Quintessential is bringing into the U.S. the first Albariño produced by Bodegas Muriel, a family-owned Spanish producer from the Rioja Alavesa region.
The grapes come from small, select vineyards in Salnes Valley, in the municipality of Meis, within the heart of Rias Baixas — Spain’s white wine capital. The vines (25 year-old or older) are planted in the Pergola trellising system, typical of the Galicia region.
The grapes are harvested by hand and gently pressed, the company says, with the must moved into temperature-controlled stainless steel tanks. Fermentation takes place over 14 days as the wine is softly macerated with part of the grape skins. The 2015 vintage did not undergo malolactic fermentation.
“As they have with their other wines, the Murua family is employing long-held Albariño winemaking traditions of the famed Rias Baixas appellation to allow the best qualities of the grapes to shine through,” says Dennis Kreps, who co-owns Quintessential with his father Stephen D. Kreps. “Pazo Cilleiro is a true expression of the terroir of Rias Baixas. We’re very pleased to bring this fine wine to Albariño aficionados in the U.S.”
After four to five month in the tanks, the wine slowly undergoes a natural evolution to obtain structure and flavors, the company says. The result of this winemaking process, along with the combination of quartz-rich Granitic and acidic soils, is a lively, round and elegant Albariño, the company says, with clean and balanced undertones.
The 2015 Pazo Cilleiro Albariño is available at a suggested retail price of $19.99 and is imported and sold exclusively by Quintessential.
