Galicia's Rias Baixas has become synonymous with great Albariño-producing wines of compelling fruit and fragrance from this distinctive grape. Most of the top versions come from vineyards lining the Minho River. Yet, some of the best and oldest Albariño vineyards are actually in Portugal, directly across the river from Spain. So, when the young Gallego winemaker, Marcial Dorado, set out to make the finest Albariño of all, he crossedthe river. Marcial's zealous pursuit of excellence would astonish most Galicians. For starters, Marcial limited yields and insisted on handharvesting. As the grapes are harvested, they are first sorted in the vineyards, and then on a triage table. The renovated winery is entirely gravity fed-anything to keep oxygen away from the grapes. This meticulous pursuit of pristine fruit is critical, as Marcial's wines diverge from "typical" in a couple of ways. The first way, of course, is the sheer concentration produced by low-yielding, old vines. But Marcial also adopted a couple of techniques common to Burgundy's best white wine specialists: partial malolactic fermentation and extensive stirring of the lees. There is plenty of fresh acidity in Marcial's fruit, and the malolactic fermentation steals very little of it, while enhancing the wine's richness and limiting the need to filter or add SO2. Lees-stirring provides additional aromatic complexity and a sense of depth on the palate. The Auratus is a blend of Alvarinho and Trajadura. Fresh and crisp, this wine is what most Vinho Verde hopes to be when it grows up. For technical reasons, it cannot hold that appellation, yet it does more to honor that tradition than 99% of Vinho Verde on the market.