Rodrigo Mendez A Cruceira Albarino 2023

Drink it now or cellar for up to 20 years. No need to decant, but best to open it half an hour before service.

Considered one of Spain's leading winemakers and a great expert on Galician viticulture, Rodrigo Méndez founded his business in Pontevedra in 2011 as an independent project from the family winery Forja de Salnes. From his small vineyards, he makes very limited quantities of exceptionally high-quality wines.

The Albarino grapes for A Cruceira come from a small plot owned by Rodrigo Mendez and his two sommelier friends, Iraia and Eduardo. Here, the nearly century-old vines are rooted in feldspar soils (ancient layered rock) rich in quartz. After harvest and spontaneous fermentation, the wine ages in used French barriques.

Produced in extremely limited quantities (800 bottles), the wine is an extraordinary expression of Albarino with an explosive and expressive aromatic profile revealing notes of lime, plum, and Williams pear, tarragon, and sage, followed by floral notes of jasmine and other white flowers. On the palate, it reflects the soil of its origins and the proximity of the ocean with a surprising savory character and lively acidity. It has a good body and excellent concentration. It is elegant and complex, with a long finish that recalls some delicate notes of spices and fruit. Try it with spaghetti with clams, pancetta-wrapped scallops, Rockefeller oysters, and sushi.