Xose Lois Sebio

Village

$32.60 CAD/btl $97.80 CAD/case $137.60 CAD/case Retail

Notes

Village is a Galician white wine made from Albariño, Treixadura, and other indigenous varieties from Xose Lois Sebio's family vineyards, As Viñas, O Forcadal, and younger grapes from Os Canos. The parcels are located all around the historic village of Gomariz, giving the wine contrasting notes from the various soils and microclimates. It is what is called a “vino de vila” in Galicia, meaning a village wine, traditionally made from a mix of grapes from various vineyards.

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.

As Xose Lois notes, this wine paints a perfect picture of the village of Gomariz; it's deep, structured, savoury, and elegant. The smooth texture on the palate is unmistakably due to the distinct clay soils of Gomariz while the structure comes from the Treixadura grape and the complex minerality from schist rocks. All this is tied together by a marvelous acidity which gives the wine a persistent finish.

Aromas of white flowers, stone fruit, aromatic herbs and spices with hints of minerality.  On the palate it's enveloping but balanced with an initial fresh direct fruit flavour followed by lasting elegance. A wine that ages really well in the bottle.

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

Facts

Annual Production: 4000 bottles (The club has access to 200 annually)
Type: Blanco (white)
Body: Light
Palate: Dry
Finish: Elegant, balanced, fresh and mineral
Grape Variety: blend of indigenous varieties from the As Viñas, O Forcadal and Os Canos vineyards -  Albariño, Treixadura, and a handful of other native varieties
Viticulture / Farming: Sustainable & Biodynamic - Terroir Driven
ABV%: 13.5
Ageing: 10 months in a new 2500 litre foudre
Winemakers:  Xose Lois Sebio
Bodega: Viño de Encostas - Xose Lois Sebio
Region: Gomariz, Province of Ourense, Galicia
Designation of Origin: No D.O. - private parcels around Gomariz
Micro-Climate: Mediterranean/Atlantic – cool & humid winters (2ºC) and short dry summers (29ºC)
Elevation: 200-220 meters above sea level
Age of Vines: 40- 110 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. Macerated with skins for 6 hours, the different varieties are then pressed, naturally fermented and aged in a large 2500 litre foudre. 

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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