Winemaker Notes
Single Vineyard Albariño comes from south-facing vines, which are protected from direct sunlight and less influenced by chilly ocean breezes. It presents vibrant mango, pineapple, and stone fruit aromas and subtle white floral notes. Ripe apricot and citrus flavors, minerality, and saline notes lead to a fresh finish.
Professional Ratings
-
Jeb Dunnuck
A sly, elusive white compared to the Reserva, the 2024 Albarino Single Vineyard is floral and earthy, with complex layers of minerality and salinity. The fruit is well-integrated and complementary, tasting of summertime peach and mango. Drink now through 2030.
-
James Suckling
Lime, chalk, flint and sliced green apples on the nose. Bright and subtly saline, the medium-bodied palate features transparent, crunchy stone fruit that defines the mid-palate, leading to a cool, mineral finish. Drink or hold.
Bright and aromatic with distinctive floral and fruity characteristics, Albariño has enjoyed a surge in popularity and an increase in plantings over the last couple of decades. Thick skins allow it to withstand the humid conditions of its homeland, Rías Baixas, Spain, free of malady, and produce a weighty but fresh white. Somm Secret—Albariño claims dual citizenship in Spain and Portugal. Under the name Alvarinho, it thrives in Portugal’s northwestern Vinho Verde region, which predictably, borders part of Spain’s Rías Baixas.
Considered one of the most environmentally sustainable countries in the world, Uruguay is also the fourth largest wine producing country in South America. But in contrast to its neighbors (Chile, Argentina and even Brazil) Uruguay keeps more in step with its European progenitors where land small holdings are most common. Most Uruguayan farms are tiny (averaging only about five hectares) and family-run, many dating back multiple generations. At this size, growers either make small amounts of wine for local consumption or sell grapes to a nearby winery. In all of Uruguay there are close to 3,500 growers but fewer than 300 wineries.
On these small plots of land, manual tending and harvesting, as well as low yields are favored; this small agricultural country has never had a need for large-scale chemical fertilizers or insecticides. Their thriving meat industry also follows the same standards: hormones have been banned since 1968 and today all Uruguayan beef is organic and grass-fed.
Uruguay’s best vineyards are on the Atlantic coast, in Canelones and Maldonado (where cooling breezes lessen humidity) or found hugging its border with Argentina. With a climate similar to Bordeaux and soils clay-rich and calcareous, Uruguay is perfect for Tannat, a thick-skinned, red variety native to Southwest, France. A great Tannat from Uruguay will have no lack of rich red and black fruit, lots of sweet spice and a hefty structure. Sometimes winemakers blend Merlot or Pinot noir with Tannat to soften up its rough edges.
The best Uruguayan whites include Sauvignon blanc and Albarino.