Pazo Casanova, Finca Viñoa, Ribeiro, Galicia, Spain (2023)

TASTING NOTES

Ripe, fruit-forward nose of quince, apricot and grapefruit, with a salty tang. The palate is lively and vivacious, with mouth-watering acidity, stone fruit and lifted citrus notes. The leesy mid-palate offers a little bit of creaminess and always, that salty complexity makes this wine sing.

In 2001, three friends (two winemakers and a Sommelier) purchased a small vineyard in the Avia River Valley area of Ribeiro, Portugal. This plot was planted to the region’s indigenous red grapes. They acquired several other properties, planted to Ribeiro’s distinctive white varietals, over the next few years.

The project was labeled Vinoa, after the largest of their newest vineyards. In 2014, they purchased their home estate and winery, on the right bank of the Minho River, with old vine plantings of Treixadura, their signature varietal. The winery adheres to organic principles, eschewing herbicides and pesticides and employing green cover in their steeply-terraced vineyards for soil health sustainably. Pazo Casanova wines are known for their saline minerality, nervy intensity and aromatic profile.