Critics' Choice: Castro Martin Albarino

Matthew Nugent, writing in The Sun, profiled Albariño this week, and in his column, featured the excellent Castro Martin Albarino.

"FROM an excellent family-owned vineyard in the Salnés Valley, comes this yummy wine, made with minimal intervention by Angela Martin. A straw lemon colour, it has distinct salty minerality on the nose, along with hints of pear and peach. The palate has a citrussy tang, with stone fruit notes and a streak of lemon and mineral acidity. Exceptional wine."

To add to Matthew's feature, the Castro Martin Albarino grapes are grown in the Salnés valley on alluvial soils with granite and quartz, a rocky and unforgiving terrain.

However, these vineyards are both family owned and run and the average age of the vines is 50 years old, which means that not only do the family know what they are about, but so too do the vines.

And, I'd have to agree with Matthew's conclusion - it is an exceptional Albariño.