Pazo Cilleiro Albarino 2021
- Decanter
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Wine
Enthusiast -
James
Suckling
Product Details
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Somm Note
Winemaker Notes
This Albariño is a very lively pale gold, with green reflections. Pazo Cilleiro has an intense nose, with pronounced notes of citrus and white fruit (pears, apples and white peaches), as well as floral hints. The palate is vibrant and fresh, with the fruit from the nose filling the mouth. It has the typical intense texture of a well-grown Albariño, with a round, persistent and pleasantly refreshing finish.
Professional Ratings
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Decanter
Fresh and vibrant, exhibiting white peach, lemon peel and grassy character. Rich and unctuous in the mouth with racy acidity and a long finish.
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Wine Enthusiast
Mediumyellow in the glass, this wine has a nose of lemon curd, green pear and white chocolate. It is full in the mouth, offering flavors of Valencia orange, nectarine and mango, with touches of cocoa butter and honeysuckle. There is a nice note of orange zest on the finish.
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James Suckling
Zesty lemon, green apple and hints of stones and nectarines. A fine, mineral albarino with chalky, incisive acidity that cuts it through, with lots of green apples in the finish.
Other Vintages
2022-
James
Suckling
- Decanter
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Wine
Enthusiast
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Wine &
Spirits -
Wine
Enthusiast
Bright and aromatic with distinctive floral and fruity characteristics, Albariño has enjoyed a surge in popularity and an increase in plantings over the last couple of decades. Thick skins allow it to withstand the humid conditions of its homeland, Rías Baixas, Spain, free of malady, and produce a weighty but fresh white. Somm Secret—Albariño claims dual citizenship in Spain and Portugal. Under the name Alvarinho, it thrives in Portugal’s northwestern Vinho Verde region, which predictably, borders part of Spain’s Rías Baixas.
Named after the rías, or estuarine inlets, that flow as far as 20 miles inland, Rías Baixas is an Atlantic coastal region with a cool and wet maritime climate. The entire region claims soil based on granite bedrock, but the inlets create five subregions of slightly different growing environments for its prized white grape, Albariño.
Val do Salnés on the west coast is said to be the birthplace of Albariño; it is the coolest and wettest of all of the regions. Having been named as the original subregion, today it has the most area under vine and largest number of wineries.
Ribeira do Ulla in the north and inland along the Ulla River is the newest to be included. It is actually the birthplace of the Padrón pepper!
Soutomaior is the smallest region and is tucked up in the hills at the end of the inlet called Ria de Vigo. Its soils are light and sandy over granite.
O Rosal and Condado do Tea are the farthest south in Rías Baixas and their vineyards actually cover the northern slopes of the Miño River, facing the Vinho Verde region in Portugal on its southern bank.
Albariño gives this region its fame and covers 90% of the area under vine. Caiño blanco, Treixadura and Loureira as well as occasionally Torrontés and Godello are permitted in small amounts in blends with Albariño. Red grapes are not very popular but Mencía, Espadeiro and Caiño Tinto are permitted and grown.