The Estate

Having made wines for his family’s own consumption, Fulcro was started in 2009 as a small project by the passionate vigneron of Manuel Moldes Moraña, or Chicho as he is known by friends and family, and has grown into one of the most exciting wineries in the Albariño capital of Rías Baixas. Manuel’s vineyards are located in the Val do Salnés in front of the Atlantic Ocean, where the climate is mild but humid, and not exposed to the warmer Mediterranean influence of winds from eastern Spain.

The wine making here is hands off and terroir focused, with no pesticides or herbicides used in the vineyards, and with wines bottled by sites according to their soil composition. The wines do not go through malolactic fermentation as Manuel aims for more structure and acidity to produce wines for medium term consumption, but they are aged for longer than the usual 5-6 months in the region before bottling, and are left in contact with lees for longer. Ageing the wines in used oak barrels instead of just stainless steel to craft wines with a fuller body and more complexity also help distinguish the Fulcro wines from its peers.

The resulting wines are floral on the nose, and exhibit the expected bright acidity, citrus fruit, and salinity on the palate, but they also offer more intensity and volume when compared to other wines in the region. Production is small, and the wines are exquisite. We invite you to discover these world class wines from Spain’s top white wine region.

Viticulture and Vinification

With vineyards located in Val do Salnés, the coldest sub-zone of the Rías Baixas, and one of the wettest wine growing region in Spain, vines are planted on a pergola to expose the grapes to wind and avoid mildew (see photo above, with Manuel). The vineyards are worked by hand, and farm animals are allowed to roam through the vineyards to encourage biodiversity, and no herbicides or pesticides are used in the vineyards with sustainable farming practiced in the face of disease pressure in such a humid climate.

Fermentation is started by indigenous yeast, and the wines are aged for nine to twelve months in stainless steel and used oak barrels before bottling (the regional norm is five to six months in steel tanks). The wines typically spend five months on their lees to bring more body, texture, and complexity.

Wines Produced

A Pedreira

This is the flagship wine from the range with the biggest production. The wine comes from grapes blended from three nearby sites but is dominated by the A Pedreira vineyard (Spanish for “the quarry”). The vines are close to 40 years old with granite soils. This is both suitable for short and medium term drinking. 18,000+ bottles produced annually.

O Equilibrio

The majority of the grapes in this cuvee comes from a 45-70 years old vineyard called A Xesteira, 50 metres from an old tin mine with decomposed red slate soils. This is more restrained on release, but more delicate and has the structure and body to age longer. 5,000+ bottles produced annually and the bottle is closed with wax.

A Cesteira

The A Cesteira vineyard consist of slate and clay soils, and the vines are on average 45 years of age. With fuller body this is a wine with complexity and built for the medium term. 2,000+ bottles produced annually and the bottle is closed with wax.

Nas Dunas

This is the most distinctive wine in the range from sandy beach like soil with clay two to three metres down. A finessed and elegant wine with a fuller body. Only 800+ bottles produced annually and closed by wax for medium term ageing.

Critical Praise

“Fulcro is, for me, the most promising of the small producers, making extremely authentic and tasty wines.”

Ferran Centelles, sommelier at the world-renowned El Bulli for 13 years until its closure, writing for Jancisrobinson.com of a blind tasting on Albariños in 2021

GENERAL INFORMATION

Country:  Spain

Region:  Rías Baixas

Appellation:  Val do Salnés

Founded:  2009

Annual Production: 4,500 cases

Farming: Sustainable