Adega Ponte da Boga, Blanco Lexítimo de Parcela, Ribeira Sacra, 2019

An extremely original wine made from the almost-extinct Blanco Lexítimo grape variety (also known as Albarín Blanco). It is intensely vegetal on the nose, with gooseberries, savia, hay, grass, asparagus notes. The sharp acidity in the mouth could indicate a green but somehow classy wine, but the tight structure, the intense extraction and long finish speak to a particular style – one that needs decanting. I took the bottle home to try it again the day after my initial tasting; it became round and long, a pleasure. A daring alternative to Sancerre.