ALBARINO: SPAIN

Albarino Do Ferreiro (by Do Ferreiro)
Espana: Galicia (Rias Baixas)
Albarino (white)
2007
$24.99
88+ pts
This is a very fine and complex wine, by no means your run-of-the-mill Albarino (and I suppose the price reflects this reality). I get tobacco and freshly-cut green grass on the nose, along with floral hints. The yellow straw coloring is darker than other Albarinos I've had. As for taste, this is a pleasingly weighty wine in your mouth. The taste profile is where most of the complexity comes in: there's a subtle citrus flavor on the front end (plus some pear?), but, ultimately, the floral taste takes over mid-palette, with an exceptionally solid finish dominated by a minerality. Leaves your mouth feeling dry, almost salty. This is a wine I respect--it tells an honest story from Galicia, the rugged land from which these grapes came--but for my palette, at least right now (spring 2010), while I find this wine enjoyable, the complexity it possesses (fruit, floral, and strong mineral tastes) isn't ideal for me. I still find the Nora Albarino (rated below)--simple, crisp, refreshing, and with a bit more fruit--more desirable, and at almost ten bucks cheaper than the Do Ferreiro, the better buy. That being said, I think anyone who enjoys Albarino ought to try this wine, at least once.

Albarino (by Bodegas Martin Codax)
Espana: Galicia (Rias Baixas)
Albarino (white)
2006
$13.99
86 pts
A decent albarino by a good producer (like the Martin Codax tempranillo) but the Nora is a much better wine for just about $2.00 more per bottle. Nice pear flavor, but a little strong up front with the fruit for my taste.

+MUST TRY+
Nora Albarino (by Vina Nora)
Espana: Galicia (Rias Baixas)
Albarino (white)
2007
$15.99
91+ pts
Wow! Never had this grape before, but ordered a glass one day at The Park Grill (Millennium Park) after an Art Institute tour, and it was tremendous: delicate fruit (especially pineapple), soft in the mouth, nice long finish; a fresh wine, perfect for summer. Wine Spectator gave it the same 91 pts I did, I learned later. Available at Treasure Island in Chicago and other retail outlets.