What does the harvest have in store for us? Aromatic grapes with very good acidity

Winemaker José Hidalgo points out that despite the heat wave, the Pazo Baión estate is not lacking in humidity and notes that the ripening of the aromatic grapes from our vineyards is a little ahead of schedule.

Dozens of cyclists are touring Spain on bicycles, the beaches are emptying of umbrellas as offices and companies fill up with workers and the vegetation in the vineyards is at its peak. The summer is coming to an end as it announces the proximity of the grape harvest. At Pazo Baión we are already prepared for this transcendental moment and so are our aromatic grapes.

The prestigious oenologist José Hidalgo has been analyzing these days our vineyards and the state of the grapes to make sure that their ripening is progressing well.

Despite having experienced an extraordinarily dry summer with high temperatures, the Pazo Baión vineyards have been protected by the Castro mountain, which separates the estate from the sea and contributes in an extraordinary way to the very particular microclimate of the property.

Hidalgo affirms that, although the estate has suffered from the heat wave, there has been no lack of humidity on the estate. Largely because «we have water in the subsoil that allows the vines to vegetate properly».

Thus, the special microclimate of our centenary estate and the granitic soil on which the vines grow has allowed the different vineyards that makeup Pazo Baión not to suffer from humidity problems. And what has this generated? That, just a few days before the harvest, the vines are vegetatively healthy.

Early ripening, optimum acidity, and intense aromatic profile

Regarding the level of ripening of Pazo Baión’s aromatic grapes, José Hidalgo states that «ripening is going very well, perhaps a little early in terms of degree». This may cause the harvest to be a few days ahead of its usual schedule.

In addition, the acidity of the grapes is, in the winemaker’s words, «very good», which is fundamental for the elaboration of our single-estate albariños. Precisely, Pazo Baión, Vides de Fontán, and Gran a Gran stand out for their personality and balance thanks, to a large extent, to the overflowing acidity of the aromatic grapes that grow in our estate.

Another essential characteristic of our centenary wines is their intense varietal perfume. In this sense, José Hidalgo emphasizes that «this year the grapes will have a very aromatic profile, very characteristic of this vineyard». This will allow the Pazo Baión team to produce complex wines that conquer the senses thanks to their wonderful aromas. Thus, the knowledge and know-how of our winemakers will transform aromatic grapes that grow in a magical place into the only single-estate albariños.

Because of the above, the Pazo Baión harvest is expected to be as exciting as ever. A millenary ritual that has been perfected over the years and that allows us to turn the aromatic grapes from our vineyards into wines that linger on our palate and our senses long after tasting them.

A choral task in which all the people involved form a perfect gear that begins in the hands of the workers who pick the aromatic grapes of Pazo Baión from the vines and ends, sometime later, with the wine served at optimum temperature in the glasses of the people who wish to enjoy it.

The harvest marks, year after year, a turning point in the heartbeat of our estate and our winery. A moment of vital importance in the production of Albariño wines that have been praised by wine lovers over the last few years. Is attested by the fact that our firstborn, Pazo Baión, has been chosen as the Best Young White Wine of Spain by Guía de Vinos Gourmet.

The harvest is approaching and both the grapes and the professionals at Pazo Baión are ready.