Esencia Divina, Rias Baixas (Galicia, Spain) Albariño 2021

 Despite having made multiple trips to Rias Baixas, I’ve never enjoyed the opportunity to visit this bodega in order to learn how such exemplary consistency is achieved across the various releases from Adegas Gran Vinum every year — or how they worked up the nerve to give a wine this name.  In any case, this is awesome juice that makes the name seem somewhat less audacious, with significantly more richness, depth of flavor and persistency of finish than the other new 2021 releases.  As the wine warms and opens in the glass, it reveals a hint of tropical fruits alongside the core of pitted fruits (reminiscent of nectarines and apricots).  The factor of serving temperature is worth revisiting, as this wine definitely gets better as it warms, whereas showing wines cold to cover flaws is a very old sales trick.  No tricks needed here, and no flaws, either.  This would be a killer pairing for shellfish, but more broadly, also for almost any seafood dish not involving a tomato sauce.  Substantial but refreshing, this is already terrific but destined for another few years of improvement.