Complex aromas of salinity exotic fruits with wet earth/herbal tones. The palate is textured with excellent acidity.
The Méndez family consider 2016 a vintage with some similarities with 2011. I tasted their regular 2016 Albariño, which is produced from a mix of grapes from the 164 plots of vines they work, adding diversity of soils, mostly granite and sand but also red slate, and expositions in the villages of Meaño, Adina, Sisán, Castelo and Leiro. The grapes were picked in five days, starting on September 17th. All wines fermented with a "pied de cuve" from the Cepas Vellas, which fermented the juice from the destemmed grapes. The wine is kept with fine lees for a period of time that can range between four and up to 11 months. It has a fresh and balanced nose, with notes of good freshness—quite striking for a warmish year—with citrus notes intermixed with hints of white flowers and fruit. It&apos;s a more powerful year, with 13.5% alcohol, but has great acidity and freshness. The palate is focused and delineated, with great purity and very tasty flavors. It has great mid-palate and concentration. A surprise. It&apos;s one of the finest young Do Ferreiros I remember. This should evolve nicely in bottle.
This winery, founded in 1973, is currently run by Gerardo Mendez. Gerardo owns 5 hectares. Three hectares are over 50 years old and one is 200 years old. The vineyards follow organic guidelines avoiding the use of pesticides and non-organic fertilizers. Utilizing the latest technology, Gerardo blends the traditional with the modern to produce lively, crisp wines true to their origin. There are two wines produced at the property. The first Albariño Do Ferreiro and the second, produced in very in very limited quantities is Ferreiro Cepas Vellas. The Cepas Vellas is from the vineyard that is 200 years old. These vines are planted on a hillside vineyard of mainly sandy composition that predates any other vineyards in Rias Baixas. The Albariño Do Ferreiro is also from a hillside vineyard greatly influenced by the Atlantic Ocean climate.