2021 was a cooler vintage in Rías Baixas, that Alberto and Silvia described as strange: maturation was difficult, harvest was early, and there were some mildew struggles with an attack on the vines’ leaves. Alcohol levels are lower than average and acidity levels higher. Overall, despite some difficulties, Alberto and Silvia were happy with the results.

Alberto Nanclares and Silvia Prieto make transparent, Atlantic -influenced wines, mainly with Albariño from old vines around the village of Cambados. Employing organic farming practices and a restrained hand in the cellar, the pair have managed something very rare: the refinement of Albariño into angular, age -worthy wines that express the fascinating terruños of Cambados and Rías Baixas . Alberto and Silvia currently own 5 hectares of Albariño in the Val do Salnés, all trained in the traditional Pergola style and divided into 12 small parcels in the parroquias of Castrelo (South Cambados), Vilariño (North Cambados) and Padrenda (North Meaño). The essence of their approach is reverence for the vineyard, from organic farming to fermentation by native yeasts . To express the edginess of the naturally high in acidity Albariño grape, he eschews adding potassium, which is what many in Rías Baixas use to de -acidify and soften their wines. Malolactic fermen - tation rarely occurs, and the wines spend a good amount of time (often a year or more) on their lees before being bottled without clarification or filtration.