It is back in stock after being sold out for a few months; we just had a client purchase several cases after trying it recently. We decided to give it another look and cracked a bottle ourselves, and it was just as impressive as the first time. This is one of the best Albarinos out there and a serious example that would have no problem being poured next to some of the best white wines in the world, including white Burgundy. With incredible mineral drive, lovely yellow fruits, and crystalline purity, the owner of Marques de Murrieta's favorite white wines are from the Burgundy region, and this has a bit of that flair.
2019 was one of the best Albarinos we have ever tasted, and 2020 follows in its footsteps and is another fantastic example of this Spanish serious white. We sold more of the 2019 version of this wine than anyone else in the state and are happy to report that 2020 has the potential to be as good or even better. As we have said before, It's more reminiscent of white Burgundy than it is an Albarino, and winemaker Pazo Barrantes' goal here is to make a world-class white wine with the Albarino grape, and he has succeeded in spades! The vines in this thirty-five-acre vineyard are about 60 years old, and the outer vineyard is lined with 400+-year-old eucalyptus trees that provide shelter. The yields are kept low, and the vineyard is sustainably farmed. This classic Albarino will age like a great white Burgundy, showing Lovely aromas of white flowers, citrus, apple, and liquid minerals, all shrouded in lovely acidity and loads of dry extract and saline finish that lingers for minutes. The focus and the depth here are incredible but a little backward upon opening, so we suggest decanting for a bit before drinking or burying it away in the cellar for a few years. This is one of the best Albarinos you can buy and is quite impressive at this pricing.
Decanter 95 Points! (tasting panel) "The lovely Pazo Barrantes estate has been the home of the Creixell family since the 15th century. (They also own the Castillo Ygay estate in Rioja, with its Marqués de Murrieta wines.) Its 12ha of vineyards were replanted in 1982, and the winery opened in 1991. This wine spends two months on lees; 85% is then aged in stainless steel for seven months and 15% in 225L acacia wood barrels. It spends 16 months in bottle before release. Sarah Jane Evans MW: Opulent and perfumed with golden fruit. The palate is bold and intense with ripe fruit subdued by the oak, giving richness. A complex and individual wine. Pierre Mansour: Delightful blossom fruit and floral notes on the nose. Very elegant, with incredible length and real finesse. Beth Willard: Delicate honey and floral aromas. The palate is perfectly rounded by the oak, which lends a gentle sweetness and spice. Peach and apricot on the finish with a touch of mango."
James Suckling 95 pts! "Focused, ripe, mineral and intense, with lemon rind, stones and sea salt. Very tense and integrated, with tangy, bright acidity chiseled to the round, textured palate. An exceptional, transparent yet serious albarino here. Irresistible now. Drink on release or hold."
John Gilman 92 points! "The 2020 Albariño “Gran Vino” from Pazo Barrantes is rather unique in the region in having fifteen percent of the cuvée aged in acacia casks, to augment the other eighty-five percent raised in stainless steel. The wine is given seven months aging on its fine lees prior to bottling and then another sixteen months of bottle aging in the cellar prior to release. The 2020 offers up a very pretty nose of lemon, lime, ocean breeze, wet stone minerality, dried flowers and a hint of acacia wood. On the palate the wine is bright, full-bodied, focused and zesty, with lovely depth at the core, fine soil undertow and grip and just a touch of acacia wood framing that works very, every well with the wine. Lovely juice."
2020 Marqués de Murrieta Albarino Gran Vino Pazo de Barrantes
2020 Marqués de Murrieta Albarino Gran Vino Pazo de Barrantes
$49.99
$49.99
It is back in stock after being sold out for a few months; we just had a client purchase several cases after trying it recently. We decided to give it another look and cracked a bottle ourselves, and it was just as impressive as the first time. This is one of the best Albarinos out there and a serious example that would have no problem being poured next to some of the best white wines in the world, including white Burgundy. With incredible mineral drive, lovely yellow fruits, and crystalline purity, the owner of Marques de Murrieta's favorite white wines are from the Burgundy region, and this has a bit of that flair.
2019 was one of the best Albarinos we have ever tasted, and 2020 follows in its footsteps and is another fantastic example of this Spanish serious white. We sold more of the 2019 version of this wine than anyone else in the state and are happy to report that 2020 has the potential to be as good or even better. As we have said before, It's more reminiscent of white Burgundy than it is an Albarino, and winemaker Pazo Barrantes' goal here is to make a world-class white wine with the Albarino grape, and he has succeeded in spades! The vines in this thirty-five-acre vineyard are about 60 years old, and the outer vineyard is lined with 400+-year-old eucalyptus trees that provide shelter. The yields are kept low, and the vineyard is sustainably farmed. This classic Albarino will age like a great white Burgundy, showing Lovely aromas of white flowers, citrus, apple, and liquid minerals, all shrouded in lovely acidity and loads of dry extract and saline finish that lingers for minutes. The focus and the depth here are incredible but a little backward upon opening, so we suggest decanting for a bit before drinking or burying it away in the cellar for a few years. This is one of the best Albarinos you can buy and is quite impressive at this pricing.
Decanter 95 Points! (tasting panel) "The lovely Pazo Barrantes estate has been the home of the Creixell family since the 15th century. (They also own the Castillo Ygay estate in Rioja, with its Marqués de Murrieta wines.) Its 12ha of vineyards were replanted in 1982, and the winery opened in 1991. This wine spends two months on lees; 85% is then aged in stainless steel for seven months and 15% in 225L acacia wood barrels. It spends 16 months in bottle before release. Sarah Jane Evans MW: Opulent and perfumed with golden fruit. The palate is bold and intense with ripe fruit subdued by the oak, giving richness. A complex and individual wine. Pierre Mansour: Delightful blossom fruit and floral notes on the nose. Very elegant, with incredible length and real finesse. Beth Willard: Delicate honey and floral aromas. The palate is perfectly rounded by the oak, which lends a gentle sweetness and spice. Peach and apricot on the finish with a touch of mango."
James Suckling 95 pts! "Focused, ripe, mineral and intense, with lemon rind, stones and sea salt. Very tense and integrated, with tangy, bright acidity chiseled to the round, textured palate. An exceptional, transparent yet serious albarino here. Irresistible now. Drink on release or hold."
John Gilman 92 points! "The 2020 Albariño “Gran Vino” from Pazo Barrantes is rather unique in the region in having fifteen percent of the cuvée aged in acacia casks, to augment the other eighty-five percent raised in stainless steel. The wine is given seven months aging on its fine lees prior to bottling and then another sixteen months of bottle aging in the cellar prior to release. The 2020 offers up a very pretty nose of lemon, lime, ocean breeze, wet stone minerality, dried flowers and a hint of acacia wood. On the palate the wine is bright, full-bodied, focused and zesty, with lovely depth at the core, fine soil undertow and grip and just a touch of acacia wood framing that works very, every well with the wine. Lovely juice."
