93pts Wine Advocate
The gentler 2022 Leirana reflects a warmer year of rounder wines and slightly lower acidity. They are increasing the amount of oak, and eventually, this could end up being 100% in (used and large) foudres, but the wines don't show any oak. They blended all the wines before they are put in foudre, and they feel it results in better integration of the wine. This represents the Salnés region of Rías Baixas with the salty and tasty marine and granite twist.
92pts Wine Enthusiast
Medium yellow to the eye, this wine has a bouquet of lemon curd, cocoa butter and rose petal. A soft floral note permeates the palate alongside peach, apricot, lemon, butterscotch and slivered almond flavors.
Winemakers Notes
Pale, green-tinged yellow. Bright and sharply focused on the nose, displaying incisive Meyer lemon, honeysuckle, quinine and mineral scents, along with a hint of ginger in the background. Dry, taut and light on its feet, offering intense, mineral-laced citrus and orchard fruit flavors that show no excess weight. Closes on a spicy note, displaying strong, floral-tinged persistence.
Match it with: Shellfish, but if you like oysters, they would be our pick.
Terroir: Granitic and sandy soil. Blend of different parcels, one located close to the sea, another one a bit more inland, and a third one on the hills. All of them are in the Salnés Valley.
Age of the vines: between 30 to 90 years old
Vinification: Harvested by hand // Each parcel is vinified separately // The grapes are destemmed and pressed directly with 20% of the juice stored in barrels and 80% in stainless steel tanks // Natural fermentation lasts for 20 days.
History
Rodrigo Méndez of Forjas del Salnés (known locally as Rodri) is the 5th generation in a family that has grown and crafted quality wine for centuries. Today he is considered one of the greatest Albariño producers in the world, offering more than 15 small-batch bottlings from the micro-terroirs around the Val do Salnés, the most coastal subzone in DO Rías Baixas—an appellation that was established by his grandfather. In another homage to his family’s legacy, Rodri is also leading the revitalization of several nearly extinct local red varietals. Thanks to his rigorous approach and deep regional knowledge, Rodri’s wines are pure expressions of the diverse Salnés terroirs. As a winemaker, he embraces historic techniques that highlight the personality of the different vineyard sites and his basic philosophies and commitment to organic and low-intervention production (native yeast fermentation, extended lees contact without batonnage, minimal sulfur) are consistent across all his wines. As a grower, Rodri has deep respect for his region’s ancient vineyard sites trained in the traditional Parral (pergola) system; he takes a hands-on approach by insisting on longer hang times and manual harvest, all while practicing organic agriculture.
