The nose is apple peel, sea salt, and beeswax. Bright and zippy with loads of minerality and stonefruit. Complex and weighty enough to stand up to food. Especially tapas, obviously.
When Clayton first made Albariño I told him I thought he made it specifically for me because it was so good. While it may not be entirely true, I still tell myself it is, and am grateful every time.
This wine was whole cluster pressed and barrel fermented in neutral oak with all native yeasts. It went through full malolactic fermentation and received trace sulfur at bottling.
2018 Alluvion Albariño
$26.00
Sourced from the Rorick Heritage Vineyard in the Calaveras AVA, in the Seirra Foothills. Matthew Rorick (of Forlorn Hope Wines) bought this property in 2013 and converted the farming to organic practices. The property was one of the original vineyards in the area, and still has some own-rooted Chardonnay that was planted in the 70’s. It is a pretty amazing vineyard that a slew of awesome winemakers source from.
This block of Albariño is low lying and near a river so it stays cool and often ripens late, even after the Tempranillo.