Of course, Albariño is the headline grape variety of Rías Baixas—and headlines sell. Yet behind the scenes, the finest growers will tell you that the region's less well-known native varieties have an increasingly important supporting role to play. The steak is good, but the sauce completes the dish. Varietales is a blend of Albariño with 20% Caiño Blanco, 20% Loureira and a drop of Treixadura. Jorge Marcote is especially evangelical about Caiño Blanco, which here brings great acidity and phenolic bite. One day, he hopes to bottle this grape on its own. Go for it, we say.
What a wine! Aromas lead you to yellow stone fruits, iodine freshness, rocks and minerals; then, spring flowers and touches of honey blossom. It is aromatically deep with lots of complexity and mineral allure. You want to dive in. The palate courses with figgy, stony extract and terrific texture anchored with bow-like tension and phenolic kick on the finish. Oh, we gonna rock down to Electric Avenue—and then we'll take it higher.