Appellation: Salnes; Rías Baixas.
Cuvée: Tempus Vivendi.
Colour: White.
Grapes: Albariño.
About: this Cuvée is from the second grapes to be harvested, from fruit grown by partners under supervision of Alberto, near the sea, and shows a more refreshing saline, spicy fruit character than the other entry level wine Dandelión. First made in 2003.
Vines
Location: from 17 plots from 5 winegrowers south of the winery near the village of Sanxenxo.
Size ha: 1.
Age: planted between 1975 and 1995.
Soils: granitic, sandy, with some plots more clay.
Exposition: two plots face west, the others south.
Altitude: up to 50m.
Training: pergola.
Farming: organic and sustainable mixed.
Average yield hl/ha: 45.
Climate: Atlantic.
Winemaking
The harvest is selected in the vineyard, moved to the winery in 15kg crates, and whole bunch pressed in a pneumatic press at very low pressure. The juice is moved direct to tank without any settling or clarification in order to keep all the body of the juice. Fermented with natural yeasts, without use any additives except light dose sulphites, which prevents the malo-lactic fermentation from taking place; Alberto wants the malic acid in the wine. The wine isn’t moved until the Spring when it’s bottled following with a cold tartaric stabilisation for the domestic market but not for export according to demand.
Vintage Notes 2018
A dry winter was followed by a cold, late, wet Spring. There was a normal flowering. Summer started cool, became hot, hastening the harvest. The wines turned out great.
Harvested: Sept 10 to Oct 6
Bottles produced: 11,000
Date bottled: 2019-04
Alcohol %: 12.30
SO2 Total: 84
Tasting: zesty, spicy acidity, very saline, with rich apple fruit at its core, clean, pure, long, digestible.
Vintage Notes 2019
Very challenging year. A warm and dry winter didn’t allow nature to rest. Flowering was early and spoiled by rain. There was mildew. Summer was cool, then hot and steamy, with an early harvest. Nonetheless, the wines appear to be excellent, rich and vibrant.
Harvested: Sept 2-25
Bottles produced: 7,300
Date bottled: 2020-05
Alcohol %: 12.70
SO2 Total: 78
Tasting: from tank 2020-03-2, lovely seaweed, seasalt and iron character overlays lemon and peach fruit, zesty, thrilling acidity, yet very ripe, second tank even richer.
Vintage Notes 2020
Another complicated vintage where the winter was wet but not cold. Budding took place very early but was accompanied by warm and wet weather causing heavy mildew attacks. The summer was hot and dry until 10 days of rain in August followed by an early harvest.
Harvested: early September
Bottles produced: 6,600
Date bottled: 2020-07
Alcohol %: 12,4
SO2 Total: 77
Vintage Notes 2021
Another difficult up and down year. A wet winter was followed by a cold and wet spring. There followed a hot and dry June, then a cool and damp summer, which finished with a hot and dry August that ended with fog. Result: very unbalanced and intermittent maturation, a lot of work to make good wines.
Yield hl/ha: 40
Harvested: September 6 to 23
Bottles produced: 7,000
Date bottled: 2022-05
Alcohol %: 11,8
SO2 Total: 89
Tasting: 2022-07-28 – not quite as obvious as Dandelion but longer, more saline, algae, mineral with piercing apple and lemon, seaside, very silky fine elegant. Like a soft Muscadet. Delicious.