Spain | Valdeorras | Ladeiras do Xil
Ladeiras do Xil
Wines
Summary
The vineyards of Ladeiras do Xil lie in the eastern part of the Valdeorras DO region near the village of Santa Cruz and lies in the southern part of Valdeorras, on the border of the Bibei subzone of Ribeira Sacra. Here you’ll find old sites clinging to vertiginous cliffs on both sides of the Xil river.
Ladeiras do Xil takes its name from the hillsides of the Sil River, which is the lifeblood of the region. The pioneering duo of Pablo Eguzkiza and Telmo Rodríguez started working here in 2002. Recognizing the potential to make world-class wines in this incredibly important valley, they began a project that would take more than a decade to come to fruition.
The philosophy of their company has always been vineyard first, winery second where they cultivate a number of native varieties including merenzao, sousón, mencía, godello, treixadura, godello tinto, brancellao, doña blanca, garnacha, and palomino.
In one of the most natural polyculture settings possible, the estate farms 23 hectares of organically farmed traditional bush-trained vines, and the wines are produced using only indigenous yeasts to begin a spontaneous fermentation. Ladeiras do Xil produces a highly coveted collection of extremely low-production, single-vineyard red wines: Falcoeira, As Caborcas, and O Diviso along with one white village wine called Branco de Santa Cruz: all field blends. The crus reflect the purity and transcendence of one of the greatest terroirs in Europe.