Mar de Viñas, Val do Salnés – Rías Baixas (Galicia, Spain) Albariño 2024 ($21, Grapes of Spain / Aurelio Cabestrero)

Made from Albariño grapes sourced from the Val do Salnés sub-region of Spain’s famous Rías Baixas (located above the northern border of Portugal, on the very edge of Galicia’s west-facing Atlantic coast), this consistently excellent wine is absolutely singing in the 2024 vintage. Although it is richer and more flavorful than most comparable wines, it is also more vibrant and refreshing, thanks to energizing acidity that drives a long and symmetrical finish after the wine shows lovely floral aromas and juicy flavors recalling orchard fruits. This is a terrific sipping wine, but also a great pairing partner for fish or shellfish, which makes perfect sense in light of the fact that the adjacent coastal waters in this slice of Spain is the source of some of the world’s finest seafood.
93 Michael Franz