2020 Viña Mein O Gran Meín Blanco

Javier Alen is the pioneer of Treixadura in this historically important appellation of Galicia (Ribeiro). 2015 was a very important year for him, as he decided to hire the Comando G team for a thorough makeover of his wines. The results are impressive. The wines now have even more personality, purity and fine minerality.

From 2015 onwards, the vinification philosophy of Comando G has been applied more: biodynamics, non-interventionist, autochthonous yeasts and from 2018 Viña Mein is in the hands of the Pago de Carraovejas group, which also includes Emilio Rojo and the famous Verdejo wines ofOssian . The 2020 Gran Meín Val do Avia or the O Gran Meín was released in the fall of 2022 and is the top model of Vina Mein. The wine is made from the authentic Ribeiro varieties characterized by the sábrego soil profile of the area.

The vineyards are located on typical Galician granite soil with a shallow vegetation layer on top of between 70 and 100 cm, often with very little organic material. The top layer consists mainly of 'sábrego', a mixture of clay and sand consisting of granite grains. The result of millions of years of erosion of the large 'bolos' or giant boulders. The bodega is built against one of such bolos: a giant boulder more than 5 m high. The Gran Meín Val do Avia is a blend of Treixaduram Godello, Albariño, Torrontés, Loureira, Lado and Caíño. The grapes are harvested manually from authentic field-blend vineyards (i.e. vineyards where different varieties are mixed) and transferred to the winery, where each variety and plot is separated from the rest to extract the maximum purity from all parts of this environment

The location in the valley ensures that there is a big difference between day and night, often up to a 20°C difference, which ensures that the grapes ripen perfectly and slowly, so that there is more aroma and concentration. There is quite a lot of sun and little precipitation by Galician standards. Quite a lot of thunderstorms at the end of the summer and severe freezing cold during the winter. There are also many days with fog. This fantastic white wine from Galicia has freshness infused with aromas of white spring flowers, a touch of citrus, saltiness from the sea injection, perfectly balanced. In the mouth the wine is very elegant and everything is right. The wine feels like it is: very delicate and pure. Vina Mein has taken the step to make the most beautiful wines in Galicia under the flag of the Pago De Carraovejas group. With the great backbone and acidity, this is certainly a wine that will improve with several years of bottle aging. 93/100 Parker - Drinking window: 2023-2030+

FACT: In the 'Attachments' tab you will find the official fact sheet of this beautiful wine. We will send this to you automatically when you order this wine. The wine is stored in our conditioned Wine Warehouse and when you pick up the wine you will often receive a nice discount . You will see your discount immediately when you choose 'Collect' on the checkout page. We are located in Dordrecht almost next to the A16 with plenty of parking. Click here for our address.

Winery Viña Mein

Viña Mein is the personal project of Javier Alen, pioneer of the Ribeiro region. Since 2014, he has had the help of the young wolves of Comando G, who are converting the entire domain to biodynamics and opting for a fresher, mineral style. Without a doubt the best of the Treixadura! The Ribeiro appellation is the oldest appellation in Galicia. The green province of Ourense has a long history of wine growing. As early as the 12th century, Ribeiro wines were known throughout Spain. The Treixadura grape in particular played a major role in this.

Javier Alen, owner of Viña Mein, is without a doubt the pioneer of the Treixadura revival. Javier spent as a little boy until he was 6 years old in Leiro, a small village near the monastery of San Clodio. Afterwards his parents moved to Madrid, but the memory of his native region revived every summer when the family went to the ancestral home in Leiro for three months. Javier was a lawyer in Madrid for more than 15 years, but eventually he changed his life: he founded a bookstore in Madrid specialized in travel literature and in 1987 he returned to Leiro to become a winegrower. He completely restored the old Pazo of Viña Mein into a beautiful hotel and a small wine estate.

Today Viña Mein is the leader of the new white wines from Ribeiro. The Treixadura in coupage with other typical grape varieties guarantees fresh and mineral white wines. A small amount of red wines are also made with the typical grape varieties. Since the beginning of 2019, Viña Mein has belonged to the Pago de Carreavojas group, which, in addition to the famous ribera wines from Carrraovejas, also includes Emilio Rojo and Ossian.

• Treixadura is the main grape. It ripens slowly and cannot withstand planting at high altitudes. The peel is coarse and hard (hence its name). The acidity is perfect, full of floral aromas and notes of fruit. The Treixadura is supplemented in its coupage with other grape varieties, some of which are also found in other Galician regions. Approximately 12 hectares are planted in Viña Mein.
• Godello (1.8 ha) is the grape best suited for ripening at high altitude. This grape has a short cycle and produces small grapes, a grape variety that thrives perfectly on the slopes of the valley.
• Albariño (0.5 ha) occurs in very limited quantities. This grape gives strength and finesse to the wines. In addition, this grape can combine high alcohol levels with a lot of acidity, which is exceptional.
• Torrontés (0.6 ha) is an old variety that used to be widespread throughout Spain. This grape gives freshness and a slightly bitter aftertaste. Torrontés is rather light in structure, making the coupage of a grape with a lot of structure such as Lado perfect.
• Lado (0.2 ha) is a grape of clear Atlantic origin, which has, however, become very rare. This grape has the perfect capacity to combine high alcohol levels with high acidity (such as Albariño), aromatic, but less fine and exotic than the Albariño.
• Loureira (0.8 ha) is a varietal whose roots are difficult to trace and which is very different from many other typical Atlantic grape varieties. Nevertheless, Loureira was traditionally planted in Ribeiro. However, this grape is not immediately suitable for monovarietal wines, due to very low alcohol content, many bitters and high acids. The grape was mainly planted for its high aromatic potential with a lot of complexity; its name also refers to it (Loureira is Galician for laurel). That is why a small amount in a coupage can contribute a lot. This grape variety also produces the beautiful spiciness that we find in Viña Mein.
• Finally, Albilla (0.2 ha) is a minor grape that mainly produces glycerol in the coupage with delicate aromas of honey.