2022 Nanclares y Prieto Tempus Vivendi Albariño

WINEMAKER: Alberto Nanclares & Silvia Prieto
REGION: Rías Baixas, Galicia, SP
VARIETY: Albariño
VITICULTURE: Organic

Tempus Vivendi is a blend of multiple plots from Sanxenxo at the very south tip of the Salnes valley, an outcrop of land that sticks straight out into the Atlantic Ocean. The climate here is noticably colder and more exposed than the rest of Salnes and consequently it is here that the Nanclares y Prieto wines become the most angular and austere.

Riven with iodine and salt and structured by a bracing acidity Tempus Vivendi is about as far from the tropical, fruity Albarino often hidden under a garish label that's become a commercial success. Pitched and nervy when it's first released with a few months Tempus Vivendi settles into itself and develops into an immensely satisfying and serios version of Albarino.

Nanclares y Prieto have developed something of a cult following in natural wine bars and shops around the globe. It’s not the sort of recognition they sought out but their commitment to vineyard health and the distinctiveness that they are able to coax out of each plot of Albarino has made their wines a sort of touch stone – a reminder that in the right hands and with the right care Albarino can be just as sensitive to changes in terroir as Chenin Blanc or Chardonnay. The wines are all made with indigenous yeasts and no additives or manipulation other than minimal doses of sulphur, they are pure Salnes Albarino from a humble but very, very talented team.

Alberto has been farming organically since the late 1990’s, which is a task that many believed to be impossible in the wet conditions of Salnes where growth is vigorous and disease pressure is high. He treats the soil with a combination of algae from the local Rias and decomposed grape must from previous vintages, the focus here is on viticulture as a means of avoiding additives in the winery.