What Eladio can do with Albariño simply beggars belief. He makes no fewer than four still versions of the grape, each subjected to its own highly specific regime of lees aging to strikingly different effect. “Top of the line” has always been Frore de Carme, a wine given 14 months sur lie with frequent batonnage, followed by extensive bottle age.

Yes, 2016 is the current vintage!

Perhaps inspired by the magnificent marine view from his house, and undoubtedly piqued by reports of experiments elsewhere with aging wines under water, Eladio decided to age a portion of the production in the cold waters of the broad estuary outside. Any skepticism that might have existed about the importance of the effect of this different environment, with its subtle movements and constant temperature, are banished in face of the evidence furnished by these two bottles. We won’t attempt to describe the differences, nor suggest which version is “superior”. We would just urge you to discover them for yourself, for you will rarely have a chance to gain such an original perspective on a wine again.