Xose Lois Sebio Salvaxe Ribeiro 2015

Xose Lois Sebio Salvaxe Ribeiro 2015

Intense mineral notes with a touch of white peach, apple and a beautiful flinty and purity of flavour.

Producer Note

Winemaker Xosé Lois Sebio has produced this stunning eponymous collection of wines as a result of a personal quest: to find wines with unique personality from more risky processing zones and with a very marked identity. This original and quirky range is made from high quality grapes in areas which are often neglected or simply different; vineyards that are difficult to farm due to the high costs of conventional viticulture. Away from fashions and conventions, the sole intention is to respect and express the soil, variety and area; producing wines with soul and personality. The wines are vinified with minimal intervention and low sulphur. These are collectable wines for lovers of the authentic and different.

Vintage

2015 was an almost perfect vintage. A cold winter, mild spring and a summer with abundant sunshine and little rainfall, resulted in grapes with optimum phenological maturity. The balance between the maturity and freshness found in the grapes was impeccable and they had the lowest pH in recent years. The vines were harvested in perfect health and the resulting wines are capable of great ageing.

Vineyard

The vineyards are situated in the village of Gomariz, in the heart of the Ribeiro DO in north western Spain. Consisting of several indigenous varieties to Galicia including Lado and Treixadura, the vines vary in age from 60 to 90 years and are planted at a density of 4,000 to 7,000 vines per hectare. These old vines are low yielding, with deep root systems that impart complex flavours and result in soft, sweet tannins in the wine. The vineyards sit at an altitude of 180 to 250 metres and the soils are a mix of clay and schist.

Winemaking

Salvaxe is a wine which is made with minimal intervention in the vineyard and the cellar. Fermentation started in stainless steel tanks at very low temperatures, with part of the fermentation taking place on the skins. The fermenting must was transferred to barrels of 500 litres to continue a slow fermentation at low temperatures. The wine did not go through malolactic fermentation maintaining its crisp character. Minimum sulphur was used and the wine was gently filtered. The wine spent 10 months in partly new 500 litre barrels.

Tasting Note

Intense ripe fruit aromas combine with floral, spicy and mineral notes. Beautifully balanced with a fresh yet textured palate and elegant fruit flavours on the long, persistent finish.

Serving Suggestion

Ideal with seafood: shellfish, crab or lobster; or Japanese cuisine.

Grape

Other Varieties 32%, Lado 20%, Albariño 15%, Godello 15%, Treixadura 15%, Silveiriña 3%

Awards

93 Pts, Robert Parker , 2018

93 Pts, James Suckling , 2018