2018 Pazo de Barrantes Albariño La Comtesse
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A cold, humid year, the grapes for the 2018 Albariño Gran Vino De Guarda La Comtesse were harvested quite late, but the wine, given time in French oak and concrete tank, is aromatic in petrol and green olive, with an added richness to the palate from the barrel’s spice and toast notes, a nice complement to the quince and lemon. There’s energy to the wine even after seven years, with abundant minerality and the structure to continue developing another 8-10 years. Based in the heart of Rias Baixas, the owners decided to change their focus in 2019 to do more aging of their Albariños, entering into a whole new category. Using all estate fruit from a single vineyard around the property, they brought a Riojan Marques de Marietta philosophy to Galicia, believing that Albariño needs time.
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Richard Hemming MW, jancisrobinson.com
Luis Gutiérrez, Wine Advocate
Altre recensioni e punteggi
Sweetly spiced nose with cooked vegetal character. Maximum effort, but the satisfaction factor isn't as valid as their lesser wine. Perhaps it hasn't aged especially gracefully? (RH)
The 2018 La Comtesse comes from a vineyard called Cacheiro, 1.4 hectares of their oldest vines (planted in 1965) that deliver lower yields and aim to showcase the aging potential of Albariño. The destemmed grapes were slowly and softly pressed in a pneumatic press, and the juice was let to settle and put to ferment in a 3,000-liter oak vat for some 60 days. The wine was kept in that vat for 12 months, the first two with lees, and then it matured in concrete for a further 12 months before bottling. It has 13.5% alcohol and a pH of 3.4 with seven grams of tartaric acid per liter, very good parameters for a great vintage. It has a bright golden color and a perfumed, complex and elegant nose, with depth and nuance with the complexity of time, moving away from the primary aromas and high acidity of the younger wines. The oak is neatly integrated (the oak is used, and they have reduced the time in oak by two months), and the wine has mellow acidity. It's velvety and elegant, clean, pungent and precise, sharp and electric, very fresh. It has complexity and youth, balance and ingredients to develop in bottle. Time is on its side. 6,672 bottles and 200 magnums were produced. It was bottled in April 2021. It was not released until June 2023, after a good couple of years in bottle. Prices have increased.
The 2018 Gran Vino de Guarda La Comtesse is a 100% Albariño from Pago Cacheiro, a 1.4-hectare vineyard in Finca Barrantes, planted in 1965. Golden yellow, it presents hop-like and herbal notes with fine wood and a creamy, compact palate marked by vibrant freshness. A lightly herbal finish reflects the humid vintage and lends charm.