Lagar de Fornelos

Lagar de Fornelos

Far from being a monolith, the famed Rías Baixas appellation of coastal Galicia counts no fewer than five separate subzones, the most distant of which are almost two hours away from each other by car. While broadly similar, these areas offer a host of unique characteristics, and with Albariño as popular as ever, the time is ripe for discovery. Take O Rosal, for example: peering across at Portugal, it lies on the northern bank of the Miño river as it empties into the Atlantic. As the southernmost part of the appellation, it is (very slightly) warmer than up north, but the Atlantic influence is strong and the wines tend to be saltier than the better-known inland riverbank zone of Condado do Tea. Rosal also retains a proud attachment to ‘other’ varieties: Loureiro (often called Loureira here), Treixadura, and, most especially, Caíño Blanco.

The most important producer here in O Rosal has to be Lagar de Fornelos. Originally founded as Fernández Cervera Hermanos, it was purchased in 1988 by La Rioja Alta. This famed arch-classical Rioja bodega was looking for a top white wine terroir after winding down the production of their erstwhile Ardanza Blanco, and they certainly found it. Beginning by assembling what is today one the single most significant contiguous estate vineyard holdings in the appellation, they brought their blending-friendly Rioja mentality into play with further vineyard purchases up north in Salnés, the historic core of the appellation.

With young Bierzo native Olga Verde now at the winemaking helm, Lagar de Fornelos is beautifully poised to continue exploring the many facets of Rías Baixas at a cracking level of quality. Their ‘Pazo de Seoane’ cuvée is a classic Rosal blend of about two-thirds Albariño and one-third ‘other’ whites, while the flagship ‘Lagar de Cervera’ varietal Albariño shows the harmonious marriage of Rosal and Salnés grapes, its steely spine enlivened with a mouthful of joyous fruit. At the pinnacle of their production is the recently-debuted Lindeiros, another varietal Albariño, but this one from a prized single parcel at the sea’s edge in Salnés.