Nanclares y Prieto Fogar do Castrino 2019

94 pts Wine Advocate
I tasted the 2018 vintage before it was named, and today, I tasted the 2019 Fogar Do Castriño, produced from two vineyards, Inxertal and A Granxa, in a new 500-liter chestnut barrel. where the wine matured for two years. It has some spicy smokiness from the wood. 2019 was a cooler year than 2020, but with the new barrel, it has some creaminess; it even made me think of a brandy (to enjoy as an after-dinner drink?). It has 12.5% alcohol, a serious profile and the components to develop in bottle. Very unusual.
- Luis Gutierrez, Robert Parker Wine Advocate
Alberto Nanclares y Silvia Prieto had a catastrophic 2023 vintage, when they only got 3,300 kilos of grapes from their vineyards (they usually get around 18,000 kilos), as they had a massive mildew attack. Their normal production is around 50,000 bottles (they also buy grapes), but in 2023, it will be much less. After this, they decided to make some changes in their viticulture and also to restructure their portfolio a little, as they had up to 21 different wines! I tasted mostly 2021 and 2022 in white and 2020 and 2021 in red. 2021 was challenging: It was cool with mildew, and they didn't treat the vines. They had ripening problems, and the wines have low alcohol—many grapes were picked at 11% with more freshness. 2021 was not a harvest for reds. 2022 was warmer, with grapes that were a little riper and rounder wines. As for 2020, it was warm and dry, but they also had fungal attacks. It was better for reds.

100% Albariño from centenarian vines in two parcels in the town of Sisán: Inxertal and A Granxa. Both vineyards are trained in the pergola method and on rich sandy-loam soils over granite bedrock. The grapes were harvested by hand, sorted, and gently crushed whole cluster into a new 500L Chestnut barrel. The wine rested on its gross lees for 24 months, with batonnage for the first month. Bottled without fining or filtering and rested in bottle for 21 months before release.