2024 Rodrigo Mendez, Rias Baixas, Albarino Salvora

Rodrigo Méndez farms in Meaño (Val do Salnés), working old Albariño sites on granite and sand near sea level. Sálvora comes from a single vineyard planted in 1905—originally his grandmother’s backyard and the first wine he remembers tasting.

The wine is fermented with native yeast and aged ~12 months in 600L neutral oak, without temperature control and without malolactic fermentation. That approach pulls from pre-1980s Rías Baixas—before stainless steel defined the region.

This is Albariño with more shape than usual. Less about sharp acidity, more about texture and salt, with enough weight to stand on its own at the table.