Raul Suarez recently took over his 4th generation family’s vineyard parcels in Ribeira Sacra, located in the Ribeiras do Miño subzone. In 2011, Raul began working with Pedro Rodriguez Perez of Adegas Guímaro, a friend and neighbor. Raul was able to rent a small corner of the winery to ferment and age his wine, as well as soak up some Guímaro wisdom along the way. The Ribeiras do Miño is one of five subzones within the D.O. and is situated between the Chantada and Amandi subzones, along the eastern banks of the Miño River and north of the River Sil. This is one of the cooler & greener subzones, and the soils are primarily decomposed granite having a lower pH, which means the grapes have a longer growing season, with high acidity, fine tannins, more elegance, and lower alcohol levels than neighboring Amandi.
The Wines
Divina Clementia: From one hectare of vines planted by Suarez's grandfather, and comprised of Mencía with a small amount of Alicante Bouschet co-planted. The grapes are hand-harvested and foot-trodden with 30% stems included. Primary fermentation is in steel tank, followed by malolactic in used French barrels, where the wine is aged for 10-12 months before being bottled without fining, filtration and very little SO2.