Xose Lois Sebio

As Viñas

$75.33 CAD/btl $106.06 CAD/btl Retail $226.00 CAD/case $318.20 CAD/case Retail


Notes

As Viñas is a Galician white wine made from Albariño, Treixadura, and other indigenous varieties from a single vineyard dating back to 1926. The centennial As Viñas vineyard, depicted on the bottle's label, is one of Sebio's personal family vineyards; acquired slowly over the years. The vineyard is located near the historic and viticulturally prestigious village of Gomariz.

As Xose Lois notes, this wine is the definition of a great 'vino de guarda' (a wine to cellar); it's deep, structured, savoury, and elegant. The Albariño brings the brightness while the Teixadura offers elegance and the handful of other rare native varieties add a certain yo no se que (je ne sais quoi).

Aromas of white flowers, fresh fruit, brioche and spices. The initial fresh intensity is followed by an elegant and complex minerality, thanks to the distinct clay and schist soils of Gomariz. Very balanced on the palate with a long and memorable finish. Loads of character and a very unique white wine with the ability to age beautifully in the bottle.

The wine is made using biodynamic and sustainable practices with low-intervention and no additives; also following the permaculture principles of Masanubo Fukuoka.

Facts

Annual Production: 1500 bottles (The club has access to 100 annually)
Type: Blanco (white)
Body: Light
Palate: Dry
Finish: Elegant, balanced, fresh and mineral
Grape Variety: very old indigenous varieties from the As Viñas vineyard -  Albariño, Treixadura, and a handful of other native varieties
Viticulture / Farming: Sustainable & Biodynamic - Terroir Driven
ABV%: 13.5
Ageing: 1 year in new 600L oak barrels, 1 year in stainless tanks
Winemakers:  Xose Lois Sebio
Bodega: Viño de Encostas - Xose Lois Sebio
Region: Gomariz, Province of Ourense, Galicia
Designation of Origin: No D.O. - private single vineyard - As Viñas - Gomariz
Micro-Climate: Mediterranean/Atlantic – cool & humid winters (2ºC) and short dry summers (29ºC)
Elevation: 220 meters above sea level
Age of Vines: 96 years
Soil: clay and rocks (schists)

Tips

  • Drink now or keep for up to 4 years
  • No need to decant, simply open 5 minutes before consuming
  • Pairs well with any fish and seafood dishes, Italian pasta dishes, sushi and sashimi and other Japanese dishes, Manchego cheese (any goat and sheep milk cheeses) and soft cheeses, white meats, Jamón Ibérico, paella and other rice dishes
  • Ideally served chilled

Terroir

Xose Lois Sebio makes wine from vineyards in several regions within Galicia and Castilla & León including: Gomariz, O Bolo, Sanxenxo, Valtuille, and Santiuste.

The vineyards for the Vinos de Familia Sebio (Xose Lois Sebio's family wines) are all located around the village of Gomariz, in the province of Ourense, Galicia. The village of Gomariz is in the Northernmost part of Ribeiro wine region, an area that is influenced by the Avia river, a tributary to the Miño, and benefits from a blend of Atlantic and Mediterranean climates. Though the region is not far from the Atlantic, it is protected from its harsh winds and storms by mountain ranges to the West which form a natural barrier. 

Gomariz is often referred to as the Golden Mile of Ribeiro, and is one of the oldest wine producing regions in Spain, dating back to the 10th century. In medieval times, Ribeiro was without a doubt the most important wine region in Galicia, ancient documents show that both religious estates and royalty were heavily involved in the region. The Sistine and Benedictine orders settled in Ribeiro, the monks made the most of the land by renting the vineyards to local farmers, and this served as the main source of income for the monasteries. This is why so many ancient architectural examples of cathedrals and monasteries are peppered throughout the landscape, on the footsteps of the vineyards. In fact, Ribeiro wine was aboard the Nao Santa Maria, the ship that took Christopher Columbus to America.

The microclimate of Gomariz is relatively mild with cool and humid winters rarely going below 2ºC and warm dry summers reaching 30ºC.

These vineyards are found in a lush green landscape of rolling hills, the vines sit on steep slopes and terraced plots with stone walls. This type of layout makes cultivation very laborious and manual.

Vinification/Ageing

Manually harvested and sorted. The different varieties are naturally fermented separately in 600L new French oak barrels over 12 months. They are then blended together in stainless tanks one year before bottling. 

Winemaker

When it comes to winemaking, Xose-Lois Sebio is both an innovator and a traditionalist. Quite possibly one of the most knowledgeable winemakers in Ribeiro, Galicia, Xose-Lois draws from his extensive experience in both the theory and practice of winemaking. He was born and grew up in Vigo, Galicia, a coastal city in northwest Spain not far from where he now makes some of his Viños de Encostas. At the University of Ourense in Galicia, Xose-Lois completed a degree in Agricultural Engineering and a Masters in Oenology. He studied alongside some of Galicia’s greats and formed a strong bond with the entire winemaking community of the region, which he further solidified by working at various wineries in Rias Baixas, Ribeiro, and several other regions.

It was during his studies that he met Ricardo Carreira, the owner of Coto de Gomariz, one of Ribeiro’s top-rated wineries. In 2002, Xose-Lois began working with Ricardo and together they pushed the envelope; planting vineyards, bringing new wines to market, and completely revitalizing Coto de Gomariz. Together they modernized the winery and showed the world the true potential of Ribeiro wines. 

In 2010 Xose-Lois began work on his personal project, Viños de Encostas. He became obsessed with the idea of creating honest wines with no makeup and a distinct personality. With Viños de Encostas (wines of the slopes), Xose-Lois focuses on forgotten locations, off the beaten path, areas that are difficult to cultivate, all the while practicing unusual winemaking techniques. 

Of the 10 wines that comprise Viños de Encostas, some are traditional and others radically innovative, but they all display the finest aspects of the native grapes and their terroirs. The vines are low-yielding and costly to cultivate, which means they are anything but conventional. They are all small-batch wines, some of them cultivated organically, others biodynamically, and some more conventionally, depending on the location and the topography of each vineyard. Xose-Lois’ objective is to create wines that express the unique identities of Galicia’s native grape varieties and their terroirs. All of Xose-Lois’ wines are low-intervention, low-sulphur, and made without any unnatural additives.

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