La Cana Alborino 2016

Drink now through to 2020. Serve well chilled.

Jorge Ordonez first discovered the potential of the Rias Baixas in the late 1980s when he visited the region on a mission to seek out interesting new Spanish wines. By the early 1990s he had become the first to export Albarino to the United States, ushering in a new era for the appreciation of Spanish wines on the opposite side of the Atlantic.

His winery in the Rias Baixas, Bodegas La Caña, was founded in 2007 and seeks to made Albarino in the traditional style using modern winemaking techniques and technologies. The La Caña Albariño is made by Kiwi winemaker Natalie Christensen who carefully selects the grapes from 38 tiny plots in the Salnés Valley in the northernmost section of the Rias Baixas.

Natalie ferments 25% of the wine in used French oak barrels to give a richer, creamy texture to the wine. Following vinification the wine is then aged on the lees for 8 months to add extra complexity. The result is a light, vivacious wine with racy acidity, ripe peach and lemon zest flavours and hints of salinity and delicate white flowers. Serve it well chilled on a hot summer’s day alongside a generous platter of oysters or assorted fruits de mer.