About The Wine
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 40-year-old vines are trained in the traditional parral canopy fashion, anchored by granite posts.
The gnarled, skinny trunks produce low yields of highly concentrated fruit used exclusively for the estate’s 100% Albariño, Rosa Ruiz.
A touch of skin contact and extended lees maturation gives enhances the wine's stonier feel. Raised in small stainless-steel vessels to enrich the texture, it's a chiselled Albariño showing engaging purity, top notes of ripe lemon and sea spray, with plenty of surface and lingering traces of tangy acidity and chalk.
Taking its cues from its granite soils, it is a cracking example of the grape and the region.
About Santiago Ruiz
The Ruiz family has crafted wine on Galicia's Atlantic coast since the 1860s, with Ángel Ruiz—nicknamed 'The Father of Albariño'—among the first to bottle wines from what became Rías Baixas. His grandson Santiago pioneered estate wine marketing in 1981, and today Santiago's daughter Rosa leads the operation with winemaker Luisa Freire.
Their vineyards sit in O Rosal, Rías Baixas' southernmost subzone, where the Miño River marks Portugal's border. This area enjoys exceptional sunshine, a drier climate, Atlantic breezes, and sandy soils over granite bedrock—conditions producing wines that are simultaneously ripe and mineral-driven.
Sustainable practices define their approach: hand-harvesting, organic fertilizers, cover crops, and zero pesticides. Santiago Ruiz pioneered stainless steel fermentation in the region, using small tanks for separate varietal vinification with natural yeasts and extended lees contact.
Snapshot
Region: Rías Baixas
Country: Spain
Vintage: 2023
Alcohol: 13.5%
Size: 750ml
Closure: Cork under seal
Varietal: 100% Albariño
