Those Beautiful Eyes

Good Wine just got their hands on the new 2023 releases from Fazenda Agricola Augalevada, and honestly, most of them need to chill the fuck out for a bit. The whites might be approachable now, but the reds, and especially Ollos de Roque, are a different matter. They're still throwing tantrums in the bottle. Which is perfect timing, actually - I've been hoarding previous vintages like some wine-obsessed dragon, and now's the moment to crack them open and see what time does to these Galician beauties.

Augalevada isn't just another Galician producer trying to ride the Atlantic wine wave. This is proper obsessive stuff - biodynamic viticulture on decomposed granite soils, indigenous varieties that most people can't even pronounce, and a winemaking philosophy that's more about capturing place than chasing points.

The Augalevada Story: Eyes Wide Open

The big news? "Mercenario" is dead. The winemaker admits it was a "necessary evil" - wines that paid the bills while he learned. But now we get "Ollos" (Eyes) instead, and this isn't just rebranding bullshit. These are parcels he has been working with since 2016, each named after the growers who tend them - Ollos de Paco, Ollos de María, and Ollos de Etelvino. The incorporation of Paco Rego's vineyard (considered one of Galicia's viticultural masters) was apparently the game-changer for quality.

Another casualty: the Crianza Biolóxica is gone too. A winter flood destroyed the madre, and that's that. Sometimes, nature decides your lineup for you.

The evolution from Mercenario to Ollos represents a shift from survival to vision. Where Mercenario was about learning and economics, Ollos is about specific parcels, specific people, specific stories. The "Número Dous" wines - made from barrels that didn't make the cut for Ollos - weren't even sold until recently. Now they're the entry level, though "entry" is relative when you're dealing with old vines and obsessive farming.

From footballer to Galicia's most interesting winemaker

Iago Garrido's path to winemaking is bizarre. A semi-professional footballer who almost joined FC Barcelona, he spent years waiting for a call that never came. While waiting, he attended culinary school, taught gardening to special needs children, and discovered biodynamic farming. In 2008, he bought the completely overgrown Augalevada property in San Clodio, Ribeiro, and single-handedly cleared ancient terraces from forest to plant vines while still playing football to pay bills.

The athletic discipline shows in his obsessive approach - visitors report him tasting every barrel multiple times during visits, constantly adjusting his understanding of each wine's evolution. Starting with 2.5 hectares (now 4), he created a complete farm ecosystem with goats, chickens, and orchards, earning Demeter biodynamic certification as Ribeiro's first such winery.

Ribeiro: Where Atlantic meets granite

Ribeiro, Galicia's oldest DO (established 1932), occupies 2,500 hectares where Atlantic, Mediterranean, and Continental climates converge. The Serra do Suído mountains create a Foehn effect that blocks Atlantic storms while enabling dramatic temperature swings, preserving acidity while achieving ripeness, which is rare in Spanish viticulture.

The region's defining feature is "sábrego" - decomposed granite creating sandy loam with exceptional drainage. These soils force vines to work harder, concentrating flavours while maintaining the crisp acidity that defines Atlantic wines. With 950mm annual rainfall (less than coastal Galicia but more than most of Spain), the constant humidity makes organic viticulture extremely challenging, which makes Augalevada's biodynamic achievement remarkable.

The Atlantic wine character here is unmistakable: marked acidity, subtle salinity, 11-13% alcohol, and light aromatics shaped by ocean influence. This isn't about power or concentration - it's about freshness and minerality that makes these wines closer to Loire or Muscadet than typical Spanish expressions.

Indigenous Varieties

Garrido works exclusively with indigenous varieties nearly lost to 20th-century industrialisation. Treixadura, Ribeiro's signature white cultivated by monks for 1,000 years, provides honeysuckle and stone fruit. Lado brings screaming acidity that's suddenly fashionable again. Agudelo, confirmed through DNA as a Chenin Blanc biotype adapted to Galicia over centuries, adds unexpected complexity.

For reds, he rescued Brancellao (nearly extinct after 19th-century oidium), alongside Caiño Longo and Caiño da Terra - varieties with intense aromatics despite low polyphenols. Initially disappointed with the "monolithic expression" of Godello and Treixadura, he made the radical decision to re-graft established vines to other varieties, sacrificing immediate production for long-term quality.

The accidental genius of Galician flor

Here's where things get properly interesting. In 2014, Garrido buried an amphora of Treixadura in his vineyard. When flor yeast developed, he thought it was a mistake. He made two versions: the "proper" oak-aged wine and "Número Dous" from the flor-covered amphora he only shared with friends. When everyone preferred Número Dous, he realised this accident was his path forward.

Flor yeast - the same organism creating Sherry and Jura's Vin Jaune - had never been commercially used in Galicia. Garrido now cultivates stable flor populations across multiple vessels: buried tinajas, 50-year-old Jerez barrels, French oak, and local chestnut. The yeast consumes glycerol while producing acetaldehyde, creating wines with distinctive salinity, almond notes, and laser-sharp minerality that reference both Jerez and Jura while remaining uniquely Galician.

All Augalevada wines now show flor influence to varying degrees. This biological ageing provides natural oxidation protection, allowing minimal sulfur (20-25mg/L total). The technique transforms indigenous varieties unexpectedly: Treixadura gains crystalline precision with pink grapefruit and tarragon, while Brancellao develops high-toned aromatics reminiscent of good Loire reds.

Why this matters (beyond the philosophy)

Forget the natural wine movement rhetoric. What matters is that Garrido has discovered something genuinely new: how to use flor yeast with Galician varieties in Atlantic conditions to create wines that couldn't exist anywhere else. This isn't about following Jura or Jerez templates - it's about finding what these specific grapes in this specific place can do when pushed in an unexpected direction.

The combination of granite terroir, Atlantic climate, indigenous varieties, and flor innovation produces wines with a distinctive "freaky" character that initially puzzled Ribeiro but increasingly defines its future. As climate change makes freshness precious and markets tire of standardised wines, Augalevada shows how forgotten terroirs can produce something genuinely distinctive when approached with technical skill rather than philosophical posturing.

Most importantly, these are good wines first, experiments second. The flor doesn't mask flaws - it amplifies the varieties' natural characteristics while adding complexity. That's the difference between innovation and gimmick, between Augalevada and producers who hide behind manifestos instead of making better wine.

The prices have gone up, and the winemaker's apologetic about it, but production costs have exploded. Still, these remain some of the most honest values in Atlantic wine - real farming, real winemaking, real stories. Now let's see what time has done to them.

Fazenda Agricola Augalevada Ollos Branco 2022

Treixadura, Lado, and Godello from selected parcels along the banks of the Arnoia, Avia, and Miño rivers. Vines between 25-50 years old on decomposed granite, schist, and gneiss with quartz inclusions. Fermented and aged in 600L and 500L barrels plus 400L foudres. Bottled August 2023. 3,000 bottles.

Oh, this is beautiful. The flor here knows its place - just enough to add intrigue without bullying the fruit or that gorgeous Atlantic salinity. Oxidised apples and toasted almonds mixed with white blossoms and bright lemon, while underneath there's this compelling sea-spray character that keeps pulling you back. Fresh, balanced, genuinely complex. The finish trails off a touch early, but honestly, at this level of integration, I'm not complaining. This is sophisticated stuff that doesn't forget to be delicious.

Fazenda Agricola Augalevada Areas de Rei 2022

100% Doña Blanca from old vine parcels in Infesta, Monterrei. Sandy soils that give this inland variety its distinctive character. Fermented and aged in 600L and 500L barrels. Previously labelled "O Balado," it is now renamed to better reflect its origin. Bottled August 2023. 1,000 bottles.

Very interesting, even if it doesn't shout. Yellow stone fruits mingle with bitter herbs and this curious Icelandic moss character - earthy but clean. The flor whispers rather than speaks, just a ghost of it really. What strikes me is how cohesive it all feels. Lemon sorbet on the palate, with acidity that's high but never harsh - there's enough roundness here to keep everything civilised. Not a wine that demands attention, more like that quietly compelling one. Properly drinkable stuff.

Fazenda Agricola Augalevada Parcela Eira Vedra 2022

100% Albariño from a single parcel in Val do Salnés. Old vines, an ancient small-berried clone on decomposed granite. This replaced the flooded Crianza Biolóxica. Fermented and aged in 600L and 500L barrels. Bottled August 2023. 1,600 bottles.

Mmm, this is intriguing, though it's playing hard to get. Green apple and cream peek through a veil of sea spray and perfumed minerals. The flor work here is subtle - just oxidative whispers that add savoury depth without announcing themselves. Acid levels are frankly ridiculous, like licking a battery dipped in Atlantic brine, but somehow it's beautiful rather than brutal. This isn't about fruit - it's about place, about rocks and salt and electricity. Fine-boned, almost delicate, yet charged with this restless energy. Give it time to open; it's worth the patience.

Fazenda Agricola Augalevada Mercenario branco 2021

Last release of this label and boy, has it developed beautifully. The acid that used to bite like an angry terrier has finally learned some manners - still vibrant but no longer assault and battery. This drinks like aged Champagne that forgot its bubbles somewhere, all toasted and savoury depth. Classic Iago - it's not about fruit, though bruised apples and yellow stone fruits drift through the flor haze. For those who get the whole flor thing, this is dangerously easy drinking now. Bittersweet to see this label go, but what a way to bow out.

Fazenda Agricola Augalevada Ollos de Roque 2021

The Augalevada flagship white: Treixadura, Lado, and Godello taken straight from the estate. Decomposed granite soils, biodynamic farming. Fermented and aged in a mix of 600L and 330L barrels, 500L casks, and 400L foudres. Bottled August 2022. 2,400 bottles.

This is such a refined, beautiful stuff. Multi-layered, with flor so perfectly integrated it's become part of the wine's architecture rather than decoration. Perfumed, complex, delicious - yet still just a teenager. The acidity remains fierce but it's wrapped in this chalky, saline minerality that makes it compelling rather than confrontational. Clean as mountain air, evolving constantly in the glass. This isn't really about descriptors. It's concentrated experience that refuses to be broken down into parts. Just stop and enjoy it!

Fazenda Agricola Augalevada Ollos de Roque 2020

Compared to the 2021, this is massively more developed - suspiciously so. Maybe it's the bottle, maybe 2020's mildew issues, who knows. It's gone full geriatric Champagne on me, all boiled onions and Jura funk with bakery notes threading through. Still salty, still maritime, but the acid has been domesticated. It's become too polite. Easy drinking? Quite so. Technically accomplished? Absolutely. But it's lost that electric tension that makes you pay attention. Like watching a punk band go corporate - professionally better, emotionally worse. Still great wine, just... safer than I'd like.

Fazenda Agricola Augalevada Ollos Tinto 2022

Caiño Longo, Brancellao, Espadeiro, and Sousón from the same riverbank parcels. Vines 20-35 years old, mostly on granite and schist. 70% whole cluster, 30% destemmed, macerated 25-35 days. Aged 10 months in 500L barrels. Bottled October 2023. 2,700 bottles.

It's fine natty wine, just not particularly thrilling. Sweaty berries on the nose - somewhere between gym locker and fruit gone soft. Mineral, tasty enough, with tannins still showing their teeth. There's definite VA here, which makes it more drinkable - that volatile lift keeping things lively when the wine itself won't. Beautiful aromatics, I'll give it that. For the price, no complaints, but I know Iago can do better with reds. Perfectly serviceable Monday night wine that won't change your life.

Fazenda Agricola Augalevada Ollos de Maia 2022

The Augalevada red: Caiño Longo, Brancellao, and Caiño da Terra from estate fruit. Same 70/30 whole cluster approach but with 30-40 days maceration. 10 months in 500-600L barrels. Bottled October 2023. Just 1,000 bottles.

Oh, this is beautiful. Black pepper and dark berries wrapped in this floral perfume. The tannins have manners, the acid sings, everything's in its right place. Sure, give it a few years and it'll reveal hidden depths - probably turn into something haunting - but right now it's already dangerously drinkable.

Fazenda Agricola Augalevada Mercenario tinto 2021

Funny how wine works. First bottle was shallow as a puddle - no cork taint, just... wrong. Like the wine had given up on life. Thank fuck we had another bottle. Complete transformation - the wine I'd been waiting for. Cherry and wild strawberry tangle with red apple and damp earth, plus this distinct Borodino bread character that takes me straight home. Fresh, juicy, with acid that makes your mouth water for the next sip. What's brilliant is how it's settled over the past year - still sophisticated but now genuinely charming, like it's finally comfortable in its own skin. Approachable excellence.

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