Pity
the fortunate who live where the seasons don’t include wind driven sleet that
slices through your clothing and leaves your bones quaking from a chill that
last for months. Those poor fortunates
never experience the heights of joy we hardies do when greeted finally by the
renewal of warm weather. No, we’re able
to celebrate the “changing of the wine” in true
spirit. We move to white wines. Crisp
wines. Wines of joy and cleanliness and youth that celebrate the season’s
promise of variety. Wines we can enjoy outdoors. Wines that pair so perfectly
with many of the lighter meals enjoyed in warmer months.
 |
| SOMM Jill Zomorski presenting |
Rias
Baixas is home to these wines. A region in Northwest Spain, Rias Baixas is hillsides of hard granite beneath a top soil of
mineral-rich clay, silt and gravel. With
abundant sunshine, but a cool maritime climate, the area’s five sub-regions,
while unique, share in producing aromatic wines of mouthwatering acidity. These wines are a joy for both the nose and
the palate and bring out the best in summer food pairing.
Over
99% of all wine produced here is white.
Twelve grape varieties are permitted, but the most well-known (and
produced) is Albarino. It accounts for 90% of all plantings. Thinking you know Albarino is like thinking
you know a vegetable because you’ve tasted it.
But just as the same vegetable from a different country offers a
different experience, Albarino from Rias Baixas offer a unique taste and
sensory experience.
 |
| Getting Ready to Taste |
I
enjoyed a tasting of several of these wines in April in Chicago with Sommelier
Jill Zomorski presenting information as we moved along, pairing the wines with
different small plates prepared by the talented chefs at the Little Goat Kitchen. As a group, Albarino wines may show aromas of
green apple, honeysuckle, citrus, ripe melon, peach, pear and apricot. They are
dry, but fruity with moderate alcohol, mineral tones and refreshing acidity
that is both palate cleansing and mouthwatering. But each of
the five sub-regions within Rias
Baixas will contribute its own characteristic. And winemakers will do the rest:
Many now favor fermenting with wild yeasts. Some will ferment and/or age – or
age some portion – of the wine in wood. Some will extend contact with the lees
(spent yeast cells) making for a rounder texture and enhanced flavor. Others may allow some malolactic
fermentation. Any of these techniques
may be used, or used in combination, wholly or in part to make each Albarino
unique. What is universal is the characteristic that has made Albarino from
Rias Baixas the standard by which all others are judged.
 |
| Spring onion pierogi with chive yogurt and rhubarb relish made by the talented chefs at the Little Goat. Delicious. Demonstrating too the versatility of Albarino. |
Following
is a listing of the wines I tasted and a brief description of each wine’s
differing highlight:
VALMINOR 2015: Clear, clean, pale lemon with a green hue. Aromas of
ripe peach, white flower. Ripe, juicy fruit aromas but clean on the palate. No malolactic, no extended lees
contact – all steel. Quince, lime, floral notes. This is freshness in the
glass. (Alc. 12%). SRP $18.99
CONDES DE ALBAREI 2014: Fermented with wild yeasts. Nose is more ripe, more
melon with tastes of kiwi and melon. Not sure if there was any malolactic. No
(or very short) skin contact. Another
example of the freshness of Albarino. (Alc. 12%). SRP $15.
 |
| I enjoyed the wine so much, later I made roasted sea bass with parsley sauce on a bed of chickpea puree and quick-picked Watermelon radish spirals. Great wine allows for such versatility. |
PAZO SAN MAURO 2014: From further inland and south, this wine does not
rest on its lees for any length, but develops color from six hours of skin
contact. Aromas of apricot and peaches. Rich, ripe and rounded softly with
notes of orange blossom. Flavors of jasmine, peach and minerality. (Alc. 12.5%). SRP $17.
PAZO DE SENORANS 2015: O.K. Time out.
2015 was a great year, I mean terrific, for Albarino in the Rias
Baixas. Consider that when I tell you I
so enjoyed the floral nose and rich creaminess of this wine. No malolactic, but
5 months of lees aging can account for the rounded creamy mouthfeel. Jill points out the aroma of beer foam in the
nose. I’m very suggestive, but now that
she mentions it, I must agree, and I love it. (Alc. 12.5%). SRP $25.
PACO & LOLA 2014: 15%
Malolactic Fermentation, three months less contact, the nose is delicate but
artful with some herbaceous notes, then lemon-balm and jasmine with fruit notes
developing as the wine airs in the glass. Flavor of lavender and apple that is
mellow and absolutely delicious. As with all Albarino, this too is dry but with
fruit characteristics in balance like a Flying Wallenda. (Alc. 12.5%). ARP $22.
TERRA DE ASOREI 2015: Oh, oh,
another 2015! Soft, rounded, floral with
peach. Lovely aromatics and flavors in balance play delicately against each
other. A push-pull of finesse. (Alc. 12.2%) SRP $14.99
BODEGA VEIGA NAUM 2015: (For my palate) a different approach, but one that
works successfully on successive sips.
Detecting some chamomile (?) which is different – or could be attributed
to the various small plates I’ve been tasting.
Really should taste this again, and separately, to be fair. (Alc. 12.4%). SRP $15.
MARTIN CODAX 2014: What you may be thinking of when you think of
Albarino. Delicate aromas of lime with white floral notes that carry into the
taste. All steel for freshness, 40% Malolactic Fermentation to round it all
out. (Alc. 12%). SRP $16.99.
BODEGAS LA CANA 2014: A standby,
I’ve enjoyed it several times. Available at most retail outlets. Native yeasts.
Eight months on the lees make it gentle yet naturally peachy with mineral
notes. (Alc. 12.5%). SRP $17.99.
ALTOS DE TORONA 2015: Not just a 2015, but a blend of Albarino, Loureiro
and Caino Blanco. Lots of lavender and honeysuckle.(Alc. 12.5%). SRP $16-$20.
Albarino
and Rias Baixas: a grape and a region (D.O.) that, coming together, make for a
perfect storm of wines with unique character; a sense of place and joyous wine
that is food friendly and celebratory of the season with prices that are budget
friendly. What I particularly appreciate
is the diversity within the same varietal and region of Rias Biaxas that
respects any particular preference you may have for that moment. Wines that are softer, more delicate, less
acidic or more so. Wines so perfectly
complimenting a plate of appetizers, wines enjoyable on their own under a patio
umbrella with cooling breezes on summer days and blue skies accented with puffy
white clouds. But throughout it all is the
common ancestry of fresh, light-medium bodied wine, with alcohol addresses only
in the 12 neighborhood that are refreshing and crisp and just so enjoyable.
Albarino
is fast gaining popularity in the United States. A thick skinned grape that
makes for fresh, fruity, but dry wines with luscious aromas and cleansing
acidity that is so refreshing. Wine
Mizer advice? Try several. Invite some
friends and have a “blind tasting” with bottles in numbered bags Be prepared and have on hand some appetizers that
can be served at room temperature or chilled and enjoy the gifts of spring and
summer and the Rias Biaxas. You may like
them all, but you’re sure to pick a favorite.
Salud!
…………….
Jim
Follow
Wine Mizer on Face Book for mini wine reviews, recipes, industry news and fun
facts.
No comments:
Post a Comment