Viños de Encostas by Xosé Lois Sebio – O Con, Albariño – 2022

Description

PRODUCER:
Winemaker Xosé Lois Sebio of Viños de Encostas has produced this stunning eponymous collection of wines as a result of a personal quest: to find wines with a unique personality from more risky processing zones and with a very marked identity. This original and quirky range is made from high-quality grapes in areas which are often neglected or simply different; vineyards that are difficult to farm due to the high costs of conventional viticulture. Away from fashions and conventions, the sole intention is to respect and express the soil, variety and area; producing wines with soul and personality. The wines are vinified with minimal intervention and low sulphur. These are collectable wines for lovers of the authentic and different.

VINEYARD:
The grapes for O Con come from a single vineyard ‘Sobre a Mina’ in the Aios area in Sanxenxo, in the O Salnés subzone of Rías Baixas. The old, low-yielding 70-year-old Albariño vines are planted at a high density and are trained on trellises. Albariño is a hardy, resistant variety with a loose cluster and small, concentrated grapes. The vineyard is situated close to the sea, where the cooling Atlantic breezes keep the vines ventilated, healthy and impart saline nuances to the wine. The clay-schistous soils imbue the wine with an intense character and mineral style. Plant cover crops to keep the soil healthy and maintain biodiversity. The vines are cultivated with natural preparations to reduce phyto-sanitary treatments. The vineyard is cultivated as sustainably and ecologically as possible, provided the weather conditions allow. Organic products, such as copper and natural extracts, are used in the first instance, but traditional preparations are used if necessary. Vineyard management and harvesting take place manually.

WINEMAKING:
The grapes were whole bunch pressed and static settled for 48 to 72 hours. Fermentation started naturally with indigenous yeasts in stainless steel vats, with additional selected yeasts towards the end of fermentation. Halfway through fermentation, the wine was racked to 700-litre fine-grained French oak barrels, where the wine spent 10 months maturing in a combination of new to 4-year-old barrels. The wine was racked off its lees once a month; the lees helped to prevent oxidation and therefore kept the wine fresh, rather than adding volume to the wine.

TASTING NOTE:
Delicate aromatic notes of peach skin, mandarin peel and honeysuckle mingle with sea breeze and a subtle creaminess. There is tension and focus to the wine, which amplifies on the palate, giving stone fruit, orange skin, and jasmine. Texture, complexity and energy are the watchwords for this wine!

GRAPES:
Albariño 100%.