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Tasting Notes
Medium plus bodied with crisp acidity, the Leirana has a wonderful combination of energy and texture, with a complex bouquet of meyer lemon, yellow plum, white peach, and melon, along with more nuanced white flowers and spice punctuated by an attractive vein of salty minerality that lingers in the finish.
Body is the impression of a wines weight, density, or its ‘mouth-feel’. Some wines feel weighty, or full bodied, while others feel light bodied. Wine runs the gamut from light to full, with most falling somewhere in between.
ACIDITY
Low
Moderate
Balanced
Crisp
High
Acidity is a foundational component in wine. In fact, low acidity, or ‘flabby’ wine (as the term suggests) is a negative. You can sense acidity mainly on the sides of your tongue. Acidity generally ranges from balanced to high. Crisp acidity adds freshness, making your mouth water. Acidity is a necessary element and helps to balance other components.
SWEETNESS
Dry
Off Dry
Medium Dry
Medium Sweet
Very Sweet
Most wines are characterized as dry to off-dry, but there are some grape varietals, like Riesling, that run the gamut from dry to sweet. The tip of the tongue mainly detects sweetness, which is why it is often the primary characteristic detected. Sweetness is derived from residual sugar that did not ferment into alcohol.
ALCOHOL
13%
Alcohol is the by-product of fermentation. Differing grape varieties have differing potential alcohol levels, but regardless warmer areas result in riper grapes resulting in higher alcohol. Alcohol level is an objective number, but its affect on its palate impression is largely determined with how well integrated and balanced it is with other components.
Albariño does not get the attention it deserves for the serious and complex potential of its wines. Those who ignore it have not had Leirana Albariño.
GRAPE VARIETAL(S)
Albariño
100%Al-ba-REE-nyo
Albariño is a high-quality white grape varietal found on the border of Portugal and Spain where it particularly flourishes in Galicia. Alabariño combines fruit, mineral aromas and flavors, often with saline notes, and a floral component. The grape’s fresh acidity balances the wine’s medium-full body and also makes it versatile with many different foods.
Rodrigo Mendes, the founder of Forjas Del Salnes, works with Raul Perez to make Albarino and reds native to Galicia. Rodrigo purchased abandoned vineyards, some of which were long-abandoned, and brought them back to life. A pioneer in many ways, Rodrigo may be the first in Spain to age his Albarino under water!
The 40 year old Albarino vines are grown in the cool climate of the Salnés Valley, just a short distance from the Atlantic coast, where it can rain quite a bit, but the poor soil granite based soils drain well. These old vines have deep roots imparting the unique flavors of the terroir.
Rodrigo’s emphasis is to authentically represent the sites he farms, and the truest representation of Spain’s traditional varieties, through natural winemaking and minimalist invention in the cellar.
Meyer Lemon
White Flowers
Mineral
Organic
