Which white wines are you planning to uncork this Christmas, wine lovers? Albariños aged on their lees and with some time in bottle to add complexity could easily shine on the dinner table. We tasted many of them at the Rías Baixas Colección show in Madrid last week.
The wisest course of action is to buy the bottle when it is released and store it at home for some time. This can result in wonderful delights like Albamar 2016 (ripe citrus fruit, fennel, mineral character, juicy acidity, long finish) which was priced under €15 at the time; or Tricó 2017, with riper fruit but fully firm and distinctive dry stone notes on the finish.
A special mention goes to Maior de Mendoza, which offered numerous samples of different vintages. In addition to their 2017 Albariño Sobre Lías, the 2018 and 2019 vintages of Finca Las Tablas stood out. Among the 2019s, our favourites were the extremely thorough and superb Leirana María Luisa Lázaro, the complex Laval Gran Añada after four years of ageing, and the citrusy and sharp Finca Valiñas from Mar de Frades.
Among the 2021s, look for the classic elegance of Fillaboa Finca Monte Alto, the old-vine depth of Lagar de Costa Maio 5, the herbal fragance of Attis Embaixador, Gran Bazan's single vineyard Veigalobos, the timeless character of Albariño De Fefiñanes III Año, and the Atlantic saltiness of Martín Códax’s Arousa.
When it comes to 2022s, the best wines are worth waiting for. This is the case with Do Ferreiro, both the basic Albariño and the more citrusy Lourido, Zárate Tras da Viña (fennel, saline, vibrant), Calabobos from Lagar de Costa (aniseed, delicate, fine) aged in egg-shaped concrete vats, and Nanclares (what a lovely mix of delicate floral notes and austere dry stone minerality).
Author
Amaya Cervera
A wine journalist with almost 30 years' experience, she is the founder of the award-winning Spanish Wine Lover website. In 2023, she won the National Gastronomy Award for Gastronomic Communication
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