O Gran Meín Castes Brancas 2023 represents the viticultural history of the village of Meín, of the Avia valley and the aging capacity of its elaborations. The division of the land into vineyards of small areas and the different elaborations of treixadura, godello, torrontés, albariño, loureira, caíño blanco and lado are worked independently in vineyard and winery. Contained aromas of citrus and flowers that gradually become expressive. Complexity full of life that recalls its origin. A demonstration of the multi-varietal landscape and historical knowledge based on Ribeiro’s smallholdings.
CASTES BRANCAS
O Gran Meín Castes Brancas 2023
The winter was rainy, accumulating a large amount of precipitation from October 2022 to June 2023. Bud break was early, which, together with the high rainfall, meant that special demands had to be made on the management of each plot. The summer was cool and the extreme heat did not arrive until the end of August. The grapes were harvested early and quickly. It began on August 22 and ended on September 15. Both in the vineyard and in the winery, all the grapes were selected cluster by cluster to ensure the exact ripening point and maximum quality in the winemaking process.
O Gran Meín Castes Brancas is an example of the value that Galician smallholdings bring to the production of great wines. The terraces and the different local varieties that make up the Meín site offer a fragmentation of the vineyard that is respected throughout the entire winemaking process. Under an ecological philosophy, the work is carried out differentiating its variety, its conduction system, its exposure… This individualized care of the plots consists in the adaptation of the team to the viticultural reality of each part of the vineyard. O Gran Meín is the selection of the best terraces of Meín and its surroundings in order to show the excellence of the best plots of the Avia.
O Gran Meín Castes Brancas is made with the local varieties of the Avia valley: treixadura, godello, albariño, torrontés, loureira, caíño blanco and lado. The grapes are harvested in 12 kg boxes according to the moment of ripening, applying the colleiteiro style. In the winery, cluster selection is carried out and then whole cluster pressing. Only the first musts will be part of O Gran Meín after a separate elaboration of each variety and each plot. For greater protection, the wine contains sulfites. O Gran Meín was aged for twelve months in stainless steel. It was bottled in the summer of 2024 and has remained another twelve months in bottle before release.
