Sal de Terra, Albariño 2023

Sal de Terra (Salt of the Earth) is a passion project from three good friends: wine writer, Jamie Goode; winemaker, Daniel Primack; and wine importer, Ben Henshaw. The three got together for dinner one night in late 2017, and their conversation flowed on to discussing their love for saline, terroir-driven whites. Then a lightbulb moment occurred: their own barrel projects, produced under one label, with organic practices at its core. Albariño 2023 is the Ben Henshaw part of the puzzle. Taken from two vineyards in Spain's Rias Baixas region; a site with 35 year old vines on sandy granitic soils, 6km from the sea at Carballoso-in-Xil; and a 30 year-old vineyard at sea level next to the Atlantic in Castrelo near Cambados. The grapes were aged in a mixture of chestnut barrel and concrete. The nose has notes of ripe citrus, stone fruit, white blossom and a hint of stony minerality. Despite refreshing zesty acidity there is wonderful breadth on the palate, with flavours of yellow peach, lime cordial and a sea-breeze salinity lingering on the finish. A dream with shellfish.