Ribeira Sacra, Lalama, Dominio do Bibei - 2018

Dominio do Bibei was created in 2001 by Javier Dominguez, brother of the famous Spanish fashion designer Adolfo Dominguez, who wanted to rediscover his family roots and highlight the richness of the Ribeira Sacra region. Until 2015, he was assisted by Sara Pérez and the son of René Barbier (Venus La Universal, in Catalonia). The winery is located in Quiroga-Bibei, the easternmost area of the Ribeira Sacra. The area of the estate is about 30 ha, with a production of about 100,000 bottles per year. The vines are grown at altitudes ranging from 350 to 920 metres, scattered over a large north-facing hillside, with schist and granite soils. Some of the grapes come from neighbouring vineyards, provided they do not face south. Freshness and acidity levels are an obsession here. The climate is Atlantic, with strong contrasts between seasons. Mencia accounts for up to 80% of the vineyard, but brancellao, which was the dominant red variety in the past, plays an important role compared to other red varieties such as mouratón, sousón, caíño and alicante bouchet. As for the white varieties, godello is in the lead, followed by albariño and dona branca. All the grapes are destemmed and the wine is matured in different containers such as oak barrels and half-oak barrels, as well as tuns and cement eggs. The estate is now a cult and revered by wine lovers around the world. It is a reference...