Xión, Rias Baixas (Galicia, Spain) Albariño 2020

 If you get a look at this wine in a restaurant or in a glass in your home after buying it from a retail store, you will possibly be alarmed by its evolved-looking golden color.  But worry not — this is still in excellent shape at this point, and the color is explained by use of a cork closure plus an additional year in bottle by comparison to the 2021 bottlings of Albariño that now predominate in the marketplace.  Indeed, 2020 is the better of the two vintages, and though this does show some oxidative development, that enhances the wine’s complexity at least as much as it detracts from its overall quality.  Prospects for this will get dicey by the end of the calendar year, but it is delicious now — rich, complex, balanced and very flavorful.  There’s enough here for this to pair up beautifully even with the most robust fish dishes, such as grilled swordfish.