Our Take: A brilliant ruby-purple in the glass, this flagship cuvée opens with a complex, highly aromatic nose of dark wild berries, cracked black pepper, crushed granite, and a hint of dried floral botanicals. On the palate, it strikes a stunning balance between dense old-vine concentration and the trademark high-toned, athletic acidity of Galicia's steep hillsides. The careful whole-cluster inclusion adds a savory, structural grip, while the extended 4-year élevage in barrel and bottle has seamlessly integrated the French oak, leaving a silky texture. It finishes incredibly long, driven by a deep, savory minerality and fresh, crunchy red fruit that promises magnificent longevity.

Varieties
55% Brancellao, with roughly equally parts Caiño Redondo, Caiño Longo, and Ferrol making up the remainder.
Vineyard
The vines for this wine are from around Arnoia, the same town as Luis’s winery. The soils here are decomposed granite and sand. The fruit of the oldest and lowest yielding vines is used for the Escolma (‘selection’ in Gallego), from parcels on terraces on the steep hillsides above the Arnoia and Miño rivers.
Winemaking
Each of the many plots is harvested by hand, partially destemmed (~30% is left whole cluster) and macerated on the skins for 3-4 weeks. Fermented with native yeasts in temperature controlled stainless steel vats, then raised in 300L new (~10% or less) and used French oak barrels for 12 months. Bottled after without fining or filtration and only a small addition of SO2. A Torna dos Pasas Escolma is aged for 3 years in bottle before release.

From a field blend of the lowest yielding old vines planted on steep south-facing granite hillsides in Arnoia. Escolma means “selection” in Gallego.  This top cuvée is only produced in excellent vintages. It was wild yeast fermented in barrel with some whole clusters, raised in a mix of new and old 300 liter French oak barrels for a minimum of 12 months, and further aged in the bottle for 36 months.