Rias Baixas, Galicia, Spain
Raúl Pérez’s bottling, A Cruz das Ánimas (crossroads of the soul), shows the incredible heights that old-vine Albariño can reach when treated with the respect, care, and patience it deserves. The Atalier Albariño hails from a trio of vineyards within a kilometer of the coast that survived the phylloxera crisis of the late 19th century. This makes them some of the oldest ungrafted vitis vinifera plantings in the world, estimated to be somewhere around 150 years old. The wine reflects a lovely pale lemon-gold color in the glass followed by penetrating aromas of white flowers, cinnamon, grapefruit, and saline minerals. Pérez balances the texture imparted by neutral barrel fermentation and ageing by blocking the malolactic conversion. This provides an impressive palate presence while conveying complex impressions of salted fennel, white peaches, lime zest, and wild herbs. Floral, saline, and packed with juicy citrus fruit pulp, the wine finishes with complex hints of chamomile, preserved lemon, briny kelp, and white pepper. This is superb, genre-defining Albariño that will pair nicely now with sauteed asparagus and green vegetables, and with all things seafood. The wine of the newsletter! Limited: only ten cases available.
A September 2021 newsletter selection
