Benito Santos has been growing Albariño in Galicia's Val do Salnés since 1979, when founder Benito Santos began bottling and championing the grape commercially, prize-winning pours that helped lay the groundwork for the Rías Baixas D.O. in the 1980s.
The estate's vineyards sit in that same coastal subzone, on parcels named for old parish chapels, including Saiar, and are certified organic, a rarity in a region this damp and mildew-prone.
Fermentation relies on native yeasts and minimal sulfur, a hands-off approach meant to let the site's salty, mineral character come through rather than get smoothed over. Today the winery carries on under the next generation, with Antonio Porto continuing the winemaking on these same church-named plots.
