Peak is hard to pinpoint for Unico. '90 isn’t a great year in absolute terms, not like '94, which would suggest on the earlier side. So maybe 7-10.years to prime drinking window? But then remain on a plateau or slow slope for a long time. I’ve never had an over the hill Unico, given good storage.
Much appreciated
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We took a flyer when we saw this nearly unicorn of a magnum on a restaurant list - a 2001 Pazo Senorans Anada! After talking with the sommelier about how it ages, and wherher he would be willing to sell it to us as take away at all, we carefully kept it upright all the way from Galicia to San Sebastian, not because of sediment (none), but because he was a little worried about the cork at this age.
We opened it yesterday with local wine friends and immediately decanted. The cork was a wreck. The wine was glorious! It started out a bit like Riesling on the nose and ended up like aged Meursault. Great texture, depth, delicacy, enchanting aromatics, continued to unfold and expand throughout our lunch. No oxidzed notes in the least, and the color was pale gold, even brightened as it opened. Flowers and minerals, no longer fruity, though not dried out.
Our Spanish friends, who are in the restaurant business and know their wine well, were very impressed. They pointed out, though, that not all albarino can do this - this albarino is among the very top wines of the region. It was a stunner, and a joy.
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You’ve done a great job selling this wine. Unfortunately I can’t find any quite so old here, but I have a couple of bottles of the 2015 arriving tomorrow and very much looking forward to trying it.
The 2015 is excellent, a very strong vintage. Of course at that age it is a classic albarino profile.
I’m not sure I have ever had an albarino that has spent 8 years on lees before bottling (these were bottled June 2024) - I guessing that gives it a chunk more depth and complexity. The dozen or so albarinos that I have drunk previously have all been at 4 years or less from vintage.
Agreed. It is not of the all-zing-no-body type. We love it, up there with Do Ferreiro Cepas Vellas for us for serious albarino.
Old Albariño is such a delight. Hard to find here.
No it’s not. All it takes is patience. Buy it young and cellar it - super easy! 
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Single handedly (almost) keeping this thread active, here is a beauty we had yesterday at Etxebarri, which is the discovery of this trip so far. We encountered the bodega Fulcro for the first time last year, and liked the A Ceistera a lot. We didn’t know of their top wine, the Nas Dunas, until we saw it on a couple of lists in Pontevedra area - makes sense, since they are located in Sanxenxo, just down the way a bit. One of the somms said the Nas Dunas is tiny production, long lees aging in neutral oak, very old vines, and comes from a single plot, and only 3 winemakers make wine from that vineyard, including Raul Perez, but that, in his opinion, the Fulcro is best (note that I am repeating what we were told, as best as I remember, but haven’t verified). We didn’t end up ordering it until a week later here in Basque Country, and man is it great! Bright and fresh with great salinity and some typical Atlantic coast notes, but also great complexity, depth and serious texture. It took tons of air with gusto, and kept performing over the course of a 5 hour meal, showing best near the end with a gorgeous grilled sea bass. A total steal for the €75 we paid, just sadly tough to find, even here - but Ima gonna try!
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Please keep it coming Sarah (will be in the north-west area from next week)
Did the somm mention the name Raul Perez uses for this project/vineyard?
Could not find any Nas Dumas from him, the Fulcro one is avaiable online for around the price you paid
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He didn’t, no. It would not have the same name. He did mention that the Raul Perez wine is much, much more expensive, though.
Edited to add that some digging indicates it may be the Areas de Montalvo. Description and price seem to match.
Forgot to mention above that because the soil there is so sandy, the vines are immune from phylloxera.
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We had another one today. Dynamite.
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I think we had a different Fulcro wine somewhere on our trip, but can’t find it.
Wondering how you got into Etxebarri? Through their reservation portal, or a connection?
Beautiful wine, from a wonderful producer and person. The great Manuel Moldes. Legend.
• 2004 Lopez de Heredia Tondonia Gran Reserva Rioja.
Pristine cork. From other CT notes I thought this would be ready and it sort of is, in the sense that it’s excellent and satisfying. At the same time it smacks you in the head that it will be so, so much more in another few years.
From CT review:
1.5 hr decant. Initial scents were beautifully dusty strawberry, tomato leaf, and dried flowers. Very slight vanilla and dill come out later. Transparent edges in the glass and what might be considered mild bricking— but this does not taste at maturity, let alone in decline. On the palate the tastes are red currant, strawberry, earth. Strong tannins on the verge of fully integrating. Tasty on its own but paired magnificently with rack of lamb.
I have a couple bottles more of this and intend to keep them buried for another decade, when, on the basis of this bottle, this wine will go from merely excellent to legendary. So much potential, still, at age 22. Memo to self: do not touch until 2035.
Score: 95+. Relative to expectations: eventually and without a doubt, +++
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Emilio Morro makes consitently good wines in most years with little vintage variation. One we drink frequently.
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New possible Spanish obsession unlocked:
The dry whites of southern Spain.
This does lack a smidge of acidity that would really get my juices flowing, but this was also like $75ish off the list at Charter Oak. Love the complexity and yellow fruit flavors going on. This was with a group of people, so I couldn’t pay as much attention as I’d like. But, definitely super cool and fun
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Anyone who loves shellfish would be well served in joining this obsession. @Nola_Palomar has offered the great and different Veleta Vijiriega, which I had in Granada years ago and was so delightfully different and which paired with Andalusian seafood magically.
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