Five years after buying Viña Meín and Emilio Rojo, Alma Carraovejas is aiming to produce a great white wine capable of ageing gracefully for 20 to 30 years, while at the same time unlocking the region's potential for red wines. This may seem pretentious until you sit down with Pedro Ruiz Aragoneses, the second generation at the helm of Alma Carraovejas, and winemaker Laura Montero to taste all the wines they have produced since arriving in Ribeiro.
It is not just a qualitative improvement, but a realisation of the region's true potential, its unique qualities, its history (not forgetting Ribeiro's international fame in the 15th and 16th centuries) and other distinctive features. All of this is driven by great ambition and the resources needed to move forward because, as Ruiz Aragoneses admits, neither of these two projects is currently self-sufficient.
The winery currently produces 50,000 bottles of Viña Meín and 5,000 of Emilio Rojo. The icing on the cake of Alma Carraovejas' expansion into Ribeiro is Emilio Rojo. In fact, Rojo himself (pictured below) is still involved in the project. Two articles published in SWL provide further insight into the personality of this unclassifiable producer and the wine bearing his name.
Despite having all the key ingredients for success, Ribeiro has yet to come into its own . The DO seems to be lagging behind Valdeorras and Rías Baixas when it comes to whites, and Ribeira Sacra in terms of reds.
After five years of hard work, one of the main findings of the new team is the strong character of the Meín vineyards and the ability of the wines to age beautifully. The property has come a long way since Abbot Pelayo of San Clodio Monastery recorded in a document from 1158 that he had planted vines in Meín.
The modern era of the estate began in the 1980s, when it was bought by lawyer and entrepreneur Javier Alén and a group of family and friends. With barely three and a half hectares of semi-abandoned vineyards and a house in ruins, the picture was not particularly encouraging. The site lies in the parish of San Clodio (Leiro), just over a kilometre from the monastery that had fostered wine growing in the region. Encouraged by his friend Arsenio Paz (Vilerma) and with fond childhood memories of harvesting and treading grapes with his grandparents in Leiro, Alén planted his first vineyard in 1988, built a winery in 1993 and formally released the first white Viña Meín in the 1994 vintage with just under 7,000 bottles.
Over time, he expanded the estate by acquiring eight more hectares around the property, three more in Gomariz, another in Osebe and one more in Barouta, all of them parishes belonging to Leiro, until Alén gathered the 17 hectares that passed to Alma Carraovejas. The current owners have increased the number to 24, adding more land around the Meín and Emilio Rojo vineyards, as well as a red grape vineyard in the parish of Pazos de Arenteiro.
The improvements made to the vineyards, which, according to Ruiz Aragoneses and Montero, have suffered up to 30% loss or damage, have made it possible to adapt the varietal structure and make the most of Ribeiro's distinctive identity as an assemblage wine. It should not be forgotten that, despite the dominance of Treixadura, the region is home to practically the entire range of Galician grape varieties , from Godello to Albariño and Mencía to Caíño. In view of this valuable heritage, it is surprising to see the trend of premium single varietal whites based on Treixadura, a variety with low to moderate acidity, Godello, the most sought-after white variety in Spain, or Loureiro, which stands out for its high acidity.
All the wines produced at Viña Meín Emilio Rojo are blends . In fact, Albariño and Caíño Blanco, both of which provide acidity and tension in an area that has its fair share of hot summers, are the varieties of choice to recover damaged plants.
As for the wines, Viña Meín has always been well known for its central white, which bears the name of the winery. There was also a limited production barrel-fermented white and a virtually secret red. During the last period, under the ownership of Javier Alén and with the famed Comando G from Gredos consulting for the winery, the oak-fermented white was discontinued, two single vineyard wines, Eiras Altas and Tega do Sal, were released and the red wine was given more visibility.
In terms of the whites, the work of Alma Carraovejas begins with the 2018 vintage blend. A red dot was added to the label to distinguish it from a previous bottling of the same vintage. The new owners wanted to bring back the idea of a central white, so the two single vineyards from the previous stage were blended. Tasted today, the wine retains a ripe citrus character and offers the smooth texture that comes from time spent in the bottle. In fact, Pedro Ruiz Aragoneses sees this wine as a prelude to the forthcoming O Gran Meín.
Significant changes came about in 2019, “a very good, relatively easy vintage" according to Laura Montero, when the Bordeaux-inspired model of a first and second wine was introduced. The aim was to craft a Ribeiro that would age gracefully. Thus, the first wine, called O Gran Meín, was assigned to all the batches with greater ageing potential, while the more straightforward, immediate wines were destined for O Pequeño Meín ('pequeño' means little). The consistency and aromatic intensity of the 2019 vintage,means that both wines are now in great shape, especially O Gran Meín, which shows lovely complexity, with fine herbal notes, spices (white pepper) and outstanding acidity to keep it going for another five years or more.
2020 is an important vintage because it marks the transition to organic farming and the resulting drop in yields. At Emilio Rojo, for example, a third of the harvest was lost and only 1,700 bottles were filled. The Covid year saw abundant rainfall in the spring, which led to widespread downy mildew, followed by a dry summer. The mildew was even worse in 2021, with rain during the harvest triggering significant outbreaks of botrytis. ‘We lost a lot of grapes, but the few that remained were carefully sorted and had very good quality’, Laura Montero explains.
Organic farming in Galicia is extremely difficult. What seems to work best against mildew at Emilio Rojo Viña Meín is to alternate a copper treatment (no more than 4 kg/ha a year is allowed, but this can be spread over a seven-year period) with a mixture of herbs including horsetail and smaller amounts of sage, yarrow, nettle, etc.
The Viña Meín 2020s share a salty note, while O Gran Meín has greater complexity, nicely integrated acidity and length -it drinks great now. 2021 is excellent in both cases. It has the hallmarks of a fresh vintage, with acidity providing definition and length, especially in the top white, which is vibrant and finely delineated.
In the 2022 vintage, it became clear that the ‘little wine’ was gaining consistency and approaching the ‘big’one in terms of the number of bottles (until then production of O Gran Meín was greater), so the owners decided to drop the diminutive from the name and simply call it Meín Castes Brancas (white varieties in Galician). 2022 has a warmer profile, but the absence of fungal diseases resulted in very healthy grapes, producing expressive, juicy wines. Set to be released in November, O Gran Meín 2022 stands out for its precision and well-defined mouthfeel.
From 2023, the aim is to deliver the most authentic expression of O Gran Meín. That is why the grapes will be sourced exclusively from the property's original 2.6 hectares, planted in amphitheatre-shaped terraces. The big news is that the renewed O Gran Lugar de Meín (the name changes slightly to include the term lugar -site in Spanish) will be released five years after the harvest, in 2028. Some 4,000 bottles were filled in the 2023 vintage, but this figure is expected to rise to 8,000 bottles as the vineyard recovers. This wine is expected to age gracefully for 20 to 30 years. Pedro Ruiz Aragoneses and Laura Montero support this estimation based on the first experiences and vintages at Viña Meín that they have had the opportunity to taste.
To make up for the four years of waiting between the release of O Gran Meín 2022 in a few weeks’time and the launch of the 2023 in 2028, the winery has carefully prepared a collection of lustros (a five-year period), batches of previous vintages that were reserved for future release. The experience starts with 2019, the first vintage of O Gran Meín, which will be available in spring next year at around €50-55.
As for Meín, with around 35,000 bottles produced in 2023, the winery has somehow returned to the drawing board to regain its position as the central white in the project. This is the result of a thorough analysis that has provided consistency and confidence in the wine's ability to develop (there are some 80 vinifications behind it, distinguishing between plots and grape varieties). Montero believes that this new Meín can develop nicely for 10 years.
Meanwhile, the addition of batches of wine previously destined to O Gran Meín has reduced the proportion of Treixadura in the blend from around 85% to 55-60%. This adds extra tension thanks to the higher acidity of varieties like Loureiro or Albariño, while retaining Godello, Torrontés and Lado, all of them part of the region's grape heritage. This tension is enhanced by the fresh character of the 2023 vintage, which provides vibrant citrus notes, definition and length. The O Gran Lugar de Meín 2023 that we tasted was very promising in terms of power, intensity, acidity and length.
The changes in the 2023 vintage involve new labels and prices -Meín will go from €15 to €22, while O Gran Lugar de Meín, set to be released in 2028, will keep up with the ambition of the project. The new 2021 vintage of Emilio Rojo, a brand that has already achieved cult status, will go from €75-80 to €120. The 2,300 bottles produced will be released in November this year.
Although less prominent and with lower production, Laura Montero takes reds very seriously and makes a clear distinction between sites better suited to growing white or red varieties. Among the latter, she mentions Pazos de Arenteiro, Cabanelas or Barouta. All of them are well exposed to the sun, allowing the grapes to reach full ripeness.
The red range started with O Gran Meín in the 2019 vintage; in 2020 O Pequeño Meín was added, following the same pattern as the whites. In the 2021 vintage, the ‘little one’, set to be released in a few weeks, will be called simply Meín. The wine shows the mosaic of red grape varieties grown in Ribeiro. It is made from Caíño Longo, Garnacha Tintorera, Brancellao, Sousón, Ferrón and Caíño Tinto grown on small plots in the villages of Leiro and Pazos de Arentiero. All the batches are fermented separately and then aged in stainless steel tanks.
The vintage factor is particularly noticeable in the reds. 2021 is an Atlantic vintage, with a rustic character and lively acidity. In contrast, 2022 is riper, savoury, with a fuller, more accessible palate. Montero points out that cold vintages need more time in bottle. She thinks that this wine has an ageing potential of 10 years.
As for O Gran Meín Tinto, she thinks it can develop well in bottle for 15 years. The profile of the wine is a little different, since only two locations and grape varieties are used: Brancellao from Osebe and Caíño Longo from Ribeira. In the first 2019 vintage, however, Garnacha Tintorera from Toro, the oldest plot in Meín, was included, resulting in a richer, more structured red. The 2020 vintage, on the other hand, is fragrant, spicy and very lively, combining a vibrant Atlantic character with a very pleasant texture. It is an excellent example of the quality that Galician reds can achieve. As with Meín, the 2021 vintage, set to be released in November, is sharper and needs more time to develop, while 2022 is a warmer vintage. For 2022 a 1,200-litre foudre was introduced to age the wine (fewer than 2,000 bottles are made), along with glass demijohns.
Although the whites lead the way, Ribeiro has a red soul of its own. The region's potential is overwhelming and Viña Meín Emilio Rojo is ready to dig into it.
