the archbishop. The destemmed grapes were pressed and the must left to settle and then fermented in stainless steel for around 43 days. The wine was kept with the lees in stainless steel for four months and then a further eight months without the lees. Fifteen percent of the volume matured in acacia wood barrels. It was kept in bottle for two years before being sold. It comes in at the usual 13.5% alcohol with a pH of 3.35 and 7.15 grams of acidity (tartaric). They consider 2022 an excellent vintage, with very healthy grapes. The wine is very pale and clean and seems to close in the glass. It has a textbook nose of aged Albariño, exuberant and ripe without excess, with perfect development of aromas and flavors, with yellow fruit, flowers and a balsamic touch reminiscent of moss. It has a round and juicy palate, but it's still a little austere, with very good freshness and balance and a salty twist in the finish. With time, it develops more complexity, even notes of licorice. It's still young and undeveloped, especially when tasted next to the 2020 La Comtesse, but it's serious and balanced. A total of 127,820 numbered bottles and 1,956 magnums were produced. It was bottled in July 2023.

The 2022 vintage of Albariño from Pazo Barrantes is a lovely wine. As I mentioned in my note last year on the 2021 version, the wine is given nine months aging on its fine lees, with a small percentage of the cuvée aged in acacia barrels, rather than stainless steel tanks. The 2022 version offers up a bright and complex bouquet of lemon, tart pear, salty soil tones, wild fennel, citrus peel and a topnote of dried flowers. On the palate the wine is crisp, full-bodied, focused and complex, with a lovely core of fruit, excellent soil signature and grip, fine balance and a long, precise finish. Good juice. 2025-2035.

The 2020 Gran Vino Pazo Barrantes is 100% Albariño from Ribadumia, Valle del Salnés, Rías Baixas. More mature in aroma than other vintages, the 2020 showcases soft oak, acacia and gentle peach notes. Broad, creamy and fresh, it delivers richness balanced by delicate vibrancy. This is the product of a warmer vintage that highlights contrasts.

The 2018 Gran Vino de Guarda La Comtesse is a 100% Albariño from Pago Cacheiro, a 1.4-hectare vineyard in Finca Barrantes, planted in 1965. Golden yellow, it presents hop-like and herbal notes with fine wood and a creamy, compact palate marked by vibrant freshness. A lightly herbal finish reflects the humid vintage and lends charm.

The 2019 Gran Vino de Guarda La Comtesse is 100% Albariño from Pago Cacheiro, hailing from a 1.4-hectare vineyard within Finca Barrantes. Planted in 1965, this is only the tenth vintage. Aged for five years—one year in 3,000-liter oak casks, one in concrete and three in bottle—it opens with menthol and oak, alongside creamy notes. Broad and compact with elevated freshness, the 2019 offers a saline edge and layered complexity.