Fento/Eulogio Pomares - Rías Baixas & Ribeira Sacra

Eulogio Pomares is one of the geniuses of Galician winemaking. He is best known for his family's Zarate estate in Salnés, where he crafts some of the region's most coveted wines. Excited to work with vineyards outside of the family estate and Rías Baixas, Eulogio and his wife Rebeca started Fento, where they work with vineyards around Rías Baixas, Ribeira Sacra, and beyond.

Fento Bico da Ran 2023

100% Albariño from coastal vineyards in Salnés (sub-DO of Rías Baixas, and its most classic), no more than a mile from the ria (ocean inlets for which Rías Baixas is named). From 15-25 year-old vines.

Winemaking: Grapes are destemmed and gently pressed.  After a light racking, the must ferments spontaneously in steel tank and remains on the fine lees for 4 months.  Once complete, the wine is cold stabilized and filtered to preserve the aroma and freshness.

Production: 1,800 cases

Eulogio Pomares Pedraneira 2021

100% Albariño from a tiny plot (organic in practice) in the Francón vineyard on the banks of the Umia River. It’s the most coastal plot in the whole vineyard and the roots of the 40-year-old vines have direct contact with the Atlantic Ocean.

Winemaking: The harvest is done by hand and the meticulous grape selection is done within the Francón parcel itself. The grapes are destemmed and introduced into a long, soft press which yields a lower quantity of juice. After a light racking, the wine ferments spontaneously in a French barrel of 2500L where it stays on its lees for 6 months without bâtonnage. The wine completes a spontaneous full malolactic fermentation in its own time. After a light racking, it stays in the foudre for an additional three months while it melts into the perfect integration.

Production: 3,300 bottles

Eulogio Pomares Xabre Mencía 2021

90% Mencía, 5% Sousón, 3% Mouratón (Juan Garcia), and 2% Garnacha Tintorera (Alicante Bouchet) from 15-80 year-old vines.

Winemaking: 100% destemmed “to reflect the fragrance of the fruit”.  2-day cold soak followed by spontaneous fermentation in open top, 2000L foudre.  20 days maceration.  Aged first in used, 500L puncheons for 10 months, followed by blending into 4500L foudre, where it spends 6 months.  Bottled unfined/unfiltered, where it is held for a minimum of 6 months prior to release.

Production:  2,600 bottles (300 bottles imported)

Eulogio Pomares Quinta do Estranxeiro Penapedre 2020

64% Mencia/21% Garnacha Tintorera & Unidentified Reds/14% Jaen Blanco (Palomino Fino) from the Penapedre vineyard in Ribeira Sacra. Some of the vines are 150 years old.

Winemaking:  Harvest is by hand and an initial sorting and selection of grapes takes place in the vineyard. Whole berries undergo a gentle foot treading to extract must in an open chestnut foudre (100% stem inclusion). Fermentation starts spontaneously with natural yeasts.  The wine stays in contact with the solids for 2 weeks after initial fermentation has finished and is left to age for 12 months in old French oak barrels where it undergoes malolactic fermentation. Bottled unfined and unfiltered.

Production:  2,000 bottles (120 bottles imported)

RP94 - Eulogio Pomares Pedraneira 2022

Reviewed by: Luis Gutiérrez

Issue Date: November 16, 2023

The 2022 Pedraneira feels very young and undeveloped, despite being a warmer year with a lot of wines that feel more immediate and approachable. It's true that this is a tad riper than the 2020 and 2021 I tasted next to it, with 13% alcohol, but it's still fresh and balanced, with a velvety texture. It was vinified and matured in oak foudre and has the saline sensation that is a constant in this wine. This went through malolactic. Drink 2023-2029.

RP95 - Eulogio Pomares Quinta do Estranxeiro Penapedre 2020

Reviewed by: Luis Gutiérrez

Issue Date: November 16, 2023

The nose of the 2020 Penapedre is truly spectacular, floral and perfumed, Burgundian with the Galicia touch. It's from a vineyard from 1920, with 85% red grapes and the rest whites (and therefore not allowed in the Ribeira Sacra appellation), all co-fermented in chestnut and matured in a 1,500-liter Garbelotto foudre for some 18 months. It's floral and peachy, ethereal, perfumed and elegant. Their finest vintage to date. 1,500 bottles produced.  Drink 2023-2030.

RP94 - Eulogio Pomares Quinta do Estranxeiro Penapedre 2021

Reviewed by: Luis Gutiérrez

Issue Date: November 16, 2023

The just-bottled (in September 2023) 2021 Penapedre feels very young and a lot less expressive than the 2020 I tasted next to it, more introverted and also a little more rustic. It feels tight, with some earthy flavors and hints of dry herbs, less perfumed and aromatic. It has the balance and the elements to develop nicely in bottle. 1,800 bottles were produced.  Drink 2024-2030.