- Tasting: A Martin Codax Tasting
- Date: Friday 3/31/23
- Location: Luisa Restaurant
- Distributor: Ballester Hermanos
- Wines:
- Martin Codax Sparkling Albariño NV (2020)
- Martin Codax Albariño 2021
- Martin Codax Lías Albariño 2020
- Martin Codax Finca Xieles Albariño 2021
- Martin Codax Arousa 2020
- Anxo Martin 2020
I remember a story from a famous music group from the 1970’s called Blondie. For the longest time people assumed that was the name of the singer, Debbie Harry. I guess it’s a sociological assumption since most bands name with what sounds like a persons name tend to be that of the singer. Well the same thing happens with wines. If it sounds like a name, people assume it’s was an old man working the land, creating a business for his ménage (family). I’m sure that has been the case for many with Martin Codax if you are not from Spain. I’m not afraid to include myself in that list. So let’s start with the name.
Martin Codax was a galician medieval joglar. Some called him a non noble composer and performer others a troubadour. He was probably active during the mid 13th century based on analysis made to the historic parchments found. He wrote poems like ‘Ondas do mar de Vigo‘ which are still known today by many.
Now Martin Codax, the winery, is something else. Established in 1985 in the D.O. Rias Baixas in Spain by a large group of people (a Cooperative of around 300) and passionate about the staple grape of their region: Albariño. Since 2005, Katia Alvarez has been at the enology helm leading the way of this family-like project. Curious note: The golden letters on the wine labels come from the style in that old parchment where the poems were written on. Cool stuff.
Personally I’ve known Martin Codax albariños for a long time so with exception of learning about their backstory, there was no curiosity on my part prior to this event. This tasting, led by Export Manager, Patricia Oubiña, had a different agenda. The winery has been diversifying and experimenting, mostly with the same grape, and creating a portfolio of wines that were meant to be talked about and so, talk about them we shall.
Let me start by mentioning that the evening took place in the restaurant Luisa in Condado with a menu led by chef Luis Cueto to pair with the wines presented with plates from lobster, to salmon, pork and ending with a paella.
I was first received with their sparkling wine. And off the bat I had a great short conversation with Patricia about it. It seems their sparkling wines are vintage wines yet they don’t label them. This one was 2019 if I’m not mistaken. This wine spends 30 months on its lees. This is high elevation area that receives plenty of precipitation. The wine was medium on acidity and body and good aromas of citrus and minerality. It had minimal bubbles on glass. It was only the third sparkling made of Albariño I’ve tried and I enjoyed it wasn’t overly acidic. Good balance.
As we moved on to the still wines we started with their “soutien de famille” or breadwinner, and their long standing staple; their regular Albariño. A vegan certified wine, this one from 2021, their most recent release, maintains the consistency of this brand and carries that freshness characteristic to it and those citric notes it’s well known for.
The next wine was Lías (translated to lees) which I think tends to explain itself. I agree with Patricia when she mentioned this is a more gastronomic wine. It spends 6 months on stainless steel. Here we started talking about aging which you don’t hear often when people talk about white wines unless they are mainly talking about Burgundy. But that is changing…thankfully. Here we were told that four years of cellar life is common. I noted those brioche bakery notes that I was surprised I didn’t get on the sparkling but…it rests on so many lees it kind of makes sense.
Curious anecdote: I once had the opportunity, or dare I say the happenstance of finding an old bottle of Martin Codax that escaped the line of sight of the cellar’s owner (my friend). It had more or less 20 years since it’s release and it had gotten a darker color. We looked at each other and decided to open it. I’m afraid of many things…an older wine is not one of those things. What we experienced was something curious. No, I wouldn’t normally age this wine this long, but it had life in it, it was different. It didn’t express the same way as a young one (nor should anybody expect that). Unfortunately I didn’t take detailed notes so I can’t go into aromas and palate (rookie mistake) but I remember enjoying the wine which in a way…is what most of us need.
Going back to the tasting, the third wine really got my attention. Finca Xieles 2020. At first it had some of the same expressions as the others, I mean it’s Albariño from the same two years and unless you have an ample palate experience with the grape, some of the nuisances can escape you. But this wine on palate was different. Hard to describe but it was like a subtle spicy undertone. Like little bubbles under my tongue from the acidity. Quite enjoyable I must say. This wine comes from the oldest vineyard in Codax and they are pre phylloxera vines which on it’s own is quite an accomplishment. The single vineyard grapes are kept in a 1,700 liter in a concrete vat and they make only 2,455 bottles. My favorite of the night.
The next wine was Martin Codax Arousa 2020. A wine that spent 18 months in stainless steel. It seems the name comes from the Arousa estuary which influences the wine together with the granite soil and the Atlantic ocean. This wine is made from selected plots closer to the sea. So right off the bat you now the minerality and salinity was more present in it combined with hints of light pepper and more body on palate than some of the other wines.
For the last wine we left Rias Baixas and moved to Ribeiro, while still in Galicia, Spain. A very interesting wine, Anxo Martín 2020 is a blend of three grapes: Albariño, Treixadura and Godello. I’m one of those guys that aside from the wine itself, I enjoy labels and this one was very interesting. I started reading and found that Anxo Martin is a mythological being, half man and half fish that lives in the deep parts of the river Miño, guardian of its treasures. He leaves the waters on the night of San Juan, takes human form and seduces the youth that returns from the moonlight. Quite a story. The wine itself was aged for 6 months on lees and batonage and another 6 months of reductive ageing in stainless steel. Again, another refreshing wine with the three grapes working as a team between them and the paella. Really enjoyable wine.
So what’s my take after this evening? I’ll be honest, I had a previous experience last year where I was presented with exceptional Albariños that completely obliterated any simple opinions I could have had about the grape. This evening allowed me to maintain my newly acquired position that Albariño is not a predictable grape and it actually is more versatile than the market gives it credit for. At the end of the day, one should always try to follow the advice of their own palate and it’s natural evolution. It will rarely lead you astray.
*Thank you to Ballester Hermanos and La Enoteca for the invitation and the staff at Luisa Restaurant for a lovely tasting.
