Casal de Arman
DO Ribeiro
Mention Ribeiro to some old time Spanish wine drinkers and you may get stories of filling cheap co-op wine in jugs to take away in bulk. Not that it was a bad thing, but these wines were little more than fruity quaffers. Today there are a growing number of quality-conscious colleteiros making wines of a completely different breed. Colleteiro is a local word referring to those who make exclusively wine from estate-grown grapes and generally connotates a small scale production. Casal de Arman began restoring an 18th century country house in 1996 and acquired various plots (many were actually in the family for four generations) of vineyards in some of the best growing sites in the area. Today they farm about 12 hectares of vineyards, many on incredibly steep terraced hillsides. All the fruit is hand harvested. A deep respect for the preservation of the land has always been integral to their farming philosophy.
Perhaps it was because the old style Ribeiros were anything but serious wines that they were generally not worthy of export and therefore not well known outside the region. While many in the US are still not familiar with the Ribeiro, those who are cannot dispute these are some of the best white wines coming out of Spain at the moment. The dominant Treixadura provides excellent, intoxicating fruity aromatics that are balanced by the shimmering mineral notes reflective of the granite and slate soils. The best examples have a pulsing energy with great fruit/acid balanace and rarely have alcohol levels reaching over 13%.
In their short history, Casal de Arman has racked up a string of awards in Spain and Europe for being on the best performers in Ribeiro. They also own a hotel and restaurant where they serve their wines so export quantities are fairly limited as most of the production is consumed locally.
Given the Galician proximity to the cool ocean, the whites of Ribeiro pair beautfiully with all sorts of seafood from crustaceans to salt cod. They will also work very well with mild cheeses such as the Galician tetilla.
Casal de Arman Blanco
90% Treixadura, 5% Godello, 5% Albarino
Coming from the various plots of vines with an average age of 80 years, the Blanco is pure driving fruit with an abundance of minerally flavors and steely texture. Tremendous energy without being heavy or burdensome. Total production: 5,000 cases.
Arman Sobre Lias
Coming from a single parcel of an old vine field blend that is "basically treixadura with some scattered plantings of Godello and Loureira." Very low yields. After 20 days of fermentation the wine is allowed to settle and then racked off of the gross lees. In stainless tanks the wine remains in contact with the fine lees for 80 days with regular stirring of the lees to keep them alive and clean. After the extended lees contact the wine is racked again and allowed to mature for an addtional 10 months before it goes into bottle for another eight months prior to being released to the market. The result is arguably one of Spain's more profound white wines. At one time profound Spanish white wine may have been an oxymoron but this powerful, ageworthy wine is evidence that Treixadura has come light years from the old co-op tipples of the past. It is recommended to allow at least 30 mintues of exposure to air before beginning to consume this wine in order to obtain the maximum pleasure it has to offer. Just how many years it will continue to evolve is unknown since there is not much of a history with this young wine and winery but at three years after the harvest, this wine remains very much in its infancy although very accessible as well.
Casal de Arman Tinto
Made from relatively rare indigenous grapes Brancellao, Cain, and Souson this very limited Ribeiro red wine is made completely in stainless steel tanks. After a maceration of three to four weeks the wine is racked off to a clean tank and allowed to settle out and mature. A unique wine of medium body and intensity that stands apart from neighboring Ribera Sacra. Due to the limited areas where red grapes excel in this cool climate, production of this is very limited. It is also know by locals to be one of the best reds grown in the region. 120 bottles are allocated to the United States.
