Winemaker Notes
On the nose, this wine bursts with spicy citrus and salty zest. There is a seductive orange blossom aspect paired subtle banana and cardamom notes. You can definitely smell the sea influence on this wine as there are briny notes that speak to the nearby Pacific Ocean. White flower notes are ever so present, but salty tangy citrus is the driver. On the palate, this wine is full of tang and energy. Our Albariño never lacks acidity. In fact, managing that high acidity presents one of our biggest challenges, yet that is our greatest gift. There is a rich assembly of citrus, white fruits, stone fruit and tropicals that are all corralled with bright acidity from start to finish. A lingering freshness and minerality cements Albariño as the one varietal that is queen of the sea.
Professional Ratings
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Tasting Panel
Round, smooth and aromatic, this variety, typical of Galicia in northern Spain, is well-suited to the ocean-influenced Edna Valley, lush, generous and showing peach, melon and bright minerality, juicy and long.
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Wine Enthusiast
Aromas of peach blossom, apple blossom and pineapple guava show on the nose of this refreshing bottling. It's zesty and lively on the youthful palate, where pineapple and guava flavors are cut by lime peel and grapefruit zest, with a hint of spicy ginger toward the finish.
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Wilfred Wong of Wine.com
COMMENTARY: The 2019 Cadre Sea Queen defines Albariño clarity. This wine is a standout amongst its peers in the industry. TASTING NOTES: This wine entices with bright aromas and flavors of tart citrus, green apple, and floral notes. Enjoy it with roasted sea scallops in a mix with sweet red peppers, red leaf lettuce, and blood oranges. (Tasted: August 5, 2020, San Francisco, CA)
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.
California’s coolest wine growing area, Edna Valley excels in the production of high quality Central Coast wines like Pinot noir, Chardonnay, Rhône Blends and aromatic white wines. It has a cool Mediterranean climate and an incredibly long growing season, giving late-ripening varieties plenty of opportunity to develop great phenolic complexity.
Its northwest to southeast orientation creates a direct path for cool Pacific air and fog to penetrate the valley from the Los Osos and Morro Bay area inwards. Low hillsides of both calcareous and volcanic soils are home to much of the vineyard acreage of the Edna Valley.