When I was in MB, otherwise known as Millesime Bio, Frederik Kolderup, the energetic Norwegian wine importer, coffee fanatic who travels with his own grinder, and lover of the more nat'l the better, ordered me to check an American making albarino in Rias Biaxis.
Hell, you know me, good 'ole skeptic.
But it was Frederik, so I did.
What I found was Albarino that wasn't: 1) sweet 2) tropical 3) sauvignon blancish 3) creamy.
Not only that but the winemaker and part owner of
Benito Santos--Todd Blomberg-- an American who fell in love with a Galician and has lived there for a decade--is working naturally, with a brain that keeps on ticking. He's intent on eliminating S02 usage. His method involved a butter churner.
Blomberg only makes albarino and is working on single vineyards. Two elements that drew me to his wines were: a lovely bitterness and a fresh, attention grabbing acidity. You see, acidity is something that I've found lacking in albarino of late as trying to appeal to a mass palate, too many winemakers are deacidifying, capturing sweetness in the wine, and basically reconfiguring nature, reasons I stopped drinking the stuff.
According to Todd, the Benito Santos vines have never used chemicals and the wines had never been yeasted or whatevered.
Impressed, I contacted Todd and asked him when I was in town to be on a panel about wine homogenization, could I visit? He in turn offered to take me around. An offer I could not refuse.
Todd in his oldest vines, behind the winery.
TBC
Todd in his oldest vines, behind the winery.
TBC
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