Bodegas Paso Robles Albarino

Wednesday, September 26, 2012

Don’t you just love the “enye”? No, not the 90s new age pop sensation Enya, though yes she is delightful in her own right. “Enye” is how you pronounce this Spanish character: N, and it’s capable of making just about anything look exotic and mysterious.

Take this Bodegas Paso Robles Albarino wine. Without the n your eye would probably just skim over the title, but with it the imagination runs wild. What sensual notes of apricot and grapefruit does this wine contain? With what nosh would it pair well? Spicy banana peppers? Dungeonous crab? The possibilities are infinite.

It’s even capable of spicing up otherwise bland-seeming food and drink. “Hola, senor, would you like a side of mayonnaise with that sandwich?” See what I mean? That sounds like a sandwich of questionable moral fiber. How exhilarating!

• Varietal Composition: 100% Albarino
• Appellation: Edna Valley
• Vineyard: Jack Ranch
• Harvest Date: October 27, 2011
• Brix at Harvest: 24.5
• pH at Harvest: 3.2
• Fermentation: Fermented in stainless steel tank for 47 days
• Cooperage: Neutral French oak and stainless steel barrels
• Time in Barrel: 3 months
• Bottling Date: March  2012
• Alcohol: 13.2%
• Residual Sugar: 1%
• Release Date: April 2012

Albarino is native to Spain, where it is grown in the Rias Baixas appellation in Galicia region (that part of Spain above Portugal).  This is the only part of Spain situated on the cooler waters of the Atlantic Ocean.  This varietal grows best in areas with salty ocean breezes in the afternoon and cool nights, exactly the growing conditions in Edna Valley, which is only a few miles from the Pacific Ocean and about 30 miles south of Paso Robles.

Weather conditions in 2011 were challenging in the late spring, with severe frost in April.  Edna Valley escaped most of the problems experienced in Paso Robles, but rain was looming when the grapes were harvested in late October.  The grapes had good color and soft tannins with higher acidity, characteristic of the 2011 harvest.

Woot