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.

The 2021 Gran Vino Pazo Barrantes is a 100% Albariño from Ribadumia, Valle del Salnés, Rías Baixas. After cold fermentation, 15% of the wine spent three months in acacia barrels with lees, followed by six months in tanks and at least two years in bottle. The 2021 opens with orange blossom and tuberose aromas, hints of herbs, acacia wood and soft peach tones. The creamy palate offers delicate tension and an elegant, floral finish, revealing some emerging tertiary notes. This is a distinctive Albariño shaped by extended bottle-aging.