Winemaker Notes
Pale, green-tinged yellow. Bright and sharply focused on the nose, displaying incisive Meyer lemon, honeysuckle, quinine and mineral scents, along with a hint of ginger in the background. Dry, taut and light on its feet, offering intense, mineral-laced citrus and orchard fruit flavors that show no excess weight. Closes on a spicy note, displaying strong, floral-tinged persistence.
The salinity of Leirana makes it a natural pair for scallops, oysters and shellfish of all kinds, as well as the classic octopus dish, pulpo gallego.
Professional Ratings
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James Suckling
Lots of lime, citrus, sea stones and brine. The palate is fresh, incisive, saline and medium- to full-bodied. Full of energy, with a bright, tense finish. The grapes for this wine come from Meano, Sanxenxo and Ribadumia. This is one of the great entry-level wines of the region. It will surely evolve favorably.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The textbook 2023 Leirana is elegant, clean and expressive, with notes of white flowers and fruit, fine lees and herbs. It fermented and matured in stainless steel and 80% in oak foudres for six months. The palate is medium-bodied with good ripeness and a moderate 12.4% alcohol, keeping the freshness and balance and finishing with a bitter and salty twist.
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Vinous
The 2023 Albariño Leirana, from Salnés, Rías Baixas, is sourced from old vines planted on granite with near the sea. Aged in and stainless steel, the 2023 presents delicate wood notes, caramel, white fruit, pear and an intriguing hint of Tabasco. Fresh and vibrant, this is an attractive Albariño with a delicate yet expressive profile.
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.