Vineyard and winemaking
Maior de Mendoza 3 Crianzas is made from 100% Albariño grown at the estate's Finca El Hórreo in the Val do Salnés. The vines were more than 36 years old at harvest and grow on Galicia's characteristic granite-derived soils, farmed by hand without herbicides or systemic treatments and cropped at deliberately modest yields.
The 2018 fruit was hand-picked into small boxes, cooled and given around nine hours of cold skin contact before gentle pressing. Fermentation lasted approximately 21 days at controlled temperature, followed by nine months on fine lees, five months in stainless steel and a further five months in bottle: the three distinct stages that give the wine its name.
Tasting notes
Appearance
Bright straw gold with green-gold reflections and a clear, gently mature sheen.
Nose
Mandarin, lime and white peach are layered with quince, orange blossom and a fine savoury note of brioche, fennel and toasted hazelnut.
Palate
Textured and composed, with ripe stone fruit and preserved citrus carried by lively Atlantic acidity. Extended lees contact gives breadth without blunting the wine's saline edge, and the finish is long, mineral and lightly nutty, showing the complexity Albariño can gain with time.
Food pairing
Serve with roast turbot, crab ravioli, poached chicken with tarragon, or a creamy leek and mussel dish. Its combination of depth and freshness also suits aged Manchego, making it far more versatile than a simple aperitif white.
Background story
The Barros family began cultivating Albariño in the 1970s, before Rías Baixas had achieved denominación status. José Barros planted one of Galicia's largest contiguous areas of the variety at the time, and the family later founded Maior de Mendoza on slopes overlooking Carril and the Ría de Arousa.
Maior de Mendoza became an early Rías Baixas advocate of ageing Albariño on its lees. The 3 Crianzas 2018 takes that work further by separating maturation into lees, tank and bottle stages, producing a limited wine designed to reveal the variety's longevity as well as its immediate Atlantic freshness.
