About us

Herederos de un legado vivo de cultura y naturaleza

Heirs to a living legacy of culture and nature

When you are born into an extraordinary natural environment with a long wine-making tradition, you proudly take on the responsibility of continuing to make this unique wine. We are located in Val do Salnés, the sub-zone of the DO Rías Baixas, birthplace of Albariño.

Cilleiro monks from the Galician monasteries were already making wine in this region, over ten centuries ago. The Albariño that we make today at Pazo Cilleiro is the result of those original methods plus innovative techniques. Our wine emerges as we seek a balance between tradition and modernity, reflecting centuries of history and a forward-thinking spirit.

From Cluny to Galicia, along the Way of St James

The history of Pazo Cilleiro began in medieval Galicia, in the 11th century, when a group of monks left the Abbey of Cluny, in Bordeaux, and set out on a pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostela.

A settlement in the heart of the Rías Baixas

Entranced by the beauty of the local landscape, the group decided to settle in Galicia and built the foundations of the Armenteira monastery, right in the heart of the Rías Baixas between the towns of Pontevedra and Arousa; a rich and fertile land with exceptionally suitable conditions to grow the type of vines the monks had brought with them from France.

El Cilleiro, a key figure

The monks’ hard work in the vineyard was soon rewarded by a fresh wine with a pleasant and balanced flavor. El Cilleiro was the monk in charge of the winery tasks in the monastery, performing the role of today’s oenologists.

Faithful to a legacy dating back over ten centuries

Nowadays, Pazo Cilleiro is steeped in tradition and innovation. Knowledge has been passed down to us naturally from the Cilleiro masters and we have brought in new techniques to improve the wine, while conserving its true essence. The purity of our land, nurtured by the force of the Atlantic ocean, and hundreds of years devoted to this passion, create a wine with deep personality.

Born in the Rías Baixas

Few things mark the essence of a wine like its place of origin. Our bodega is very close to the town of Meis, in the Pontevedra province, next to the Romanesque monastery of Armenteria, in Val do Salnés, right in the very heart of the Rias Baixas. A very particular spot where the Atlantic Ocean and the green hills stretch out their arms in a tight embrace, creating a land with singular mineralization in a gentle environment with no great temperature shifts throughout the year.

A gentle climate that nurtures our vineyards

The Rias enjoy the very definition of an Atlantic climate with well-distributed rain, regular temperatures and the bonus of relatively dry summers boasting many hours of sunlight. All these characteristics sum up a very suitable environment to grow the main native grape variety, Albariño.

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