Winemaker Notes
'Cies' is the name of an island in Rias Baixas, and this bottling of 100% Albarino pays hommage to is. The vines grow within the Salnes subzone and were planted between 1954 and 1964 upon sandy, granite soils. Once the grapes are harvested they undergo 100% indigenous yeast fermentation without temperature control in old wood vessels with a very small percentage in stainless steel tank. Half the wine is then oak aged for 12 months and half is aged in steel tanks. The portion aged in oak goes through ageing in large 225 and 60 lit barrels. The wine does not undergo malolactic fermentation.
This wine is delicate and refreshing, with flavors of citrus fruits, apples and delicate notes of honeysuckle. A silky texture with a well-rounded finish.
Professional Ratings
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
I love the nose of the 2021 Cíes; it's austere, subtle and elegant. The wine has 12.6% alcohol and notable acidity, which gives it a vibrant and electric palate, young and lively. It's precise, clean and very saline. It matured in 225-, 300- and 400-liter oak barrels for six months, but the oak is unnoticeable.
Bright and aromatic with distinctive floral and fruity characteristics, Albariño has enjoyed a surge in popularity and an increase in plantings over the last couple of decades. Thick skins allow it to withstand the humid conditions of its homeland, Rías Baixas, Spain, free of malady, and produce a weighty but fresh white. Somm Secret—Albariño claims dual citizenship in Spain and Portugal. Under the name Alvarinho, it thrives in Portugal’s northwestern Vinho Verde region, which predictably, borders part of Spain’s Rías Baixas.
Named after the rías, or estuarine inlets, that flow as far as 20 miles inland, Rías Baixas is an Atlantic coastal region with a cool and wet maritime climate. The entire region claims soil based on granite bedrock, but the inlets create five subregions of slightly different growing environments for its prized white grape, Albariño.
Val do Salnés on the west coast is said to be the birthplace of Albariño; it is the coolest and wettest of all of the regions. Having been named as the original subregion, today it has the most area under vine and largest number of wineries.
Ribeira do Ulla in the north and inland along the Ulla River is the newest to be included. It is actually the birthplace of the Padrón pepper!
Soutomaior is the smallest region and is tucked up in the hills at the end of the inlet called Ria de Vigo. Its soils are light and sandy over granite.
O Rosal and Condado do Tea are the farthest south in Rías Baixas and their vineyards actually cover the northern slopes of the Miño River, facing the Vinho Verde region in Portugal on its southern bank.
Albariño gives this region its fame and covers 90% of the area under vine. Caiño blanco, Treixadura and Loureira as well as occasionally Torrontés and Godello are permitted in small amounts in blends with Albariño. Red grapes are not very popular but Mencía, Espadeiro and Caiño Tinto are permitted and grown.