Albarino Benito Santos Rias Baixas 2022

Description

Benito Santos is a central figure in the modern history of Albarino and the Rias Baixas D.O. He began working in his grandfathers vineyards in the 1930s and made wine for serving in his bar wines that repeatedly won prizes in the annual Fiesta de Albarino in Cambados. He was instrumental in the creation of the Rias Baixas D.O. in the 1980s. The current owners now farm three vineyards in the Val do Salnas subzone of Rias Baixas, each of which is next to and named after an ancient church: Saiar, Bemil, and Xoan. All of the vineyards are now certified organic a rarity in rainy, mildew-prone Rias Baixas and winemaking uses only native yeasts and minimal sulfur. Benito Santos wines are salty, mineral, and structured, with ample fruit but none of the overly tropical flavors of many industrially-produced Albarino.