Tannic Panic! Issue #65: Albinos, Winos and Albariños
Celebrating Albariño week with - YOU GUESSED IT - Albariño. Pitting our assessments against some top wine critic reviews, and a bonus review of one of our favorite wines from New Zealand.
This week we are literally leaping out of our jorteralls to talk to you about a grape that grows like ragweed in a tiny nook of north-western Spain known simply as “Rías Baixas” (pronounced “REEYATH BASHSXTHTHASTH”)
The grape Albariño is a native grape variety of the Iberian Peninsula, which according to the WSET is known for producing some of the world's most “fashionable” wines (LOL). This small, “spherical” grape has thick, light green skin and is characterized by its vibrant acidity and aromatic complexity. Albariño wines are generally dry (LIKE ME), refreshing, and food-friendly, with common descriptors including citrus, stone fruit, melon, and saline. The grape's thick skin allows it to thrive in damp conditions without succumbing to mold or rot (UNLIKE ME), which has made it particularly well-suited to the humid maritime climate of northwestern Spain and northern Portugal.
DID YOU KNOW… Albariño was once believed to be an estranged clone of Riesling that some humble monks brought to Spain from the Rhine in the 12th century. WRONG!! The “mighty” power of modern “genetics” has “informed us” that Albariño is in fact “native” to Galicia, most likely having been cultivated from wild growing vines in the area.
The Region: Rías Baixas DO
Map depicting the 5 extremely wholesome subregions that comprise Rías Baixas
The wines we tasted this week come from Albariño's heartland, “Rías Baixas,” located in the lush region of Galicia in northwestern Spain. The region is characterized by its verdant landscapes, mineral-rich soils, and relatively cool Atlantic climate, which collectively create ideal conditions for “cultivating” Albariño.
The region's proximity to the Atlantic Ocean plays a crucial role in shaping the oh so charming “character” of the wines by helping maintain the grape's natural acidity and allowing for slow, even ripening (THE GOOD KIND!). The mineral-rich soils, similar to those found in renowned regions like France's Loire Valley and Germany's Rhine region, contribute to the wine's complexity and distinctive mineral notes.
The vines are often grown on pergolas to improve airflow so that the humid conditions are less likely to result in fungal disease. While Albariño from Rías Baixas is usually made in a refreshing unoaked style, winemakers in the region have also “embraced” various nifty little “techniques” (THE GOOD KIND) to produce richer styles, like lees stirring and even some use of oak, which can “enhance” the body and texture of the wines.
This week we chose two bottles to try because, according to Total Wine, James Suckling scored them both 91 points. Now that we’ve begun rolling out our new scoring system, let’s see how our assessment compares to ole Generous James!
Profile: White flowers, honeydew melon, pear, apple, peach, citrus peel, flint Palate: Dry, high acid, medium body, medium+ finish
We’ve consolidated our tasting notes for you, which were generally in alignment, with only slight variations (Isaac tasted golden apple, and Zach tasted green apple, for example).
Generally a nice wine with floral and melon notes, complimented by aromas of pear and citrus peel. A nice flinty “minerality” really ties the room together.
Using this new system, we were both a little surprised by the score, because intuitively we would have called this more like 89-90. The reason we are calling this out, is because what this indicates is that we have used “86” as a harsher score in the past (and 89-90 too generously). That said, solid B+ from us. It tracks!
If you’ve been with us for a while, then you may recall that the 2022 Grove Mill Sauvignon Blanc from Marlborough, New Zealand, was our top pick when we blind tasted a bunch of readily available 2022 vintage NZ Sauv Blancs a little over a year ago. Well, when we did our 2023 vintage NZ Sauv Blanc tasting earlier this year, we unfortunately were not able to find the 2023 Grove Mill anywhere, so it was (rather unfairly) excluded from the running.
In 2022, we scored it 92 points, which I think may be lower than it would have scored using the new system, but… that’s just speculation. Without further ado, here’s the breakdown of this one:
Profile: Passion fruit, guava, mango, lychee, grapefruit, green pepper, chalky crushed sea shells, gardenia, lily Palate: Dry, high acid, medium body, long finish
All in all an outstanding wine and such a bargain. If you have a chance to taste it, PLEASE DO. If you have already tried it (or even if you haven’t) and you think I’m completely delusional for scoring it 94, please take a moment to verbally abuse me in the comments.
WHAT’S NEXT?
This weekend we are headed to Sonoma to visit a bunch of great wineries in the area and talk to the people behind the juice, so stay tuned for a recap of that next week
Moving forward, we are going to discuss some *minor* adjustments to the new 100 point scale we rolled out (and of course, we’ll add a note about that to the previous post to clarify for anyone catching up). This will be to improve the definitions we use for terms like complexity and adjust the point allocations to account for some of the great feedback we got from our readers on concentration
Good stuff! Now go get your illegally harvested Rhinoceros horns (disclaimer: do not do this) and fill them up with a few jeroboams of the good stuff.
Until next time, HAPPY DRINKING PEOPLE.
Cheers!
Isaac & Zach
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REEYATH BASHSXTHTHASTH - WTF! Shshshshshshshhshhhh. Why is this even harder to pronounce than Rías Baixas 😂! I'm a big fan of Albariño/Alvarinho...so this was a delight to read. You also have my mouth watering with your notes from these two wines.
Also...Spring has sprung around these parts...and, aside from the little wild daisies popping up everywhere, the amount of Sauv Blanc that's been flowing in my glass is proof of the Spring vibes. So this Grove Mill is on brand with the Southern Hemisphere peeps. Yum!
REEYATH BASHSXTHTHASTH - WTF! Shshshshshshshhshhhh. Why is this even harder to pronounce than Rías Baixas 😂! I'm a big fan of Albariño/Alvarinho...so this was a delight to read. You also have my mouth watering with your notes from these two wines.
Also...Spring has sprung around these parts...and, aside from the little wild daisies popping up everywhere, the amount of Sauv Blanc that's been flowing in my glass is proof of the Spring vibes. So this Grove Mill is on brand with the Southern Hemisphere peeps. Yum!