Burgans, Rias Baixas DO (Galicia, Spain) Albariño 2019

 Albariño is the principal grape variety in the Rias Baixas wine region in Galicia in northwestern Spain.  It shares a southern border with Portugal where the grape is also grown and called Alvarinho.  With the Atlantic Ocean as its western border, the climate is cool and wet with average rainfall of 67 inches annually.  Obviously, Albariño thrives in this environment, and this one is an excellent example with juicy peach, pear and lime zest aromas and flavors that tickle the taste buds.  While the fruit is lush, the crisp, vibrant acidity lifts the flavors and offers a long finish.  It is a perfect wine for seafood, which is plentiful in its home.  So, serve it with fresh oysters, crabmeat, or octopus.  Burgans is the name of a wine that was produced for European Cellars, a U.S. wine import company, at the cooperative winery Martin Codax.  The cooperative winery was created in 1986 by a group of families with small vineyard plots.  Luciano Amoedo, a ninth generation winemaker, leads the organization.  He is one of the founders of the Rias Baixas appellation and of the winery.  Since 2005, Katia Alvarez the has been in charge of the day-to-day winemaking.  I had the privilege to meet her at the winery a few years ago during a media trip.  She showed us a wine that had been made from grapes that had a botrytis infection at harvest.  Botrytis, also called noble rot, is a mold that can dehydrate the grapes, concentrating the sugars resulting in very sweet wines.  She and her crew worked incredibly quickly to harvest the grapes.  With a bit of luck with humidity along with her winemaking skills and flexibility dealing with unexpected gifts of nature, the finished wine was dry, intense and delicious.