Winemaker Notes
Bright, clean greenish-yellow in color. Intensely aromatic, showcasing notes contributed by each variety—bay leaf, stone fruit, and floral hints alongside white fruit and citrus typical of Albariño from O Rosal. On the palate, it reveals vibrant acidity, volume, and structure, as well as complexity from the blend. The wine closes with a long, persistent, and well-balanced finish.
Blend: 81% Albariño, 12% Loureiro, 5% Treixadura, 2% Caiño Blanco
Professional Ratings
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James Suckling
Sharp and steely on the nose, with green apples, citrus and white peaches, accented by sea breeze and oyster shells. The palate is medium- to full-bodied, combining substance and tension with a subtle saline thread that carries through the finish. Incisive and structured, with precision and clarity. Fermented and aged in stainless steel.
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Jeb Dunnuck
The 2024 Pazo De Seoane is a blend of white grapes grown in O Rosal – 81% Albariño, 12% Loureira, 5% Treixadura, and 2% Carino Blanco. The varieties are picked and fermented separately. It’s a highly aromatic wine because of the Loureira, which imparts bay leaf and floral aromatics. The Treixadura contributes great acidity and medium-bodied layers of stone fruit, while the Carino Blanco is a grape native to O Rosal that was almost lost, special because of its mouthfeel and acidity. There’s terrific tension and length to this wine.
With hundreds of white grape varieties to choose from, winemakers have the freedom to create a virtually endless assortment of blended white wines. In many European regions, strict laws are in place determining the set of varieties that may be used in white wine blends, but in the New World, experimentation is permitted and encouraged. Blending can be utilized to enhance balance or create complexity, lending different layers of flavors and aromas. For example, a variety that creates a soft and full-bodied white wine blend, like Chardonnay, would do well combined with one that is more fragrant and naturally high in acidity. Sometimes small amounts of a particular variety are added to boost color or aromatics. Blending can take place before or after fermentation, with the latter, more popular option giving more control to the winemaker over the final qualities of the wine.
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.