Who: Manuel Otero Candeira
What: 100% Albarino
Where: Rias Baixas (Ree-ass Bye-shass), Spain
Tastes Like: Medium-minus, floral, tree fruit (apples and pears), with a dry finish.
Pairs With: Very versatile; white pizzas, light pastas.
Rias Baixas:
The Rias Baixas DO was founded in 1988. Though there are 12 permitted varietals, Albarino dominates, making up 90% of the region’s production. The climate is Atlantic, with wet winters and sea fog. In general rainfall is high and the temperatures mild: maximum temperatures in summer rarely usually exceed 30 °C and only drop to 0 °C in December and January.
The coldest areas are Ribera do Ulla and Val do Salnés due to their proximity to the coast. The warmest is Condado do Tea where temperatures in summer sometimes approach 40 °C, but the winters are cold with frequent frosts and rainfall of over 2,000 mm a year. Granbazan is located in the Val do Salnés, located on the lower reaches of the river Umia and centred on the town of Cambados. The landscape is of low undulating hills and the vineyards are planted both on the slopes and on the flat valley floors. The soil is generally rocky and alluvial.
The Winery:
The Granbazán story starts in the 1960s when Manuel Otero y Otero bought a land parcel planted with eucalyptus wood and feed for cattle. An entrepreneur, Otero dreamed of expanding the family's business of fine foods to fine wines. In the 1980s, his son, Manuel Otero Candeira, realized his dream with the construction of Granbazán, a chateau with a magnificent building surrounded by pergola trained vines. Granbazán’s attention to detail and high quality wine has been instrumental in the quality revolution in Galicia as well as in raising the reputation of Rias Baixas wines to their rightful place among the top white wines of the world.
The Granbazán winery is located in Vilanova de Arousa, very close to Cambados, the "World Albariño Capital." The soils here have a high granite content, grown 262.4 feet above sea level, with over 60 in. of annual rainfall. The maritime influence is very intense, providing a distinctive salty aftertaste, and a consistent ripening cycle. Harvest takes place the second half of September.The fruit is hand-picked, then gently de-stemmed and cooled for 8 hours at low temperatures in rotary macerators. Alcoholic fermentation takes place with native yeasts in stainless steel tanks.
Minimal invasive viticulture is a key practice to capture the elusive essence of the Albariño grape. The ranges of wines produced at Granbazán have a common soul with crisp citrus fruit, and in some wines peach and green apple flavors, bakery aromas and a light musk fragrance. The leading wines are Granbazán Ambar and the Granbazán Verde. Ambar is produced from the property's oldest vines with a gentle lees aging and 100% free-run juice, while the Granbazán Verde is very softly pressed, to produce a typical Salnes Valley Albariño style: dry, crisp and salty. It is aged on the lees for no less than four months before bottling.
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