2016 Pazo Señorans Selección de Añada: 99-point extraordinary aged Albariño

One of Spain’s greatest white wines

The Pazo Señorans Selección de Añada has become widely recognised as one of Spain's great white wines. While Albariño is habitually drunk young, this very long-lees-aged wine is proof of concept that Albariño can in fact age phenomenally well. Pazo Señorans have been on the scene for some thirty years, and in that time have jumped to the head of the Spanish pack. Every year, they make wine from a selection of the very best fruit from old vines in the Salnés Valley in Galicia's Rías Baíxas. This wine is aged for a decade before it's released as the Selección de Añada.

The 'hanging gardens' of the Saln&eacutes Valley are the heartland of Albariño territory. The climate is so damp that the pergolas used to train the vines are hewn from granite, as wood rots too quickly. The pergolas allow air to circulate through the vines and give them maximum exposure to the sun. Albariño grapes have thick enough skins to tough out the damp and the sea air, and can produce phenomenal fruit here.

The Guía Peñín, Spain's domestic wine bible, has given the just-released 2016 Pazo Señorans Selección de Añada a score of 99 points. (A previous vintage, the 2013, became the first ever white wine to score 100 points in the guide). 2016 saw a superb vintage in the Salnés Valley, with a balanced growing season marked by even ripening, warm days and cool nights; nigh-on perfect conditions. Aromatically, the 2016 is marked by ripe aromas of honeydew melon and baked pastry, which give way to hints of petrol and white pepper. There is still a tense citrus core at the heart of the wine, and then a long, saline finish. It was aged on the lees for 3 years, then in bottle for another seven. /NT

Offered subject to remaining unsold. Wines available autumn 2026.To place an order, click on the wines below or call 020 7638 5998