Locally Available Albariño Challenge.

Ever since I was introduced to Galician albariños and pairing them with traditional/regional dishes, I've been enjoying these wines a lot and often. Around a month or so ago, I thought to organize a taste-off among the albariños locally available (in Manila) and proposed the idea to Miguel who readily agreed and organized the menu therefore with chef Javi Lecumberri of San Sebastián.



The taste-off/dinner took place this past Friday, 3rd July 2009. We were six on the tasting panel: Miguel, Rene, the Stockbroker, Johnny, Greg and myself.

By around 7pm, we were complete and the tasting commenced. Since albariños are casual wines meant to be consumed fresh and with seafood-based dishes (chef Javi went to Seaside Market that same afternoon to get us the freshest catch), many were on the table, along with baskets of warm bread, for the tasters.

The seafood dishes for the albariño tasting were suahe, boquerónes, pulpo á la Gallega, escalivadas, kokotxas de bacalao al pilpil (Miguel had flown in some real kokotxas de bacalao from Spain), almejas and and pimientos rellenos de bacalao.


Suahe and Boquerónes


Almejas


Kokotxas de bacalao al pilpil


Pimientos Rellenos de Bacalao


Pulpo á la Gallega

The competing wines were, by the rules, to be readily locally available and at least 70% albariño in composition. Because of a mistake on my part, the locally availabe 2007 Condado Laxas was not included, and, because some of the tasters had already passed less than favorably on the 2007 Pazo San Mauro Albariño in a previous dinner, the latter was also excluded. There were, thus, 5 competing albariños that evening: 2006 Pazo de Barrantes Alabariño, 2007 Códax Burgáns, 2007 Códax Albariño, 2007 Laxas Albariño and 2007 Terras Gauda Albariño.


2007 Códax Burgáns (Barcino) and 2006 Pazo Barrantes Albariño (Ralph's)


2007 Laxas Albariño (Terry Selections)


2007 Terras Gauda O Rosal (Premium Wine Exchange)


2007 Códax Albariño (Barcino)

Albariños are generally recognized as fresh, floral, dry, minerally, vibrant, relatively low in alcohol content, generally presenting notes of, some say: peach, apricot, others say green apple citrus, etc. Since these wines are basically of the same grape, all from Rias Baixas (Galicia) and, except for the Pazo Barrantes, all from vintage 2007, the members of the panel were, thus, able to more easily concentrate/focus on purity, balance, clarity, freshness, food-friendliness, typicity, etc. I will not include all the individual tasting notes in this post asit will be too long due to much repetition.

The results were definitive, as follows:

1st Place - 2007 Laxas Albariño with 28 points (4 votes for 1st place and 2 votes for 2nd place - many commented on best over-all balance), Terry Selection.

2nd Place - 2007 Terras Gauda Albariño with 24 points (2 votes for 1st place, 3 votes for 2nd place, 1 vote for 4th place - comments on elegance and finesse), Premium Wine Exchange

3rd Place - 2007 Códax Burgáns with 17 points (1 vote for 2nd place, 3 votes for 3rd place and 2 votes for 4th place), Barcino.

4th Place - 2007 Códax Albariño with 15 points (3 votes for 3rd place and 3 votes for 4th place), Barcino.

5th Place - 2006 Pazo de Barrantes Alabariño with 6 points (6 votes for 5th place - a common opinion was that it lacked balancing acidity, one noted it was flabby and cloying, one noted that it was atypical of albariño), Ralph's.

The academic part of the evening over, we were all able to kick back, relax and enjoy the rest of the evening. Since each of us brought at least one bottle of red each, a wide assortment of reds for dinner were available. There were reds from all over: Rioja, Priorat, Napa, Pomerol, Piedmont, Chile, Australia, etc. - everyone had chuleton on their minds, obviously.



Not all bottles were opened immediately, but some were already being decanted for aeration. Miguel then told the staff that we were ready for dinner proper.

We sarted with platters of Paella de Verduras (made with basmati rice), followed by a huge Besugo al Horno for whatever albariños were left, followed, and, thereafter, Chuleton for the reds.


Paella de Verduras (with basmati rice)


Besugo al Horno


Chuleton with fries

There were simply too many reds on deck, much more than we could finish and remain reasonably sober, so only a few were opened.



2005 Kapcsándy Family Winery Estate Cuvée State Lane Vineyard - My bottle, opened out of sheer curiosity as some have touted this as the next Cali cult wine. A very young bordelaise blend from Napa, I understand that with this vintage, Denis Malbec, formerly cellar master of Château Latour was involved. Decanted for aeration for around 2-2½ hours before hand, it was still very primary, showing a dense, concentrated, somewhat syrupy texture and very full body.

Typical big Napa cab blend, it blasted out crème de cassis, super ripe black currants, espresso, lots of toasty oak/vanilla, cough drop, sweetish licorice, cinammon, toffee and a touch of caramel. Really not my type of wine despite Robert Parker's 94-point annointment, but, with proper age, it would surely please those fond of big Napa cabs.



2001 Yarra Yering Dry Red Nº1 - From Rene, purchased during his most recent business trip to Australia. Surprisingly much more suave and reserved than most all Aussie bordelaise blends that I have tried. It shows a cleaner over-all character, just-over medium-bodied, with cassis, some discreet cherry and raspberry, bit of cedar and a faint earthiness. Not bad at all, quite pleasant, actually.



2002 Cims de Porrera Solanes Priorato - Greg's bottle, opened to go with the chuleton as the main pairing wine. "Cims de Porrera" means the heights or summits of Porrera, the latter a village in the DOQ of Priorat at the Catalunian foothills of the Pyrenees mountains.

Solanes is actually Cims de Porrera's second wine to its Classic line, the latter of which I bought several of the 2001 vintage from Säntis around 3 years ago. 2002 was a middling vintage so no Classic was made, and research shows the fruit that usually goes into the Classic line went into the Solanes that year.

This wine showed good restraint instead of the usually almost-over-the-top (for me) overly ripen/extracted/concentrated/oaky style that has been popular as of late - likely the vintage speaking. The wine is just a few notches over medium-bodied, with a smooth, slightly spicy character. Its dark fruit is smooth enough but with good presence, the wood well-integrated, the tannins nicely in check.



Though it does not possess a commanding character, I think it is more food-friendly for that. It was able to stand up to the chuleton, complementing it well, while allowing the latter to take center stage as was planned.



1995 Château L'Evangile - The Stockbroker's bottle, from Pomerol, a wine I first tried with him and the Doc several years ago. I can't seem to find my notes on it, they must have been one of those that got lost before I started my blog. This château is the Rothschild's (Lafite, not Mouton) flagship Pomerol, the vineyards of which neighbor those of fellow appellation stars Pétrus and La Conseillant.

Warm, comforting, quietly powerful with great depth and good complexity, presenting serious, earthy dark plum, dark cherry, mocha, touch of licorice, cedar and some underlying loam, cassis and discreet minerality. Not quite full-bodied, excellent balance, harmony and typicity - a beautiful wine. Much, much better, in my opinion, than the '96 L'Evangile that I bought a few bottles of back in 2005.

Dessert was a traditional Leche Frita from Javi, for which the Stockbroker opened...



2004 Celler de Capçanes Pansal del Calas - Hailing from Montsant, this sweet red wine reminds me of a heftier version of the vin du naturel of Rasteau more than Banyuls because the subject wine's chocolate notes are subtle. Old vine grenache dominant, this viscous and chewy wine's sweetness is properly moderate (I do not like overly/cloyingly sweet wines) with dried cherry/dark fruit/fig, semi-sweet chocolate, roasted walnuts, touch of chestnut, bit of vanilla, and a mere hint of cinammon. Very nice, especially at its price.

We lingered a bit, finishing off whatever we wanted of the wines and headed for home relatively early since I got home way before midnight. Thanks to all, especially chef Javi who went to great lengths to prepare an excellent meal for us. I must say that the chuleton was particularly delicious that night and the fries were sheer perfection. Muchisimas gracias.

Wow! Great photos - I just ate and now I'm hungry again.

As it happens, we had the Burgans Albarino at an after-work tasting earlier today. Tasty stuff (although the competition was a couple of Chinese wines and one from Virginia).

Thanks, Mike. That Burgáns is very nice. Did you have it with seafood? Sounds like a truly international line-up of wines you had there, sounds very interesting. What Chinese wine was that, if I may ask?

Thanks, Mike. That Burgáns is very nice. Did you have it with seafood? Sounds like a truly international line-up of wines you had there, sounds very interesting. What Chinese wine was that, if I may ask?

Unfortunately, we didn't have any food to go with the wines tonight. A co-worker brought the wines in, so we popped them before everyone left for the evening.

The Chinese wines were both from the Great Wall winery (or wine company??). One was a 1998 Chardonnay and the other was a red from 1999 (with no varietal designation in English, anyway). The white was clearly beyond its best years, whatever those may have entailed. The red wasn't bad, though. Only 11.5% alcohol with attractive herbaceous notes and good acidity, it tasted like a reasonably good merlot to me.

Noel, another great post. I have tasted the Terras Gauda as well as the Burgans. Both lovely wines with my usual mixed seafood stew, the standby in my humble abode!!

Noel, another great post. I have tasted the Terras Gauda as well as the Burgans. Both lovely wines with my usual mixed seafood stew, the standby in my humble abode!!

Thanks, Bob. Those are two very nice albariños, to be sure, and always nice with fresh seafood! One can certainly do a whole lot worse as a house standby.

Noel, when I first tasted a Terras (I think the `05), I was rather overwhelmed. "Too international" thought Anastasia and it took some convincing by me to make her change her mind. But then she has always been a red wine lover!

I have to ask you , do you have access to any Muscadet over there? I think you have posted a few notes?

I have to ask you , do you have access to any Muscadet over there? I think you have posted a few notes?

Yes, we have access to some muscadet wines here. I have barely a handful of notes on them though since I'm not really that fond of those wines. When it comes to Loire whites, I heavily favor the sauvignon blancs from Pouilly-Fumé and Sancerre.

That said, one muscadet note I can immediately remember/locate is:

2007 Domaine de la Grenaudiere Muscadet Sevre et Maine Sur Lie - Over -agressively sharp and sour citrus with pronounced calamansi mid-mouth following through the finish (also noted by Johnny R). Acidity is also a bit too aggressive.

I'll post others if/as I locate them.

When it comes to Loire whites, I heavily favor the sauvignon blancs from Pouilly-Fumé and Sancerre..

What about chenin blanc!?

What about chenin blanc!?

Yes, of course, I like those too, but I don't buy or drink them that often. I have notes from the last 3 years on (sadly incomplete as I lost a whole pile of written notes during that time):

'97 and '02 Baumard Quarts de Chaumes
'02 Clos de Papillon Savennières
'02 Huët Vouvray Brut Pétillant
'02 Damien Laureau Savennières "Les Genets"
'03 Bouvet-Ladubay Extra Brut Cuvée Zero
'04 Champalou Vouvray Demi Sec
'04 Domaine de la Taille Aux Loups Cuvée Remus Montlouis Sur Loire (Jacky Blot)
'04 Domaine Huët Les Haut-Lieu Sec Vouvray

I could post my notes here but they are not quite current (i.e., I've not re-tasted any of them in a year or more) so they wouldn't really be of any help.

Good names. Can you buy Laureau in the Philippines or was that something someone brought back from abroad?

[Jenise]

Nice wines, but your food photos intrigue me even more! What a gorge! And those are the prettiest almejas I've ever seen--not just the prep, but the design on the shells. I'm just salivating over that.

Re the Yarra Yering, that's a wine because of the ripe red fruit flavors I once successfully slipped into a tasting of American zinfandels. It went undetected as a ringer.

Good names. Can you buy Laureau in the Philippines or was that something someone brought back from abroad?

Only the '02 Huët Vouvray Brut Pétillant and '04 Champalou Vouvray Demi Sec are/were available locally.

The Laureau and Beaumards were imported by myself and a friend from US shops (we fly our wines in via freight forwarders).

I had the rest ('03 Bouvet-Ladubay Extra Brut Cuvée Zero, '04 Domaine de la Taille Aux Loups Cuvée Remus Montlouis Sur Loire and '04 Domaine Huët Les Haut-Lieu Sec Vouvray) while I was in various restaurants in the Loire.

[James Roscoe]

Great post Noel. Thanks!

The Laureau and Beaumards were imported by myself and a friend from US shops (we fly our wines in via freight forwarders)..

Aha. I know nothing about the wine scene in the Philippines (except for what I read in Jay's posts and now yours) but was wondering how much the newer Loire producers had made inroads. I don't know about Laureau but a fair amount of other trendy Loire producers seem to be sold in Japan, which is obviously a different country from the Philippines.

Noel, when I first tasted a Terras (I think the `05), I was rather overwhelmed. "Too international" thought Anastasia and it took some convincing by me to make her change her mind. But then she has always been a red wine lover!

Terras Gaudas O Rosal is actually a blend of (majority) albariño, loureira and caiño blanco - pure albariños being relatively newer wines as I understand. I first learned this when I started buying albariños from JC de Terry (a Spanish Phd in oenology aside from being an accomplished chef). When I first bought Laxas Albariños (100% albariño) from him, he recommended that I try the Condado Laxas (a blend of albariño, treixadura and loureira) as well - "a more traditional type" said he. The Condado Laxas had a very noticeable peach pip flavor in its finish, I recall.

By the way, here's another muscat note I remembered:

2006 La Bella Estate Moscato Passito - Miguel's bottle which he brought home from a recent trip to Italy (this fellow certainly travels a lot because of work). A rather simple, straightforward, charming and easy to drink light, nimble, moderately sweet Piedmontese moscato - reminiscent of a mildly honeyed, floral white grape juice with a light touch of vanilla/oak. Nicely clean and cleansing.

Nice wines, but your food photos intrigue me even more! What a gorge! And those are the prettiest almejas I've ever seen--not just the prep, but the design on the shells. I'm just salivating over that.

Yes, those almejas are delicious - they do taste as good as they look, and, with the boquerónes, are my favorite pairings with albariños.

Re the Yarra Yering, that's a wine because of the ripe red fruit flavors I once successfully slipped into a tasting of American zinfandels. It went undetected as a ringer.

Some of my friends held a blind zinfandel tasting around a month ago (which I didn't attend). It certainly would have been interesting to have done the same. maybe next time.

Great post Noel. Thanks!

My pleasure, James!

Aha. I know nothing about the wine scene in the Philippines (except for what I read in Jay's posts and now yours) but was wondering how much the newer Loire producers had made inroads. I don't know about Laureau but a fair amount of other trendy Loire producers seem to be sold in Japan, which is obviously a different country from the Philippines.

I've written recently in another thread that the Philippine wine market is actually very small but growing. Because the Philippines is a poor country, the wine market will never come close to Japan's, HK's or Singapore's. There are some very serious wine aficionados here though (probably around 50 in the whole country by my reckoning), but we are not many and everyone pretty much knows each other, or, at least, has heard of everyone else.

As far as I've seen, the only Loire chenin blancs available here are those by Huët, Champalou and de Villeneuve. There are possibly 2 to 3 more locally available that I am not aware of though, but I doubt there are more than that.

Two brief notes, Noel: the Terras Gauda is a decidedly different animal from the others since it's a blend, not a pure albariño, with just 70% of that grape, the rest being loureiro and caíño; and the Barrantes was probably hurt as the lone 2006 in the lot - not because it's older, but because 2006 was a decidedly weaker vintage than 2007.

Hi, Victor. Yes, I'm aware the Terras Gauda is a blend (I mentioned it above to Bob) and '06 is not as good a vintage. The idea though was to have a blind tasting/assessment of whatever albariño/albariño blend is locally available. As regards the '06 Barrantes, it was really light years away from the others - flabby and too sweet. We were all so surprised how huge the "gap" was between that and the '07s.

By the way, how are the Fefiñanes albariños? I'm thinking of bringing some locally unavailable ones in from Spain. Would you recommend I include Fefiñanes'?

Thanks,

Noel

Noel, I have just found some`10 Abadia de San Campio from Terras Gauda so will be interested to see how it matches up!

Sweet Jesus, Noel, give us a break here. I gain weight just from reading your narration and looking at those luscious pictures.