Gran Vino Pazo Barrantes 2019

When some are releasing their 2021 wine, Pazo Barrantes took a break and are now releasing their 2019 Gran Vino Albariño, after a hiatus of almost two years. Because they changed almost everything... They have 12 hectares of 35-year-old vineyards divided into eight different plots around the winery in the Val do Salnés plus one hectare they rent from the archbishopric. The soils are degraded and sandy granite and the pruning the traditional "parrón," "emparrado" or pergola at 1.8 to two meters high. The grapes were picked between September 13th and 20th, let to settle and fermented in stainless steel at 10 degrees Celsius for 60 days. The wine was kept with the lees for two months and a further seven months in tank, but 15% of the wine matured in 225-liter acacia barrels. The wine was bottled in June 2020 and was kept in bottle for 16 months. It's 13% alcohol and has a pH of 3.4 and 7.8 grams of acidity (measured in tartaric acid per liter). The wine is extremely balsamic and medicinal, with an explosive nose with notes of white flowers, but the nose changes, as we know. What impressed me was the seamless structure and the harmony on the palate. It's titillating, elegant, detailed and nuanced, with terrific balance. I was gobsmacked! 95,097 bottles and 1,425 magnums produced. All bottles are numbered and in the same elegant bottle as La Comtesse. Obviously, the price has changed.

A fruity nose of apple blossom, nectarine, candied pear, guava, lime cordial and some fresh cider. It’s medium-bodied with bright acidity and a juicy, ripe palate. Subtle saline notes. Round, delicious finish. Drink now.

Tauter and more chiselled than the fuller-flavoured 2020, this estate-produced Albariño has aromas of white flowers and baking spices, steely, palate-cleansing acidity, an extra layer of complexity from partial wood ageing, effortless concentration and pithy, refreshing, almost Riesling-like levels of acidity. One to keep. 2022-29