Albariño is a grape variety from Rias Baixas (ree-ahs buy-shuss), which is region in Galicia, located in northwest Spain.
On the pour, this is a beautiful light-gold colored wine, more yellow than green in the bottle and in the glass. Zero legs whatsoever on a good swirl.
Before the swirl, I gave it a sniff and got lots of floral (crisp floral) and a little lemon zest, pretty simple and straightforward initially. Then after a good swirl, it opened up a bit on the nose: still heavy with the floral component, more lemon peel (pleasant, not overly sour at all), but the mineral smell that is common with good Spanish white wines makes its debut after a bit of O2 is added to the mix. There is also a fruit flavor on the nose just at the end, white peach is what comes to mind.
On the palate I really enjoyed what I experienced. Chilled to between 13 and 17˚C, this is very crisp and refreshing. The acidity of this wine is very well done; I mean that it is very present and definitely wakes up the mouth, but it is not obnoxious or painful. There is a surprising velvet component on the palate (makes me think of good red wine while in the mouth from time to time, fun!). I get the floral aspect from the nose returning intermittently along the palate. The finish is structured and leaves the drinker satisfied.
I enjoyed this wine with a seasoned fresh fish fillet (orange roughy) and a light spinach salad. BUT, like I say, pairings are overrated, be creative and experiment.
Rating: 90
Retail: $14
Very great value! Not the best Albariño out there, but the $/glass value is unmatched in my experience (aka best Albariño under $20 without a doubt).
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