Goliardo Caino Forjas del Salnes Rias Baixas 2015

Goliardo Caino Forjas del Salnes Rias Baixas, natural wine, 100% Caino, rare grape, vines up to 200 years old, pre-phylloxera, one of the most elegantly complex we have tasted in a long time. This rare vineyard really does produce something special. When I first tasted this wine, it was one of those weeks when sadly there was a lot to taste and Goliardo was opened alongside a top Chilean wine of similar or higher value. The Chilean wine sells in some very fine Michelin stars for over £100 but this amazing red from Forjas de Salnes absolutely blew it out of the water. Caino is a rare grape and needs a little time in bottle to show itself and with these incredibly old vines at Forjas de Salnes, it reaches levels of complexity on nose and palate rarely acheived at this price. This is not a super powerful wine, it is dry, fresh, medium bodied and elegant but the aromas of mint, ripe fruits, herbs, smoke and much more are simply wonderful. The palate too is delicious, smooth, fresh, well textured. I am told the wine will only get better but this 2015 is drinking beautifully.

A stone’s throw away from the Atlantic ocean located in Val do Salnés in the north of Rias Baixas, this bodega is owned by the Méndez family.

The soil in his vineyards is granitic sand, covered with a layer of humus, over granite bedrock. It is very poor, fast draining soil that vines struggle in and phylloxera cannot live in, hence many of the vineyards are deceptively old, up to 200 years! Even his joven Albariño comes from vines with an average age of 40 years. The recovery of century-old vineyards of indigenous red varieties, such as Caíño, Espadeiro and Loureiro, in addition to the white Albariño from old vineyards, are the base of their wines and a clear reflection of the terroir: wines full of freshness, with a perfect minerality and ample sensations.