Nothing delights me more than seeing a new Albarino on the shelves downtown. Not a great choice I might add but always of interest…here`s a new one I just sampled over 2 nights.
2014 Bodegas Zarate Rias Baixas Val do Salnes, Galicia Spain.
$25 Cdn, good natural cork, 12.5% alc, organic, granite soils with extended lees contact.
The color is pale lemony and on the nose I find lemon, lime, herbs and a mineral tone (as to be expected).
Initial entry thought is dry, great acidity with a mineral structure. Still had some enamel on my teeth after 2 glasses! Quite a crisp style with added grapefruit on day 2. On both days I noted a slight effervescence which was appealing to my palate. Good finish all round…apple, lemon peel but not much in the way of apricot or peach. Might be worthwhile putting a bottle aside to see where it ends up but guess drink now.
No kidding, Bob. I’m trying to think whether I’ve even had a bad bottle. My wife and I shared a bottle a week or so ago and she had some on Saturday while I had a Baumard Chenin Blanc. These wines pair so well with seafood, and they are so inexpensive.
Well, they can certainly premox like white Burgundy. Last year both my bottles of 2009 Fefiñanes III Año were utterly and completely gone.
And some pretty lame stuff does get bottled. 2013 Almirante “Vanidade” was a step or two worse than insipid, though I’ve previously enjoyed their “Pionero Maccerato” bottling.
At the moment I have none on hand but expecting some from Alberto Nanclares this fall, which I’m hoping will be pretty dang tasty.
They can totally age. And a lot depends on where it comes from. The Albariño near the coast is different from that which comes from a little farther inland. In Rías Baixas alone there are several subregions. Albariño has a fairly thick skin for a white, which helps it resist some of the fungal problems it would encounter in the only wet part of Spain. But it also grows in a slightly drier environment and the skin helps it there too.
The problem is that there’s a lot of inexpensive stuff that’s pretty good and it’s becoming a little like Pinot Grigio is to Italy - a nice, refreshing, nondescript white. Actually it’s much better than most Pinot Grigio, but because customers can get a nice bottle for $15, it’s harder to sell a great bottle for $30.
And then remember that it’s relatively new to the US and there aren’t a lot of examples with 40 years or so behind them.
But some folks have been working with the grape for a long time and though I haven’t had any in the US, in Spain I’ve had a few that were aged. I’m keeping a few for myself just to see what happens. Meantime, I’m wondering if I will feel like I do about Riesling - it can age, but I’m not sure I like it more with age than I do when it’s young.
It has been pointed out to me that 2014 was not a great year in the area. Very cool vine growing conditions hence the high level of acidity. Still worth putting one aside for scientific research .
@Bob Sadly the wine you cite is not available at the LCBO here in Ont. Maybe an agent, I’ll hunt around. One of the better offerings on the store shelves is the Terras Gauda O Rosal, and some other Terras Gauda wines are available privately.
Intrigued by the comments about aging, haven’t tried it - yet!!
In the past 2 years or so, I’ve also become hooked on Albariño. And Assyrtiko. And Muscadet. And Gruner Veltliner. Based on my actual consumption and enjoyment, It’s become pretty clear that Chardonnay-based wines have become a novelty for me. I enjoy good $15-25 versions of the aforementioned 4 varieties more than just about any sub $60 Chardonnay with seafood. And if I want profound or a white wine with roast chicken and most Asian food, I’d almost always rather drink a nice Riesling or higher-end GV.
I’ve had some great Rhys Chardonnay recently that have kept me buying them. For me, they’re better than any White Burgundy I could still get for less than $100. I still enjoy a good Chablis, but the recent price increases for Dauvissat (Raveneau was already kicked off the island) may spell the end of my buying. I could venture into Saint-Aubin or the Mâconnais as many of you have, but at the end of the day, why? More Albariño please.
I’ve been loving Albarino from Nanclares recently. They’ve got such focus, and that saline character that you read about but too few seem to actually have.
@Jay. +1 on Assyrtiko. Still not fashionable really so the QPR can be amazing. Example the other day found one on the shelves of our local Monopolista for $12.75 (Santo) that was pretty delicious. With our taxes and exchange that’s probably $0 US HAHA. Far more interesting than any $13 Chard would be. Sigalas would be the goto wine…at mid price point or Gaia Thalassitis.
Has anyone tried the Barrel fermented Sigalas? I haven’t come across it here yet; but am curious whether that really suits the style of the grape.
Thought I would just mention that at a tasting downtown, I had my first ever sparkling Alvarinho from Quinta do Soalheiro. Just over $40 Cdn and showed up nicely in a sparkling wine store tasting.
Have to add that the 2007 Iron Horse Green Valley Classic Vintage Brut was a steal for $28 Cdn.
From the article you posted on aging… “The problem is that few has tasted any because they tend to drink Alvarinho too young. And at retailer shelves you won’t find any with age.”
I’ve recently become an Albarino fan after buying a bottle of La Cana (Rias Baixas, 2014) at Costco. I went back to buy more and of course there was none to be found, so went looking at the local wine stores. I found some 2006 at one store, bought it, and was anxious to see how it would be. It wasn’t corked, but it wasn’t very tasty either. The brightness in the 2014 I liked so much, had turned into “too tart/vinegary” and none of the floral, mineral or fruit characteristics were left that I had enjoyed in the 2014. There isn’t much of a selection around here, so I’ve appreciated this thread.
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