2020 Limited Release Albarino
Our Albarino vines are over 20 years old and grow on a quad trellising system that can be susceptible to sunburn. With this in mind, the harvest date needs to be very specific; if not, the grapes can either have little flavor or be too soft skinned if the pick date is missed by only a few days. These grapes were in excellent condition when harvested, offering a balance of ripeness and retaining freshness. Our Albarino was our first grape of the season to be harvested early in the morning of September 10, 2019. The brix level was 23 at the time of harvest, with about 3.1 tons per acre. The fruit was pressed right away using our inert press system. This press ensures that little to no oxygen comes into contact with the juice, resulting in a brighter, fresher product. After pressing, the pH came in rather high at 3.70. So an acid addition was made to lower the overall pH. The Albarino finished cold fermentation on October 28, 2019 with a very slow fermentation rate. This is due to the Albarino needing to be racked and fermented very clean, so this wine required lots of settling. The wine was heat stabilized, cold stabilized, and filtered right before bottling in February 2020.