The Santiago Ruiz winery was a pioneer in producing quality Albariño wines in the 1980s, and the current 2024 version marks its 40th vintage. That’s quite a long track record for a company run several generations of the same family, which is largely responsible for the prestige that the D.O. Rías Baixas enjoys today. Santiago Ruiz 2024 comes from vineyards located in the O Rosal area is was designed chiefly from Albariño enhanced with other native grape varieties, and aged for four months on lees. Complex nose with floral, fruity and mineral aromas. Elegant, full-bodied and balanced on the palate, with a luscious attack and very pleasant freshness.
Consumption features
Serving temperature
Consumption time
General features
Type of wine
Region
Grape variety
81% Albariño, 5% Godello, 4% Luireiro, 5% Treixadura, 5% Caíño blanco
Type of bottle
Bordeaux
Capacity (cl)
75
Total acidity (g/l)
6.75
Sugar
< 2
pH
3.45
Alcohol content (% vol.)
12.5
General Information
The varietal composition of Santiago Ruiz 2024 includes five native varieties: Albariño (81%), Loureiro (4%), Caíño Blanco (5.5%), Treixadura (5%) and Godello (4.5%). They were grown on 44 hectares of vineyards near the mouth of the Miño River, in the subzone of O Rosal, at an altitude of 50-75 metres above sea level and facing south. The vines are 20-25 years old and trained on trellises to ensure optimal aeration and exposure to sunlight, with low yields of 3,500 to 5,000 kg/ha.
The grapes were harvested by hand, by variety, in 20 kg crates, and then sorted manually on tables on reaching the winery. Each variety was fermented separately at a controlled temperature in stainless steel tanks for 21 days. After fermentation, the wine was aged on its lees for 4 months before the final blending.
Founded in 1984 by Santiago Ruiz, a descendant of Galician white wine producers, the winery that bears his name was the first to bottle quality Albariño wines at a time when wine was still mainly sold in bulk in Galicia. The company was also a pioneer in applying the concept of a ‘sterile environment’ to winery facilities and new winemaking concepts.
It's now forty years since Santiago first produced this bottled Albariño, whose label featured a map showing the way to his daughter's winery – a label that is still used today. The founder's daughter, Rosa Ruiz, is now at the helm of the company. The winery's facilities and vineyards are located in the subzone of O Rosal, one of the best in the D.O. Rías Baixas. Its proximity to the Atlantic, the Miño River and its southern orientation, with more hours of sunshine and less rainfall, make it a prime location where the grapes ripen perfectly.
In 2012, Bodegas Santiago Ruiz joined the Portuguese wine conglomerate Sogrape, which also includes other prestigious Spanish wineries such as Bodegas Lan (Rioja), Viña Mayor (Ribera del Duero) and Bodegas Aura (Rueda).
The white wine Santiago Ruiz 2024 (D.O. Rías Baixas) goes very well with grilled prawns or fish such as sea bass baked in a salt crust.
Creators' opinion
The wine is clean, bright and straw-coloured. Lively, clean and very complex aromas, with floral notes characteristic of Albariño, Godello, Treixadura and Loureiro, as well as fruity and mineral notes. On the palate, it's complex, elegant, full-bodied and balanced. Luscious attack and a very pleasant freshness.
The winery
Santiago Ruiz was one of the men who contributed the most to the defense of albariño, a grape he unconditionally championed to produce white wines of the highest quality and undeniable Galician essence. A descendant of a family of winemakers, he founded the winery that bears his name in 1978. Today, his daughter Rosa Ruiz continues Santiago's wise philosophy.
Bodegas Santiago Ruiz has 38 hectares of its own vineyards in the O Rosal area (D.O. Rías Baixas). The harvest is manually selected in all the winery's estates, and afterwards, the fruits undergo a second selection at the winery. It cultivates the varieties albariño, treixadura, loureiro, caiño, and godello.
Bodegas Santiago Ruiz has 38 hectares of its own vineyards in the O Rosal area (D.O. Rías Baixas). The harvest is manually selected in all the winery's estates, and afterwards, the fruits undergo a second selection at the winery. It cultivates the varieties albariño, treixadura, loureiro, caiño, and godello.