Wineshark Wine Journey - Pazo de Barrantes

Pazo de Barrantes Winery is associated to the Counts of Creixell since the beginning of the 20th century although the property is in the hands of the family since 1511. Over the years, the Count of Creixell's family has given its own personality to every wine produced in the winery.

In the 1990's the Galician property turns into an estate designed specifically for the albarino growing, the great and noble local grape variety.

This enabled the family to join all the efforts to offer a careful and precise winemaking of the albarino in the heart of the Salnes Valley.

The construction of the Galician winery at the beginning of the 1990's established a balanced relationship between Pazo Barrantes and the historic Riojan winery founded by the Marquis of Murrieta.

Marques de Murrieta Estates and Wines is led by a family who is used to professionalism and daily effort. Two siblings with a Galician heart who remember their parents with love and gratitude. Chus Suarez-Llanos and Vicente Cebrian-Sagarriga, wonderful and exemplary parents, tireless workers and, in essence, an admirable family.

"They began a great business and family project which we nowadays aim to continue with the same strength and enthusiasm. They transmitted us the value of a united family, they showed us the daily effort, not to fear the fight, the meaning of sacrifice and the reason of the effort. They shared with us how to win and also how to lose... always without becoming weak, looking ahead, seeking joy. They transmitted us the need of respecting and being faithful to the past but without forgetting our future... always looking ahead. They gave us their faith, their confidence, their love for life and for all the people around us, their wish to give always, in essence, their charming way of living."

Pazo de Barrantes Estate is located in the Rias Baixas D.O. and it is composed of 12 hectares of albarino vines surrounding the historic property which dates from 1511.

It was founded with the aim of a medium size vineyard offering top quality wines. It represents the continuity, in terms of winemaking, of the spirit of the Rioja winery founded by the Marquis of Murrieta since the vineyard is controlled at all times: vine training system, pruning, yields and the optimum time for the manual harvest.

Its location in the Salnes Valley places Pazo de Barrantes in the birthplace of the whites from Rias Baixas. This is the subregion with the most Atlantic influence that is present in the albarino grape cultivated in this vineyard.

There are two wines. Pazo Barrantes is undoubtedly one of the flagship wines of the Rias Baixas D.O. Its Albarino grape grows in the Pazo de Barrantes' vineyards, a bucolic twelve hectares single vineyard that warrants plenty of aromatic complexity to the wine, thanks to the wide range of natural essences that pervade the landscape influencing the grape's aromatic development. An Albarino of great personality, with a striking and fragrant varietal character and surprising bottle ageing potential. It charms the nose with intense floral, fruity and balsamic aromas and delights the mouth with its depth, elegance and freshness. Pazo Barrantes is a perfect blend of structure and silkiness, complexity and exuberance, longevity and immediate enjoyment.

The grapes are sourced from our Pazo de Barrantes estate, surrounding the winery in the Salnes Valley. 100% Albarino, harvested in 18 kg cases, once in the cellar, these grapes are first carefully de-stemmed and then gently pressed. This process helps extract the maximum aromatic potential from the grapes. The grape is fermented in temperature controlled stainless steel tanks for 30 days after decantation of the juice's small inner particles. Fermentation takes place in absence of the grape skins. It is left in contact with its fine lees for three months in the pursuit of texture and density. It spends six months in tank before bottling. Pazo Barrantes develops an attractive aromatic complexity and mouth feel along its ageing in bottle.

The other wine is La Comtesse. From the 2009 vintage a new dream becomes reality for the Pazo de Barrantes Winery: La Comtesse de Pazo Barrantes. A contemporary white wine that shows the versatility of the Albarino to reach new heights of freshness, fragrance and exuberant aromatic power. La Comtesse delights us with an elegant complexity and an enhanced aromatic richness which proves that the character of the Albarino wine can reach surprising levels when treated with meticulous and careful use of oak barrels.

Grapes are sourced from Cacheiro single-vineyard, an old-vine plot within our 12-hectare estate called Pazo de Barranted located in the Salnes Valley. 100% Albarino, harvested in 18 kg cases, the albarino bunches are de-stemmed before pressing. Afterwards, the grapes are gently pressed to respect and boost the intense aromatic potential obtained from these old vine grapes. Juice settling. Temperature controlled alcoholic fermentation takes place in a 3,000 litre-French Allier oak vats for 60 days. In the pursuit of gaining more volume on the palate and a balanced mouth feel, the wine is left in contact with its fine lees for 4 months.

La Comtesse ages in this same wooden vat for 12 months longer. Afterwards it remains in a concrete tank for other 10 months. There is a limited release of 12,240 bottles.

Tasting Note (2015 Pazo Barrantes)

Appearance: Bright and clear, the wine is of light lemon-green colour with watery rims and legs.

Nose: Clean, with medium (+) intensity aromas of stone fruit of white peach, floral notes of jasmine, citrus fruit of lemon zest, tropical fruit of mango, green fruit of grapefruit, mineral notes of stony, maturity notes of honey. The wine is developing.

Palate: Dry with medium acidity, the wine has medium alcohol, medium (+) body and medium (+) intensity flavors of stone fruit of peach, citrus notes of lemon, dairy notes of cream, mineral notes of stony, floral notes of jasmine. The wine has a medium finish.

Conclusion: Very good quality Rias Baixas Albarino with an intense nose showing good complexity, with the typical varietal characters clearly exhibited, good floral and peachy nose supplemented with exotic fruit and some development aromas, the wine is well-balanced, with a slightly heavy body and good concentration on the palate with similar flavors, finishing with a reasonable length. It is ready to drink now and not meant for further ageing.