Rias Baixas
Vina Nora
Spain
Perched at 600 meters on a natural terrace looking out on River Miño, Viña Nora is located in the municipality of As Neves, in the heart of the wine region of Condado do Tea, wich is bordering Portugal. It is the only inland region out of the four regions that comprise Rías Baixas.
The winery is surrounded by the typical vine formations of the Albariño varieties, which grow down the slopes that descend towards the river and face the midday sun.
This unique location is noted for its granite soils with plentiful cobbles and a rainfall much lower than the region’s average, and it favours an early and complete maturation of the grape. As a result, the winemaker is able to extract more of the variety’s potential as well as capture the maximum expression of the land and its landscape in the wine.
Viña Nora covers a surface area of 16 hectares of own vineyards planted in soils with a mix of washed gravel and decomposed granite. These soils with cobbles act as natural radiators regulating the day’s heat, avoiding an excessive humidity during the night and favouring a better maturation. The vines grow on the typical trellised vines with granite posts so characteristic of the region of Rias Baixas. These trellised vines are taken to a height of two meters with the aim of separating the grape from the soil’s humidity as well as protecting it from fungal diseases. They also favour a complete maturity of the grapes as they are exposed to further sunshine.
The vineyards at Nora have an average age of 25 and they are located on the natural terraces of the cliffs that are looking out on River Miño. This unpredictable orography requires a manual harvest of each harvest and vintage.
The winery is equipped with the best technology to make white wines and it has been put at the service of Viña Nora’s ultimate objective, which is to make wines that are true to the land and the Albariño variety. The winery has small containers where a microvinification is carried out and by means of which each of the plots of land can be individually monitored.
The harvest is always carried out manually using 16-kg boxes, and the grape, after cooling in the chamber at 4 degrees, enters the winery through the selection table. All the pressing, clearing and fermentation processes are very meticulous, with the aim of maintaining the subtle aromas and fragility of the Albariño variety.
Precisely, with this aim of maintaining all the characteristics of the Albariño variety, only neutral yeasts are used. These ones contribute to the obtainment of wines that are profoundly varietal and capable of expressing all the peculiarities of a unique region within Rias Baixas due to the characteristics of the climate and soil.
The vineyard can count on its brilliant oenologist Alexia Luca de Tena to produce the best possible wine. She has an extensive experience in projects mostly linked to her homeland, Galicia. After completing (among others…) three harvests in the D.O. Valdeorras with one of the best spanish winemaker Rafael Palacios, she joined Terraselecta with the task of leading the Viña Nora vineyard.
3 different cuvées are offered : Nora (4 months on lees), Nora da Neve (6 months in lees in 100% French oak barrels following the Burgundian method) & Nora da Neve Encarnación Rodríguez (8 months on its lees).
On the professional tasters side, Tim Atkin (Master of Wine since 2001) considers that Nora da Neve is “one of the best oaked wines“ of the appellation. As for the Encarnación Rodríguez vintage coming from a 0.5 Ha plot producing only 2 barrels, Tim Atkin judges the 2019 vintage to be “world class” and gives it a 97/100!
More information on Vina Nora estate here
All the estate’s wines on sale here