2018 Alberto Nanclares Minato da Rana Tinto
All wines stored at 55° and 70% humidity
Legendary Spanish importer, José Pastor has been the gateway to so many new Spanish discoveries (Envínate and Luis Rodriguez to name a couple). Nanclares reflects the philosophy in the vines and the cellar that Pastor has used as his foundation in building such a critical and impressive portfolio of ultra-attentive, thoughtful growers-producers.
About Alberto Nanclares
In 1992, Alberto Nanclares and his wife chose to leave their native Basque country and settle in this extreme Atlantic Ocean setting in the beautifully green and lush northwest Galicia region. Organic viticulture is no easy task in Rias Baixas, as the high humidity and constant rainfall have meant conventional farming with chemicals and extremely high yields is the overwhelming norm. There was a gradual shift over the years for Nanclares to get his parcels farmed the right way, through painstaking labor.
It's wines like these that serve as great reminders that when focus is placed squarely on quality and the most natural viticulture/winemaking, the results can ultimately be game-changers for regions steeped in such history like Rias Baixas. Among all the wines I drank through the summer in Spain, there is none that I personally have reached for with more regularity since returning as those from Alberto Nanclares.
Wine Info
60% Mencía, 30% Garnacha Tintorera, 10% Godello & Palomino
"Miñato de Raña comes from a very steep, south-facing vineyard (named “A Raña”) of centenarian vines grown on granite soils. After a complicated growing season with hot and cold spikes, hand-harvesting took place on Sept. 24th. Grapes were foot-trodden whole cluster and fermented in two 600L open-top barrels with 20 days maceration. The wine was then pressed into used 500L French barrels for malolactic fermentation, and raised for 9 months without racking; bottling is without clarification or filtration and only judicious levels of SO2 were added. This is “Volnay” meets “Cote de Brouilly” — super fresh, focused, with red fruits and wild aromatics of flowers and herbs. Delicious now, this should age well over the next 5-7 years."
—José Pastor
Product Details | |
Price Range | $60-$100 |
Grape Variety | Garnacha |
Grape Variety | Mencia |
Country | Spain |
Region | Ribeira Sacra |
Vintage | 2018 |
Bottle Size | 750ml |