Tasting Notes: Founded in 1904, Palacio de Fefinanes is housed inside a historic baronial palace which sits on the main square of coastal Cambados, in the sub-zone of Val do Salnés. The palace was built in 1647 by the viscount of Fefiñanes, Gonzalo Sarmiento Valladares, and this wine commemorates him by bearing the year of his birth on the label. Palacio de Fefiñanes was the first producer to bottle wine under the D.O. Rías Baixas denomination, and released its first wine in 1928.The Rias Baixas region’s vineyards are quite windy due to the proximity of the Atlantic Ocean, but that same wind also provides acidity and freshness to the wines. The grapes’ thick skins help them withstand the particularly damp climate, and result in wines high in alcohol, acidity and flavor.

Wine maker Cristina Mantilla makes two 100% Albariño wines: A young traditional style and the “1583” a rare oak barrel aged version that spends five months aging in oak, a both fine-grained American and French Allier barrels. The wine is a lovely straw yellow color, clean and bright. The nose is reminiscent of ripe crystallized fruit and spices. The palate is elegant, round and well balanced, with a silky texture. Excellent with shellfish, grilled or stewed fish, white meats, poultry.