Albariño Rising: Iberian Grape Trending in California

February 18, 2022 – There’s a trend in the competitions I’ve judged so far this year: Albariño keeps showing up in a big way. At the 2022 San Francisco Chronicle Competition, an Albariño from Wood Family in Livermore topped a field of 41 entries—a record number—to earn Best of Class. At the just held 2022 East Meets West Wine Competition, a 2021 Albariño from Las Positas, another Livermore winery, won Best of Show, beating out 1,100 total entries for the top prize. Let’s hear it for this Iberian white popular in Spain (30K acres) and Northwest Portugal (14K acres), whose acreage has doubled in CA since 2012. Yep, we’re up to a whopping 560 acres now. 

A few Livermore winemakers and I decided to taste through some of the 41 wines that scored double gold or gold medals at the SF Chron. We also had some Iberian examples for reference. Tasting with winemakers is hilarious, because they are so bloody competitive. They pretty much look for a reason to find fault, especially when tasting each other’s wines. Sometimes it gets downright snark-festy.

Three of our local Central Coast wineries that make Albariño had entries on the tasting table, and they proved a big hit. 

They were all over the board in terms of style, but clear favorites emerged. Almost all were screwcaps, which was refreshing. 

We started with the 2020 La Marea Albariño from Kristy Vineyard in Monterey (11.9%, $24), Ian Brand’s standout racy lemon-studded stunner. Winemaker Darin Winton from Cellar 13 (Livermore) described this wine as a spade: it’s very focused on entry, then broadens on the mid-palate and then finishes tight and sharp, with nectarine, pineapple and lime. Some of the winemakers questioned the perky acid level: was the wine acidulated? No way, says Brand. This is classic Monterey county fruit: the acid is off the hook, and is all completely natural. This was a big hit for its sassiness and freshness. 

The 2019 Brick Barn Albariño from Santa Ynez (15.1%, $42), surprised us with the relatively high alcohol for this grape. The aromatics were beguiling, with lots of orange blossom, tangerine and ripe cantaloupe, and the flavor reminded me of an Orange Julius. Definitely a big boy! It was one of three wines we tasted that was finished with a cork.

In total contrast, was the 2020 Klinker Brick Albariño (12.8%, $17) from Lodi, redolent of honeysuckle, and very lightweight and flowy through the mid-palate. The flavors were mostly green apple and a touch of lime. This is one of those “save water, drink wine” kind of beverages, in a nice way.

Nobody in the group had ever tasted an Albariño from Texas. In fact, most hadn’t ever had a wine from Texas, period. It was show time at the OK Corral. The 2020 Eden Hill Albariño (13.9%, $26) proved a head turner. Such a big, well developed wine, with aromas of Bananas Foster and flavors of lush ripe apricot in a super creamy texture. This had the kind of enormous finish you’d expect from a big state. Definitely need to do more research on Albariño from Texas! 

Everyone seemed to love the 2021 Wood Family Albariño from Livermore (12.5%, $32), with its sweet aromatics of strawberry and mango that showed up on the palate as well. Well balanced, with decent acidity, this is like a tropical cruise that doesn’t want to end. This wine has what can be called an “active” finish, meaning it keeps on coming at you long after the wine is gone. It will be released in April.

The 2020 Vino Vargas Albariño (13.5%, $27) from Paso Robles displayed that classic honeysuckle and lime pith, along with toasted marshmallow. This is a very viscous, mouth coating wine that conveys a lot of honey and ripe pineapple fruit, with a finish of strong lime, reminiscent of that last sip of a margarita. For lovers of white wine with body and heft.

We were surprised in a pleasant way by the zestiness of the 2020 Oak Farm Albariño (13.5%, $22) from Lodi, which greets you with bananas and a slight effervescence. Totally enjoyable, the red grapefruit and melon flavors reminded me a tad of Sauvignon Blanc. This is one of those sit around the pool in the summer wines that everyone will love.

Local favorite Morgan, won a lot of hearts and big smiles with the 2020 Morgan Albariño (13%, $24) from Arroyo Seco. Gorgeous floral aromatics just charm your nose, and the pleasing flavors of melon, white peach and a hint of salty prosciutto make this wine a keeper. Soft and delicate, but with definitive presence from start to finish. A most engaging composition. 

Morgan winemaker Sam Smith tells us this wine is from the Mission Vineyard in the northern reaches of Arroyo Seco, very close to the SLH, and that Morgan has been sourcing from there for seven years. He used Cross Evolution yeast to enhance both aromatics and mouthfeel, which is also bolstered by barrel aging for six months in 11% new French and Hungarian barrels, with the balance being neutral. He picked the fruit at 21.5 brix. Asked what he’s aiming for with this wine, Smith says, “We are trying to achieve a wine that is relatively lean and very fresh, with effusive aromatics and enough mid palate richness to be paired with oysters and lunchtime fare alike.”

We then dove into the East Meets West competition-winning 2021 Estate Las Positas Albariño (12.5%, $35) from Livermore. Beginning with its fabulous aromatics of apricot, pear, lemon and lime, this wine takes you on a wild ride with just a hint of spritz from the high CO2 levels at bottling. It has a bit of residual sugar (.7 RS) to counter the plentiful acid, and the concentration throughout the palate is remarkable. It was fermented and aged entirely in stainless with X5 and X16 yeast to boost the aromas. Like a V12, this fires on all cylinders and finishes like a dream. It’s not released yet, but when it is, you’ll be able to find it at Costco. 

Pretty much everyone loved the 2020 CRU Albariño (13.6%, $20) from Edna Valley, with its stony lime pith aromatics. This hews pretty closely to the flavors you expect from a classic Albariño from Rías Baixas, like nectarine, apricot and lime, with albeit California levels of alcohol. The good news is that it stays fresh and focused and is utterly mouthwatering throughout. Clearly a crowd fave for its silky, minerally texture. Visit the CRU tasting room at the former Smith Family tasting room at 37500 Foothill Road in Soledad, Thursday through Sunday.

We also sampled the 2020 Estate Las Positas Albariño (13.1%, $35), which was done in neutral puncheons, not on purpose, but because winemaker Brent Amos ran out of tanks that vintage. This imparted a truly lovely soft texture to this super tropical wine that hews to banana and a guava. There’s a smack of spearmint in the nose, which is totally intriguing, and the soft feather down finish is a hug for your mouth. Available at Costco in Dublin and Livermore. 

Winemaker Darin Winton says that one of his favorite memories from childhood is the heady sweetness of honeysuckle. “The first time I smelled an Albariño, it was just like that: pure honeysuckle, and that’s all I’ve ever wanted to make.”  The 2021 Cellar 13 Albariño (12.6%, even though the label says 13.6%, $21), checks off that honeysuckle box with a big fat X. Add in some sweet peonies, roses and gardenias, and you get the idea. Your nose expects this wine to be sweet. It hits you like nectarine saltwater taffy, then flirts with banana, then key lime pie as it races headlong to a spirited finish of clementine.  “I just added yeast (X5) and got out of the way,” Winton told us. 

We finished up with a 2020 Carboniste sparkling Albariño (12%, $29) from the Gomes Vineyard in Isleton, on Andrus Island in the Sacramento Delta. This baby disappeared way too fast, its beguiling bubbles brimming with jasmine, guava, stonefruit and lime, and flavors of kiwi, gooseberry and kumquat making it an instantaneous party. More people should make sparkling Albariño: its natural acidity, sassy citrus and sweet stonefruit are conducive to Bacchanalian bubbles.

Make this varietal part of your spring sipping agenda.