Wine by the winery Forjas del Salnés

To begin to shape this project, we must go back to 1912, when Francisco Méndez planted his first vineyard of Albariño in the farm Finca El Torno, located in the town of Meaño, in the sub-area of ​​Salnés, and began to produce his own wine. At the time, Méndez Laredo already earned several recognitions for his wines, but it was not until 1980 when he planted the first red varieties. However, he died in 2001 without achieving one of his dreams: to produce red wines from the farms he had planted 20 years earlier. Francisco was the grandfather and great-grandfather of the two generations who now manage the winery: José Manuel and Francisco Méndez Lázaro, and his grandson Rodrigo Méndez Arosa and, among other things, he was part of the management in the consolidation of D.O. Rías Baixas in the 80. He also seriously advocated for the red varietiesCaíño, Espadeiro and Loureiro. Now, Méndez and Rodri's objective is to return to the origin of the Albariño, and to continue the production of reds in Rías Baixas, with modern, continental wines. Almost a century after this family began the cultivation of vines in Meaño, the current generations want to collect the family legacy, fulfil some of the dreams that were left behind, and carry out all of this in a strict way. To do so they have the supervision and personal advice of the famous oenologist from León, Raúl Pérez, nominated by Jai Miller, collaborator of Robert Parker, as the best Spanish oenologist in 2009. In fact, seven of the wines of this winery were included in the critic's latest update on Spanish wines.

History of the winery

It all started in 2003, when Raúl Pérez and Rodri Méndez met after buying some Albariño grapes to make the first Sketch. From that moment the magic was there, and Raúl was commissioned to create, together with Rodri and his family of winemakers, a project in Rías Baixas based on the quality of its red varieties Caiño, Loureiro and Espadeiro. This is how Forjas do Salnés was born. Currently, it is one of the most renown wineries throughout the denomination, and the origin of great white wines like Leirana or Finca Genoveva and the famous Goliardo, red wines born at the seashore. Forja do Salnés is a winery located in the region of Salnés, inside the municipality of Cambados, in D.O. Rías Baixas. It is a small project, with comfortable facilities where it holds old oak barrels, barrels of different sizes, origins and ages, as well as stainless steel deposits.

Forjas do Salnés is a family winery that has already reached its cruising speed, and that improves the quality of its wines year after year, based mainly on a meticulous work in the vineyard and in a production process based on the origins of the area. They manage around three hectares of their own vineyard, at a few metres of altitude (less than 100) and some other farms they control. Their training methods are in espalier, throughout seven farms: El Torno, Xesteira and A Telleira for Albariño, and Aimeirón, Xacobeira de Abaixo and Xesteira de Abaixo for their red varieties.

Wines from Forjas do Salnés

Below we present you with the list of wines from Forjas do Salnés:

Forjas do Salnés produces a wide range of white and red wines under different commercial brands.

Among the white wines, we can highlight Leirana Albariño, a single-variety of Albariño from a vineyard of around 4 hectares, with vines that are between 40 and 60 years old, planted on sand and granite soils. Its fermentation is carried out in stainless steel deposits with temperature control, leaving the wine in contact with its own lees for a short time. This wine achieved 92 Parker points and it was also qualified as the best wine of D-O. Rías Baixas by The New York Times in its 2012 vintage.

Another of their outstanding whites is Leirana A Escusa, made 100% with Albariño grapes outside of D.O. Rías Baixas. Its name comes from mount A Escusa, which separates the estuaries of Arousa and Pontevedra and that is very close to the winery. The first vintage of A Escusa is born from a wine that did not ferment correctly. In 2008, one of the 500-litre deposits destined for the production of Leirana accidentally stopped fermenting. Rodrigo called Raúl Pérez to try and save the wine, but when they tasted the result, they decided to let it rest and finally launch it on the market. Since then, this wine is still produced, although not accidentally.

Another of their great whites is Leirana Finca Genoveva, made from Albariño that grows in the farm Genoveva, planted more than 100 years ago. It is vinified in foudres and it is aged in oak for 12 months. Cos Pés its their his other very special white, made with Albariño and foot stomped, as its name indicates, until the fermentation starts. Then, it macerates with its skins in used oak foudres. It comes from a farm near the sea, located next to the farm that produces the famous Sketch, planted on sandy soil with boulders.

Another white that deserves its own mention is the Goliardo A Telleira, where Raúl Pérez's curiosity has led him to age this wine under sea, in special cages that are 30 metres deep. It is made with Albariño grapes from a single plot, planted with vines that are over 40 years old, and fermented in 700-litre barrels for 12 months. Then, it is refined for 2 months at 30 metres below sea level.

Regarding red wines, the winery produces a collection under the labels Goliardo, where they emphasise their varietal reds made with Caiño, Espadeiro, Laureiro, and the special Goliardo Finca Genoveva Caiño made from a very old vineyard, all of them with an average ageing between 12 and 14 months in French oak barrels. Wines with a marked Atlantic personality.

Another red wine with a very Atlantic character, "sea wine", as they call it in the winery, is Bastión de Luna, made with a range of varieties: Mencía, Loureiro, Espadeiro and Caiño Tinto, all from old vines, with a production process that is completely artisan and slightly interventionist. It is aged for 12 months in old French oak barrels to achieve good oxygenation and little contribution of wood to the wine, exposing its Atlantic character, somewhat saline.