Santiago Ruiz, Rias Baixas (Galicia, Spain) 2021

 This wine is always among the best releases in every vintage from Rías Baixas, and despite the tough growing season of 2021, it is not only at the top of the quality pyramid, but also an outstanding wine regardless of vintage.  It is not designated as an Albariño, and indeed never quite tastes like one, as it always includes a notable portion of Louriero and a small portion of Treixadura.  Another distinguishing characteristic is that the fruit is sourced solely from the O Rosal subdistrict (just above the Miño river that divides Galicia from Portugal and quite near the Atlantic), whereas many bottlings of Rías Baixas Albarino are cobbled together from many small holdings (of which there are a very great many) across the region.  In the glass, this shows very restrained but still notable floral topnotes and open scents of stone fruits — recalling white peaches above all.  The acid-to-fruit balance is impeccable as usual, resulting in a refreshing wine that isn’t tart or thin, but also (viewed from the other side of the coin) a wine of substance that is defined and fresh.