Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
Along with 2015, 2018 has to be one of the finest vintages of recent times, and that's seen in the entry-level Albariño 2018 Leirana, the regional bottling of the Salnés, a wine that has evolved, mixing own and purchased grapes, from the coast and more inland parts. I tasted it next to the recently bottled 2019, and this has the advantage of one extra year in bottle, plus the perfect conditions of the year. This is the wine that sets the tone for the vintage, the wine they work to get the best quality possible, improving year after year. It has a very saline and Atlantic expression, with some volume, vibrant acidity and a salty finish with nuance and finesse. Everything seems to be in place—there's great balance, and it's approachable, with more elegance than other years. This has a sweet spot four or five years after the harvest. Incredible value for the price. 30,000 bottles produced. It was bottled in July 2019.
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Wilfred Wong of Wine.com
COMMENTARY: The 2018 Forjas del Salnes Leirana Albariño is a cut above most others in the marketplace. TASTING NOTES: This wine delivers excellent aromas and flavors of dried earth and loads of ripe core fruits. Pair it with shellfish in a creamy sauce. (Tasted: April 11, 2020, San Francisco, CA)
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James Suckling
Sliced apple and pear with lemon and mineral undertones. Full body, bright fruit and a long and flavorful finish. Made from pure old vine albariño.
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.