Embaixador 2023

The Embaixador 2023 is a single-varietal, dry Albariño from the Val do Salnés, the heart of Rías Baixas, and ranks among the most characterful interpretations of this grape. It convinces less through fruit than through origin, structure and texture: cool, linear, carried by saline tension.

The single vineyard covers 0.5 hectares of vines averaging 60 years old, trained in the traditional pergola system, giving a planting density of 800 vines per hectare. The soil is of granitic origin with a loamy character. The west-facing aspect toward the Atlantic brings cool afternoon breezes, slow ripening and crisp acidity; the pergola shields the grapes from intense sun and ensures airflow, important in rainy Galicia.

Hand-harvested with selection at the sorting table, full destemming, then cold maceration. Fermentation at a controlled 12 to 15°C, followed by two years of ageing on the lees with regular stirring: one year in granite tank, the second in steel tank.

On the nose, ripe peach, nectarine, mandarin, mirabelle and yellow plum, along with generous bergamot and grapefruit zest, oyster shell and herbs ranging from chervil to lemon balm; with air, pea shoots, cress and marjoram emerge. On the palate, the fruit recedes quickly, giving way to a knife-sharp structure of salted lemon, grapefruit zest and pronounced saline minerality. Fine lees-driven creaminess and cold smoke add depth, with a finish that stays long, elegant and light-footed.

Brothers Robustiano and Baldomero Fariña lead Attis in its third generation; their 2011 winery on Monte Penaguda is carved into the granite rock, with winemaking advice from oenologist Jean-François Hébrard. The artist label Cabeza de Serpe is by Francisco Leiro. At the TEXSOM Awards 2025, the Embaixador 2023 received one of only 56 Platinum medals.