Santiago Ruiz Rías Baixas O Rosal 2023

The domaine's core vineyards lie at Tomiño in O Rosal—the most southerly of Rías Baixas’ five subzones. Situated on the top lip of the river Miño (which marks the border with Portugal), O Rosal enjoys more sunlight hours and a drier climate than Rías Baixas’ other subzones. The vineyards here also benefit from cooling Atlantic breezes as well as the moderating influence and airflow from the river. This set of natural circumstances favours a style of wine that is both ripe and mineral-laden, with granitic soils and cool Atlantic nights providing crisp energy and drive.

With an unusually high percentage of Albariño this year, the 2023 weighs in at 82% Albariño, 9% Loureiro, with the balance from Treixadura, Caíño Blanco and a dash of Godello. Winemaker Luisa Freire treats each variety individually, using lees-aging to build a winning combination of texture, structure and freshness. There’s joyous cool stone fruit and fuzzy peach intensity over a backbone of Atlantic tension. This is a deliciously juicy release with textured mineral structure, a nip of kernel spice and granitic grip on the classy finish. Peachy keen.