Rias Baixas

This is an Albariño from Spain.  While I truly love many of the Albariños we are now seeing from California, its hard to justify spending that kind of money when Spain offers wines like this for $30.  Very light silvery/gold in color, clear and bright.  The nose is mineral driven with a touch of wild thyme, salinity and maybe some crushed shells.  Light bodied.  Nice texture.  Good balance.  On the palate, this is dry.  The minerality continues and the crushed shell notes get louder.  Good finish.  This is refreshing on its own but better with food.  A great choice for grilled shrimp.  

This is a white wine from northwest Spain.  Light silvery/gold in color, clear and bright.  The nose has some grapefruit along with slight pineapple notes.  Medium bodied.  Tart acidity.  On the palate, there is refreshing tart lemon/citrus notes.  Good finish.  This is easy drinking and very food friendly for lighter foods.  Seafood would be a great match.  Drink over the next couple of years.  This winery buys up surplus juice from "top" producers around the world and packages the wine without revealing who the original producer is.  

This is a crisp white wine from northwest Spain.  It is made from 100% Albarino grapes.  It sees 35% Large used oak barrels and the rest stainless steel.  Pale yellow gold in color, clear and bright.  The nose has lemon/lime but also a slight papaya note with lots of minerality.  A touch of salinity on the nose.  Medium bodied.  On the palate, crisp acidity with a lovely texture.  Limes with a slight herbal note (chervil?) and mineral undertones.  Long finish.  This is a seriously great value in whites.  While I do like the California Albarino's, its hard to justify paying for them when Spa

This has always been a favorite value wine.  Although the wine sees no oak, it spends four months on the lees leaving a creamy texture and notes that resemble oak.  Green/gold in color, clear and bright.  The nose has some vanilla, along with pears and lanolin.  Light to medium bodied.  On the palate, there is a nice green apple note with plenty of energy.  A bit of salinity on the finish.  This drinks well on its own and would pair quite well with shellfish.  Drink over the next few years.  

Light silver/gold in color.  The nose has lots of minerality, crushed shells and some lemon.  Also a bit steely.  On the palate, this is crisp and lean.  Steely with lots of minerality/chalk.  Just a hint of viscosity on the midpalate.  Clean finish.  This would work well with seafood or other lighter foods.  Nice for summer sipping,  Ranges in price from $13 to $18.  Drink now.  

This wine, made by a large Co-Op is always a great value in refreshing, crisp white wines.  It is from the northwest corner of Spain.  Light, pale yellow gold in color.  The nose has seashells, salinity and also a nice crisp green apple note.  Light bodied.  On the palate, this has a nice bite.  Lots of energy.  The apple notes come thru as well.  Moderate finish.  This goes well with sea food and salads.  it also drinks well on its own, especially outdoors on a warm evening.  It should be consumed in the next year.  And, then buy the next vintage.

Good showing for this wine despite being four years from vintage.  Light yellow gold in color.  The nose has a nice minerality with chervil and slight peach.  On the palate, there is a crisp underlying minerality along with a peach and citrus component.  Good acidity.  This is fresh and lively.  It will work with most lighter and medium foods and be great with seafood and fresh salads.  

This was another crowd pleaser.  People kept asking to know more Albarino and how to say Rias Baixas.  I was able to help with the former, but they were on their own with the later.  Silvery green gold in color.  The nose is nice if not ebullient.  Slightly saline with crushed shells and slight pears.  On the palate, this has a nice slightly oily texture.  The palate is all about minerality.  The finishes turns tart green apples in a good and refreshing way.  Quite food friendly for all but the heartiest of dishes.  This is a bit more full bodied than most Albarino's from Spain.  That is ne

Light golden in color.  A very nice nose of crushed sea shells with bits of lime.  Not as good on the palate but still ok.  Nice minerality but it turns a bit bitter.  I would like to see a bit more acidity as well.  It would work well with sea food for sure.