Sousón

Why growers plant Sousón

Half of the Abadia de Gomariz is Sousón. When Ricardo Carreiro Ameijeiras replanted the old vineyards of Coto de Gomariz in the Ribeiro in the 1970s, he put in Sousón alongside Treixadura, Godello and Albariño. The grape brings very deep colour and high acidity, which is why it usually stands next to Mencía, Caiño or Brancellao.

On its own it is rare. Attis in the Val do Salnés, in the middle of the Albariño country of the Rías Baixas, makes it as a single variety from pergolas at around 100 metres. Attis aside, we still prefer Sousón in a blend, where it adds colour and freshness without taking over the wine.

How much Sousón is in the wine

• Attis Sousón 2018, Attis: 100 percent Sousón, twelve months in new French oak, 1,080 bottles.
• Abadia de Gomariz 2022, Coto de Gomariz: 50 percent Sousón, with Brancellao, Ferrol and Mencía.
• Cuvée Primo 2018, Coto de Gomariz: Sousón with Caiño Longo, Caiño da Terra, Carabuñeira and Mencía from the A Ferreira plot.
• Algueira Fincas 2017, Algueira: Sousón as the partner of Caiño, from south-facing slate terraces above the Sil.
• Viña Aurita Tinto 2022, Carlos Carballo: a small share of Sousón with Mencía, aged without wood and outside the DO.

Temperature and decanting

Coto de Gomariz serves the Abadia at around 18 degrees, and we would not drink any of the others warmer. The powerful bottles, such as the Attis Sousón or the Cuvée Primo with its 30 months in 500-litre casks, gain from half an hour in a decanter. Pour the Viña Aurita slowly: Carlos Carballo clarifies it only by settling and racking two or three times a year, without pumps.