2016 Gallica Albariño Rorick Heritage Vineyard Calaveras

Moony and cooling Albariño from Calaveras County

2016 Gallica Albariño Rorick Heritage Vineyard Calaveras

This is the second vintage of this bottling from Rosemary Cakebread of Gallica, and it’s mostly Albariño with a soupçon of Muscat Blanc for aromatics and texture.

In its native habitat of Rias Baixas, Albariño can be a big wine, plumped with yellow peach and citrus and tinged with brine. This wine is more quiet. It’s a pale, moony yellow and, like the original, emits a subtle saline aroma. Its fruit is cooling—apricots, yellow raspberries, green pears—and the mid-palate has a pronounced fresh grassy character, quite restrained. The finish reminds me a little of Crenshaw melon, juicy but mild. A quiet mineral vein gives it gravitas.

Pair it with simple seafood preparations, sweet young cheeses (no mold, not goat), and salads.

13.8% abv | $38 (sample) 200 cases made

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One reply on “2016 Gallica Albariño Rorick Heritage Vineyard Calaveras”
  1. says: David Bueker

    I poured the 2015 for my tasting on Saturday night. It was quite the crowd pleaser which surprised me a bit, as it was more mineral driven than the typical crowd pleasing wine.

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