When you enter Galicia from the east, the landscape becomes lush and verdant, with rolling hills, and close proximity to the Atlantic Ocean.  This area is called “Green Spain”, as opposed to the drier remainder of Spain. With rain clouds often close, and relatively cooler temperatures, the Albariño varietal thrives. Even further, the Val do Salnes sub-region of the Rias Baixas appellation is the best place in the world for Albariño and provides the highest level of purity and quality.  Val do Salnes is the home of Chaves. .  

The José Chaves family started in the 1940’s as a simple family business that sold their wines to the tavern the family owned.  As the family grew, they moved to selling these same wines throughout Galicia with one truck as the delivery vehicle. Bodegas Chaves officially began in 1955, with Ribadumia in Val do Salnes as their home.

In 1962, while at a family gathering, José's son Cándido was shown a century old Albariño vine by  Secundio Chaves (Cándido’s great uncle) that was in his garden. Cándido then grafted this vine into his Fornos vineyard 26 years before the DO was granted in 1988, and later began the Chaves’ conversion to Albariño. Chaves was the second vineyard that signed the declaration to join the new Denominación of Origen Rias Baixas.

From this point forward, the Chaves family's purpose was to develop more Albariño vineyards, which they did with the additions of the Modia, Xesteria and Os Pompos plots. These south and west facing vineyards are located between the villages of Cambados, Ribadumia and Meis, in the province of Pontevedra, just above sea level and planted on granite soils. These terroir characteristics give the wines a complex structure and minerality, with an extraordinary aromatic range. 

Chaves believes that they should "listen to the land and only act when it is necessary", and they have reduced any intervention to the absolute minimum.​​​​ Bodegas Chaves remains all family owned.

Castel de Fornos Albariño consists of a blend of Albarino from Modia, Xesteria and Fornos with an average age in the 80+ range.