2014 Killer Cluster Albarino
| Vintage: | 2014 |
| Varietal Composition: | |
| 100% | Albarino |
This is definitely a ripe and powerful style of Albarino. Do not think Rias Biaxas with this wine. The nose is certainly intense with blood orange, creamed peach and almond notes. The palate is round and rich with an underlying acidity holding it together. Power meets elegance.
The fruit for this Gewurztraminer all came from the Yakima Valley from Crawford Vineyard which is pretty close to the base of Snipes Mountain. A very dry vineyard with intense summer heat and sun cooling dramatically at night leads to rich and powerful wines that can still maintain a sense of elegance through its acidity. The Loess soils are also incredibly well drained combining with being in dessert like conditions the wines tend to have great density.
The 2014 vintage in Washington State showed some very intense heat during the days while still cooling off at night. The fruit set was about average so there was sufficient fruit around the State which was good to allow a little prolonged ripening since it was so hot and dry. The wine are rich and powerful with generous fruit all held together with balanced acidity.
The Albarino was pressed upon receipt coming in on a reefer truck. The wine was cold settled for two days with both the free run and press fractions combined. The wine was fermented at cool temperatures never surpassing 56 degrees F in stainless steel. The wine stayed in tank for 5 months before being filtered and bottled.
This is screaming for a very Parisian meal of simply roasted bistro style chicken with a side salad of fresh tomatoes and dragon tongue beans and feta. Simple pleasures are often the nicest!