Pazo de Señoráns - Albariño 'Selección de Añada' 2012

Marisol Buena has always thought Albariño has the capacity to age quite gracefully. When visiting Pazo, the family is quite proud to pour you past vintages to taste. During a visit in 2014, we had the privilege to taste the 2007 Albariño burnished by age so the fruit took a backstage to a sweet and delicate minerality. It’s also no secret that we normally prefer to drink our Pazo after at least a year in the bottle – despite its youthful charms right upon release. The realization that there was certainly another aspect to Albariño that wasn’t being explored, and a forgotten tank of Albariño that got left behind one vintage, led to the creation of the Selección de Añada. Selección is sourced from a single plot of Albariño located mid-slope behind the Pazo called Los Bancales. These vines were planted on granite pergolas nearly a half-century ago and are some of the oldest vines on the property. Like mid-slope sites everywhere it benefits from its sheltered position away from the winds at the top of the hill or the cool humid air at the bottom. This cuvee spends at least 30 months on its lees after fermentation is complete. It is a powerfully dense and mineral wine, coiled, and capable of at least another decade of evolution. It is a testament to Albariño’s ability to be more than a quaffable wine to enjoy with freshly caught shellfish. Not that we mind that aspect of the variety.

"Staggering fresh and youthful – still smells of fruit, fruit and nothing but tropical fruit. Passion fruit. Mango. Lusciously tropical. Mouth-filling, mouth-flooding golden-orange juiciness. Masses of acidity, but the ripeness and richness of the fruit trumps everything. This is like listening to a cathedral choir filling the vaults with the Hallelujah Chorus. Resounding golden glory and Peter Pan youth. It's tasting a wine like this that demonstrates how beautifully Rías Baixas ages. Long and triumphant." - Tamlyn Currin on the 2012 Vintage, JANCISROBINSON.COM

"The bright yellow, almost fluorescent 2012 Albariño Selección de Añada has to be one of the finest released since the first vintage of 1995. It matured for more than 36 months with the lees in small stainless steel tanks and then was bottled in April 2021. It has great aromatic complexity with no oxidation whatsoever. It has notes of pine needles and dried herbs, quince paste and a hint of smoky lees and petrol. The palate is seamless and precise, with 13% alcohol, nicely integrated acidity and very good balance. It's still incredibly young. Pazo de Señorans has been great at showing the aging potential of Albariño, releasing older wines. Their current vintage of the Selección de Añada is 2012, now 10 years old, and they are slowly releasing other labels outside the rush for newly bottled wine, which they also suffer from some segments of the market." - 95 points, Robert Parker's Wine Advocate

""Anyone who still doubts Albariño's ability to age as well as top Riesling or Chenin Blanc should get hold of a bottle of this stunning release from Ana Quintela. Sourced from four hectares in the higher part of the estate, it's a white that still has the potential to evolve further in bottle. Lime, lemon and grapefruit flavours are complemented by granitic intensity, effortless concentration and a dry, palate-cleansing finish." - 96 points, Decanter

Producer: Pazo de Señoráns

Country: Spain

Region: Galicia

Varietal: Albariño

Appellation: Rías Baixas

Vintage: 2012

Size: 750ml