Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
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James Suckling
A very deep, youthful nose that has so much more to it than the peachiness of most wines from Rias Baixas. Then comes a huge blast of mineral freshness on the palate and a long lemony finish.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The grapes for the 2016 Zarate come from different vineyards—all owned by them and within one kilometer from the winery in the Salnés Valley—and all fermented separately and are kept with lees separate until January when they make the blend. In 2016 they harvested early, before the rains, and all wines have moderate alcohol levels. This is very clean, fresh and open, with primary notes, very young. It's a style similar to the 2015, with tension, good acidity and the granite sensation of freshness in the palate. 65,000 bottles were filled in May 2017.
Rating: 91+
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.