José Crusat is the second generation at this small old monastic property on the northern shore of the Ria de Arousa, south-west of Santiago de Compostela on the Barbanza peninsula in Galicia. Rias are the saline estuaries that are so much part of the character of the coast here, and Ria de Arousa is one of the five “Rias Baixas” so famed for the cultivation of Albarino.
José’s vineyards are trained in the traditional pergola fashion of the region ( enabling both livestock to roam below and also helping to reduce problems from rot as this can be a damp part of the world! ), and they are spread – as is also common – across multiple plots, mostly around the commune of A Pobra do Carminal. Soils are typically granitic and poor, with a damp/cool microclimate helping to give the wines a bright mineraly character and fresh acidity.
A love of nature and the environment is evident as you tour José’s vineyards, as is his knowledge of each plot and his passion to coax the best out of his land. Some years he produces little to nothing if he is not happy with the quality, and you can be sure that to taste his Albarino is to taste a true expression of Galicia and more specifically José’s corner of it.