This is the epitome of Albarino, and I've been enjoying it for the last couple of years at the annual Kessler's Cassoulet Extravaganza. Lou and BL maintain a mighty fine wine cellar and annually produce one of the consistently most satisfying and enjoyable dinners of my year.
Now there are plenty of Albariños to choose from. But the standard bearer for me, the undisputed ruler of them all, is the Albariño Cepas Vella by do Ferreira.
Do Ferreira makes a ‘regular release’ Albariño that is excellent and right in that frame of bright and refreshing citrus and saline enjoyment. The winery also produces a delightful Rebisaca, a blend of Albarino with other local varieties. But the epitome of Albariño is do Ferreira’s Cepas Vella release, their “Old Vines.”
And when they say old vines, they mean it! These vines are so old they are as thick as large tree trunks, trained to grow up and over in the European pergola trellis system, and visitors can walk under the arbor of these vines, looking up at them from underneath.
The Cepas Vellas vines are over two hundred years old. Obviously, the yield is very low---these vines don’t bear that much fruit--- and the resulting wine is both limited and expensive. But the Cepas Vellas is intense and concentrated, with a blast of citrus freshness and a nervy, edgy minerality that delivers tremendous flavor impact yet leaves the palate cleansed and refreshed and yearning for more.
If you're interested in the entire article, http://www.tasteandcompareacademy.com/3/post/2013/03/the-bestalbario-you-can-get.html
