Pazo Senorans
Summary
Pazo Señorans is a family-owned winery operating from a 16th-century manor house in Val do Salnés (Rías Baixas), managing 22 hectares of Albariño vineyards planted in granite-based soils under the Atlantic-influenced climate. Their pioneering approach includes extended lees aging for their signature wines, with their founding role in establishing the Rías Baixas Denomination of Origin and groundbreaking work with age-worthy Albariño setting quality standards that have helped define the region.
Heritage & Leadership
Pazo Señorans was established in 1979 when Marisol Bueno and her husband Javier Mareque purchased the historic estate in the Val do Salnés valley of Galicia. The property centers around a 16th-century pazo (Galician manor house) that gives the winery its name. The couple was among the pioneering forces behind the creation of the Rías Baixas Denomination of Origin in 1988, with Marisol Bueno serving as the first president of the regulatory council.
The Bueno-Mareque family maintains ownership of the winery, with Marisol Bueno continuing to guide operations alongside her children who have taken active roles in the business. Their daughter Ana has assumed winemaking responsibilities, while other family members contribute to various aspects of management and international marketing. Under this family leadership, Pazo Señorans has become one of the reference producers in the Rías Baixas region, helping to establish Albariño as a globally recognized Spanish white wine.
Vineyards & Wines
Pazo Señorans manages approximately 22 hectares of vineyards, all located within the Val do Salnés subzone, considered the original heartland of Albariño cultivation. The estate's vineyards are planted exclusively to Albariño grapes and are distributed across multiple small parcels, following the traditional Galician minifundio system of small landholdings.
The vineyards benefit from the Atlantic-influenced climate of the region, with granite-based soils that provide good drainage and impart mineral characteristics to the wines. Most vines are trained on the traditional pergola system (known locally as emparrado), which elevates the fruit above the damp ground to improve air circulation and reduce disease pressure in this humid coastal region.
The winery produces several expressions of Albariño, with their standard Albariño serving as the flagship wine. Their premium offering, Selección de Añada, undergoes extended aging on lees for 30-36 months before release, demonstrating the aging potential of quality Albariño. The portfolio also includes Pazo Señorans Colección, aged for five years before release, and a limited production barrel-fermented Albariño. Additionally, they produce a small quantity of aguardiente (grape spirit) from Albariño pomace, continuing a traditional Galician practice.
Philosophy & Practice
Pazo Señorans adheres to a winemaking philosophy that emphasizes the preservation of Albariño's natural characteristics while exploring its aging potential. The winery employs temperature-controlled fermentation in stainless steel tanks for most of their production, allowing the varietal's aromatic qualities and fresh acidity to shine through.
For their standard Albariño, the winery conducts careful hand-harvesting followed by gentle pressing and cold settling before fermentation. The wine remains on its fine lees for several months with regular bâtonnage (lees stirring) to develop complexity and texture while maintaining freshness. Their Selección de Añada undergoes a more extended lees aging process, demonstrating the winery's commitment to showcasing Albariño's evolution over time.
The winery practices sustainable viticulture adapted to the humid conditions of Galicia, with particular attention to canopy management under the pergola system to ensure proper ripening while minimizing fungal pressure. Harvest is conducted entirely by hand, with grapes carefully sorted before processing. This meticulous approach to both vineyard management and winemaking has established Pazo Señorans as a quality-focused producer committed to expressing the distinctive character of Albariño from the Val do Salnés terroir.