Masaveu Wineries, and specifically Winery Fillaboa (Pontevedra), has just released the new vintage of its white wine La Fillaboa 1898, corresponding to the year 2016, with an initial production of 6,636 bottles. This vintage, rated excellent by the Regulatory Council of the Rías Baixas Denomination of Origin, has aged on its fine lees for six years in stainless steel tanks and is considered one of the best harvests in the history of Fillaboa Winery due to its exceptional ripening conditions and sanitary state. The new vintage this demonstrates the excellent aging potential of Fillaboa Albariño over time, resulting in a unique and specially aged white wine. Masaveu Wineries will release a second batch of this vintage in the coming years, with another 6,600 bottles, maintaining the aging on lees until bottling. The scarcity and prestige of this wine cause it to sell out before the next vintage even reaches the market.
This white wine is made 100% from Albariño grapes sourced from the Monte Alto plot, one of the best at Fillaboa Winery. It is the most unique plot of the Galician winery, characterized by its altitude of 150 meters above sea level and a loamy-sandy soil with good drainage and an abundance of gravel, originating from the decomposition of granite.
La Fillaboa 1898 is a wine with “history” that recalls the 19th century, when a wine called “Vino del Condado de Fillaboa” was already being shipped by boat from this estate, located in the Condado de Tea in Rías Baixas, near Portugal, to Cuba. In honor of these historic journeys, Fillaboa Winery decided in 2017 to launch this wine.
With a straw-yellow color with golden hues, clean and bright, La Fillaboa 1898 2016 is an aged Albariño that preserves the freshness of young Albariños while offering the complexity and elegance of great white wines. On the nose, it shows toasted aromas with candied fruit undertones, very ripe fruit, hints of baked apple, and bakery notes. On the palate, it is smooth on entry, with body and long persistence.
One of the most recognized and awarded white wines.
La Fillaboa 1898 is one of the most recognized and highly rated Albariños by critics. In 2021, La Fillaboa 1898 2010 received 96 points from the Guía Peñín 2021 and the Guía Gourmets 2021, and 93 points from James Suckling. The year 2020 marked a milestone in its national and international recognition: 91 points from Parker, 93 from Verema, 95 from Guía Gourmets, and 97 from Guía Peñín, as well as the Grand Diamond Medal at the 2020 International Wine and Women Competition and the Great Golden Albariño at the Albariños al Mundo awards organized by the Spanish Union of Tasters. They are joined by other recognitions in 2019, such as the Grand Gold award in the 2019 Galician Wines, Spirits, and Wineries Guide, and the ‘Best in Show’ at the prestigious 2019 American Decanter Awards.
Fillaboa Winery
Fillaboa is a historic manor whose estate has remained undivided over the centuries, being one of the largest, most beautiful, and oldest estates in Galicia, and the only one that, due to its special characteristics, belongs to Grandes Pagos de España. Behind the 1,600 meters of the thick stone wall that protects the property, in addition to the vineyards, lie the winery and a spectacular reconstructed stately manor.
Fifty hectares of Albariño vineyards planted on rolling slopes make up the Fillaboa estate, which spans a total of 74 hectares divided into 12 plots along the natural border with Portugal, next to the Tea and Miño rivers. The rich soils and Atlantic climate, with mild temperatures due to the proximity of the sea, make Fillaboa a privileged location for cultivating the native Albariño grape.
Masaveu Wineries
The Masaveu family acquired their first winery, Murua Winery, in 1974, but the family’s vineyard plantations date back to the mid-19th century, specifically in Castellar del Vallés, where the family originates and where Federico Masaveu Rivell began the steps that a century later would be continued by his descendants. Since then, Masaveu Wineries has grown to become a benchmark for the quality of its wines in various DOs: Murua (DOCa Rioja), Fillaboa (DO Rías Baixas), Pagos de Araiz (DO Navarra), Leda (Vino de la Tierra de Castilla y León), and Valverán (Asturias).
