Winemaker Notes
Zarate Albariño is a fresh, balanced and elegant wine, in which the primary aromas of the Albariño variety stand out. In the mouth it shows vibrant acidity andon the nose fruity notes and a mineral background.
Professional Ratings
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2023 Zarate is the flagship Albariño that shows the character of the year, with more moderate ripeness, 12.5% alcohol and a balanced and elegant profile. It's clean, floral and still a little reductive (this is 100% stainless steel) and should open up with a little more time in bottle. There is some 30% of wine with malolactic in the final blend. It has less concentration and alcohol than the 2022, with more finesse and freshness and is a little more herbal. This is a superb example of Albariño from Salnés. 84,000 bottles produced. Rating : 93+
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Vinous
The 2023 Albariño Zárate, from Val de Salnés, Rías Baixas, presents delicate floral and pear aromas. Saline and fresh, it’s understated yet complex, with layers that blend seamlessly.
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James Suckling
Aromas of brine, citrus and crusted salt. The palate is direct, vertical, saline, super drinkable and accessible. Pristine and beautiful. This comes from six parcels in Meano in Padrendas. A third goes through malolactic fermentation.
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.