Several years ago, winemaker Jim Fore bought some Albarino bud wood. Even though he knew little about the Spanish grape, he believed the vines would thrive on a particular lot.
While California vineyards have a reputation for long summer dry spells, Albarino — a native of Galicia and Spain’s rain washed Rias Baixas wine region — prefers damp soils and revels in soaking downpours. So Fore may have been reaching a bit, even though a stretch of his land did benefit from good water.
But things soon went awry.
Oh, the soil was ready and willing. Fore simply couldn’t find the bud wood. The Albarino had disappeared from his shed.
“A few months later I was walking through the vineyard checking the Pinot and I thought ‘hey, that vine looks different,’” Fore recalled.
Apparently Albarino is more tolerant of terroir than many thought.
Oh, Fore replanted the wayward vines. And the result is striking — a lean, sharp wine with a fresh appeal and a touch of charm.
On the nose Fore’s 2015 Albarino offers fresh peach, nectarine and a skinned citrus note. It’s a pleasant opening, but then the aromas began to twirl, flashing past at such a pace they become elusive — hard candy grapefruit with no added sweetness, nutty butterscotch sapped of cream, linden and the curl of a Granny Smith peel.
While the wine’s bouquet becomes a carousel pinned to fresh stone fruits, on the palate it is much more linear. The sip begins with a gentle drape of peach and nectarine, juicy and just off the vine. These impressions build in depth, allowing a mellow nutty character to emerge on one end, balanced by bright apple and a hint of citrus.
The finish is a fine blade — sharp and clean and straight.
“We wanted something cool and crisp,” Fore explained. “It has a little acidity to it.”
Indeed, but Fore developed a little of the Albarino in wood, taming some of the varietal’s bracing tendencies. It ends up as a fresh and uplifting wine, perfect for the waning days of summer.
It is so tapered and so refreshing, one might be tempted to replace the iced tea in the softball team’s water cooler with Fore Family’s Albarino.
Dave Faries can be reached at 900-2016
