EMILIO ROJO 2021
08/11/2024

O Gran Meín Castes Brancas 2022

O Gran Meín Castes Brancas 2022 is the demonstration of the landscapeplurivarietal and historical knowledge based on the smallholding of Ribeiro. The division of the land into vineyards of small areas and the different elaborations of treixadura, godello, torrontés, albariño, loureira, caíño blanco and lado are worked independently in the vineyard and winery. The search for the essence of each fraction of the land ends up forming part of an assemblage wine after aging. O Gran Meín Castes Brancas represents the viticultural history of Lugar de Meín, the Avia Valley and its aging capacity. Contained aromas of citrus and flowers that become expressive with oxygenation time. Complexity full of life that recalls its origin.

 

The vintage of heat

The year 2022 will be remembered in Spain and precisely in Ribeiro for the heat waves and drought that occurred throughout the summer. The winter was quite dry, but normal in terms of temperatures. At the end of February, the trend changed: March and April were wet and cold. This delayed budbreak, but entailed extra work in terms of canopy control during several days with a risk of frost. The month of May was atypical as temperatures began to rise above 35ºC and there was no rain. During the summer, especially in July and the first days of August, temperatures were extremely high, reaching over 40ºC for several consecutive days. Despite the extreme conditions, the vines adapted their physiological development to a dry and hot year. The white grape harvest began on August 30 and ended on September 12.

 

Knowledge linked to smallholding

The different varieties are arranged in terraces around the Meín site, offering a fragmentation of the vineyard that is respected throughout the wine making process. This individualized care of the plots consists of adapting the equipment to the viticultural reality of each part of the vineyard. Under an ecological philosophy, the work is carried out differentiating its varietal, its conduction system, its exposure… O Gran Meín Castes Brancas is an example of the value that Galician smallholdings bring to the production of great wines.

 

Colleiteiro winemaking style

O Gran Meín Castes Brancas is made with the local varieties of the Avia valley: treixadura, godello, albariño, torrontés, loureira, caíño blanco and lado. The grapes are harvested in 12 kg boxes according to the moment of ripening, applying the colleiteiro style. In the winery, cluster selection is carried out and then whole cluster pressing. For the smaller plots, the crushing is done by hand. Only the first musts will be part of O Gran Meín after a separate elaboration of each variety and each plot. The final blend represents the small plots around Lugar de Meín, in the Avia valley. After 12 months of aging in stainless steel, concrete, oak and demijohn, the wine was bottled in the fall of 2023. For further protection the wine contains sulfites. It is aged in bottle for 12 months before release.

 

Download tasting sheet O Gran Meín CB 2022