Viña Aurita Blanco 2021

Origin: Lugo, Ribeira do Eivedo, plot «A Burata dá Salamanca», outside the D.O.

Grapes: mainly Godello, with small amounts of Torrontés and Dona Branca

Vintage: 2021

Production: 250 bottles

Soils: clay (60%), sand (30%), silt (10%)

Site: steep slopes, no chemical fertilisers or pesticides

Altitude: 400 to 600 m

Vineyards: vines 22 to 23 years old, farmed organically, fed only with compost

Climate: Atlantic, moderate

Vinification: whole bunches pressed with the stems, spontaneous fermentation with native yeasts at 17 to 19 °C, cooled only with water and hoses; racked off the lees after settling; malolactic fermentation as for a red; neither filtered nor fined, with 10 coarse filters at bottling to hold back large particles only

Carlos makes his white like a red, with the stems and with malolactic fermentation. The result is straw yellow with golden glints, white flowers, grapefruit, lime and herbs, then 6.8 g/l of acidity, a creamy texture and stone fruit on the long finish. There are 250 bottles of 2021.

On its own the aromas come across as very strong; with food it settles down. Serve it at 11 to 12 °C with seafood, poultry or even white meat. We would open it with a roast chicken.