Michael Franz (WRO, October 2023):
In three words: Stupendously wonderful Albarino. In a few more words, this is a real outlier in the region, where most wines are cobbled together from many little plots, but this is sourced from 50-year-old vines in a single, estate grown site called Miranda Aurosa. The tiny plots in Rías Baixas result from the splitting of inheritances across generations, coupled with a strain of the local culture that is resistant to sell land. Nothing wrong with that, but of course there’s a grave disadvantage to trying to render a consistent and superb wine from fruit drawn lots of different sites that were tended in different ways, and try as one might—getting many growers to toe a single line is an exercise in futility. To layer on yet another surprise, few vines of Albariño were even in existence fifty years ago, as the variety had to be brought back from near extinction by means of selecting the best of the remaining vines and then propagating and replanting them. But enough of details and history: This is remarkable for its concentration and depth of flavor, with textural richness that is reminiscent of excellent Semillon much more than a light, citrus-driven varietal wine like Pinot Grigio, which is true for many current renditions of Albariño. Although it is an unusually “big” rendition of this variety, there is enough acidity to keep it fresh and make its ensemble of fruit flavors sing. Those include orchard fruits above all, but additionally, one finds suggestions of baked apples, poached pears, and quince. This has nothing to do with the Albariño you will find in a run-of-mill retail shop or grocery store, so think swordfish steak or even roasted pork shoulder as a pairing partner, and even then, buckle up beforehand. 95pts
John Gilman (View From the Cellar, June 2023):
The 2022 Selección Especial from Gran Vinum is also made from 50 year-old vines, with the wine aged five months on its fine lees with weekly stirring to add complexity. The wine offers up beautiful aromatic complexity, delivering scents of grapefruit, lemon, a touch of menthol, wet stone minerality, ocean breeze and a topnote of lime-peel. On the palate the wine is deep, full-bodied, zesty and more reserved in profile than the Esencia Divina bottling, with an excellent core of fruit and mineral drive, lovely balance and a long, nascently complex and very precise finish. I know I am in the extreme minority in aging my Albarino, but this is one wine that I would not hesitate to tuck in the cellar for another year or two and just let time work its magic! It is an outstanding young Albarino. 2024-2040.
John Gilman (View From the Cellar, June 2023):
The 2022 Selección Especial from Gran Vinum is also made from 50 year-old vines, with the wine aged five months on its fine lees with weekly stirring to add complexity. The wine offers up beautiful aromatic complexity, delivering scents of grapefruit, lemon, a touch of menthol, wet stone minerality, ocean breeze and a topnote of lime-peel. On the palate the wine is deep, full-bodied, zesty and more reserved in profile than the Esencia Divina bottling, with an excellent core of fruit and mineral drive, lovely balance and a long, nascently complex and very precise finish. I know I am in the extreme minority in aging my Albarino, but this is one wine that I would not hesitate to tuck in the cellar for another year or two and just let time work its magic! It is an outstanding young Albarino. 2024-2040.
