From: Spain
Varietal: 90% Treixadura with Godello and Albariño
Tasting Notes: “This firm white delivers weight and focus. Creamed pear and melon flavors mingle with herb, blanched almond, and spice notes, while citrusy acidity keeps this lively. Rich, bright, and balanced. Treixadura, Godello and Albariño.”
This winery was set up in the late 1990s to bring back the family’s tradition of wine growing over four generations. It is located on the left bank of the Avia river, next to the magnificent rectory house of Santo André de Camporredondo, which has been restored to host the Galician Museum of Wine and is surrounded by vineyards. The three González Vázquez brothers have split the tasks of winemaking, management, and sales as well as looking after the small hotel-restaurant adjacent to the winery. In fact, Casal de Armán is a favorite accommodation for wine lovers visiting Ribeiro, and the family pioneered the celebration of events and weddings in the area.
The family owns around 20 hectares under vine with white grape varieties such as Treixadura, Godello, Albariño, and Loureira and reds Brancellao, Caíño, and Sousón. They also buy grapes from local growers in order to produce around 200,000 bottles per year. Plots are dotted around the winery and on different historic villages in the valley (San Clodio, Gomariz, Beade, Carballeda…) on both sides of the river Avia. Soils are mainly sábrego (granitic sand) but schist can also be found in some areas. The oldest is in A Veiga (Carballeda) and includes 60+-year-old vines whose cuttings have been used for most of Casal de Armán’s new plantings.
92 Points -Wine Spectator