A friend of mine who loves Spanish wine Manuel suggested I try this one. Coincidentally he is Spanish. Huh. I’ve never had an Albariño before so had no idea what to expect. Manuel tells me he’s had this one before and it’s a good one. Pale in color with a light nose with some minerality coming through. On the mid pallet this wine is like a mild Sauv blanc. Some citrus, some lemon, some minerality to match the nose. On the finish this wine lingers nicely in the mouth. With some nice acidity on the finish. It’s on the lighter side of medium in length. This would be a perfect summer sipper for the patio! The parallels for me are smack on a mild Sauv blanc. It’s well made, food friendly and refreshing. I would give it an 88 or so. We paired it with a BBQ pork spinach sausage and it held up OK but I would not say it was a match made in heaven. I also paired it with a tandoori chicken. It held up OK to that as well but again, for me not the perfect match. I wouldn’t be running out to grab a case, but wouldn’t be in a rush to return it either 🙂
From the LCBO web site:
LEIRA ALBARIÑO 2010 VINTAGES 115816 | 750 mL bottle Price: $ 16.95
Made in: Rias Baixas, Spain By: Pazo Pondal
Release Date: Mar 17, 2012
Wine, White Wine 12.1% Alcohol/Vol.
Varietal: Albarino/Alvarinho
Sugar Content: 3 g/L
Sweetness Descriptor: XD – Extra Dry
Tasting Note
Fine Albariño with a good dose of minerality on the nose, plus strong suggestions of spice, pear, lime, nettles, straw and herbs. The palate follows suite quite nicely, delivering consistent replays along with a crisp and refreshing acidity and a very long finish for this style. (VINTAGES panel, July 2011)
