Torres Albarino Rias Baixas Pazo das Bruxas 2018

What makes Rias Baixas so special, and the front runner for Wine Enthusiast’s “2020 Wine Region of the Year” award (announced tomorrow) is the perfect marriage of terroir, with four ideally located estuarine inlets tucked into the southwestern coast of Galicia. Wind-swept and pelted with plenty of rain, the shoreside hills of Galacia look more like Ireland than Castilian plains, and this compliment of wind and rain provides the perfect acidic backbone to piercing mineral whites with superb tension and brightness.

From one of the biggest names in all of Spanish wine – the Torres Family – comes one of the best examples I’ve tasted in years. I don’t quote the ‘expert’ reviews that often but Suckling’s 92 point review wasn’t far off the mark. “A bright and delicious Albarino suggesting fresh herbs and yuzu. Full-bodied with a waxy core of preserved lemons, but the acidity is cutting and pure. So delicious to drink now.”

The best part of Rias Baixas Albarino so far – is even as its popularity continues to rise – prices remain like Sancerre in the 90’s — still available in the ballpark of $15-25 dollars. It’s the kind of tremendous value that we see shrinking worldwide– especially as tariffs have hit many white wines.