Eladio Pineiro Frore de Carme Brut Nature 2018
Eladio Pineiro Frore de Carme Brut Nature 2018 – alternate view 2
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Eladio Pineiro Frore de Carme Brut Nature 2018

Eladio Pineiro
$54.00

Grape: Albariño
Vintage: 2018
Type: Sparkling

Sourced from biodynamically farmed, old-vine Albariño plots in the granite-heavy Val do Salnés sub-region of Rías Baixas, this rare, sparkling cuvée is a monument to Eladio Piñeiro's obsession with long lees aging and zero-dosage purity. Crafted using the traditional method (méthode champenoise), the base wine undergoes spontaneous native-yeast fermentation before secondary fermentation in the bottle. Piñeiro lets the liquid rest on its fine lees in the cellar for years, allowing the autolytic yeast character to deeply integrate with the grape's signature maritime brightness. Disgorged as a Brut Nature with zero added sugar in the dosage, it captures an unvarnished, high-tension snapshot of Atlantic-driven Albariño.

In the glass, it pours a brilliant pale gold with fine, persistent streams of effervescence. The nose is extraordinarily complex and lifted, opening with aromas of green apple, preserved lemon peel, dried honeysuckle, and toasted brioche, complemented by a subtle, savory undercurrent of wet granite and sea spray. On the palate, a "crystalline" line of electric, Atlantic acidity drives through a rich, creamy, and fine-textured mid-palate. The extended lees contact adds weight and structural depth, balancing the wine's bone-dry precision. It concludes with an intensely long, mouthwatering finish that leaves a persistent, salty trail of crushed stone, lemon oil, and toasted hazelnuts.

 

Winery

Eladio Piñeiro is a visionary figure in Galicia’s Rías Baixas region who originally founded Bodegas Mar de Frades in 1983 before selling the estate in 2003 to launch a boutique, uncompromised family project under his own name. Based in the Val do Salnés, Piñeiro farms 30+-year-old albariño vines planted on sandy loam and granite soils heavily influenced by Atlantic ocean currents. Working strictly under organic and biodynamic principles aligned with lunar cycles, he focuses on low vineyard yields to capture the raw energy, structural density, and saline tension of coastal Galicia.

In the cellar, Piñeiro departs radically from modern, early-release Rías Baixas standards by championing extended lees contact and long-term lees aging. Grapes undergo a brief skin maceration before spontaneous fermentations with native yeasts.