Forjas del Salnes - Leirana Finca Genoveva 2022
Price: $79.99
Sale Price: $59.99
| Producer | Forjas del Salnes |
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| Country | Spain |
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| Region | Rias Baixas |
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| Varietal | Albarino |
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| Vintage | 2022 |
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| Sku | 14268 |
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| Size | 750ml |
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Forjas del Salnes is the project of Rodrigo "Rodri" Mendez, a close friend and collaborator with the world-famous winemaker Raul Perez. The winery was started in 1912 by Rodri’s uncle and currently consists of a mere 3 hectares of vineyards spread over 6 different fields. Some vines were already old when the family purchased them, with the oldest estimated to be from the 1830s! Yes, 180 years ago! The wines are all within view of the Atlantic Ocean and reflect the maritime influence with a certain salinity and briskness that makes them especially food-friendly.
In stark contrast to the plethora of Albarino winemakers out there, Rodri combines modern education with old techniques. It starts with the grapes, grown in the prime Val do Salnes region; Rodri patiently waits for the grapes to achieve good ripeness, where the malic acid starts to lessen. That malic acid is the tart, sour acidity found in unripe or less ripe fruits. The result is plenty of bright acidity, but in a more pleasing fashion. Next Rodri uses the free-run juice; the juice that results from simply letting the weight of the grapes crush themselves to release juice. SO what? Simply, when you press the juice, the bitterness from the skins and seeds is also released. Look, that's not "bad", but it isn't as delicious as this! Lastly, Rodri uses large, 2,500 Liter used oak barrels and natural yeast fermentation, as opposed to small, temperature-controlled steel tanks and cultured yeasts designed to extract certain flavors. The result is a wine that reflects the age and location of the vines, the ripeness of the grapes, and Rodri's careful attention to detail. It is nothing short of the best Albarino you will ever taste. Heck, I'd wager it is one of the best white wines you will ever taste!
The elegant, subtle and fine 2017 Leirana Finca Genoveva has to be one of the finest Albariño whites produced. This is vinified and aged in oak foudre, but there's no oak character whatsoever to be found here. It's clean, crystalline, pure and precise and especially subtle with elegant notes of flowers, great freshness and very integrated acidity that makes you salivate." Wine Advocate on the 2017
James Suckling: 97 Points
"This has an austere, classic nose for this vineyard, with subtle chamomile, wet stones and fresh herbs. This is incisive, with lots of tension. Bright, stony and penetrating. A wine with captivating austerity but nuanced and complex. This comes from a single 200-year-old vineyard plated in the commune of Meano on decomposed granite. Aged in large foudres for 12 months. Does not undergo malolactic. One of the great white wines from Spain and a tremendous value if you consider the quality and the elements that make it. Already great but will improve in the next couple of years. Drink now or hold."
Wine Advocate: 96 Points
"The 2022 Leirana Finca Genoveva shows very complete, combining power and elegance, volume and length, roundness and freshness, with good ripeness, slightly higher alcohol (12.9%) and amazing freshness and acidity parameters (pH 3.12 and 8.08 grams of acidity). It should be long lived in bottle."
Vinous Media: 95 Points
"The 2022 Albariño Leirana Genoveva comes from Salnés, Rías Baixas, where a 90-year-old farmer tends 300-year-old vines. Aged for a year in two old foudres, it opens with gunpowder aromas, papaya, herbs and lime. Intense yet indulgent, the 2022 balances delicate freshness with tension and concentration. The long finish reveals complex fruit, subtle oak and attractive salinity." - Joaquín Hidalgo
Drink 2025-2036
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