Alongside its Tomiño vines, Santiago Ruiz maintains a second, small parcel of old-vine Albariño at the original 17th century winery in San Miguel de Tabagón. Situated 10 kilometres west of the Tomiño plantings towards the Miño estuary, these vines were replanted in the 1980s. The old vines are trained in the traditional parral canopy fashion, anchored by granite posts. These gnarled, skinny trunks produce low yields of highly concentrated fruit used exclusively for the estate’s 100% Albariño Rosa Ruiz.
The grapes are given extended pre-fermentation maceration to extract maximum aroma from the thick-skinned Albariño grapes. This, plus six months post-fermentation maturation on lees, has resulted in a complex and textured wine with delicious aromas of blossom and ripe lemon. This bottle also has a distinctive label: a hand-drawn sketch based on an old photo of Santiago and his daughter Rosa standing on the balcony above the winery door.