Hard-to-Find: Bodega Tr3smano Albillo Mayor | 2021 *6 Available

In 2019, when the Denominación de Origen (DO) of Ribera del Duero approved Albillo Mayor for white wine production, plantings increased, and wineries rushed to bottle the nouveau Ribera del Duero Blanco. Tempranillo is still king in Ribera, accounting for more than 90% of the plantings, but Albillo is now made by almost 50 producers. The key, though, to excellent Albillo is twofold — Mayor and old vines. One of the oldest varieties of the Iberian Peninsula, Albillo has many sub-varieties, with the two most important being Albillo Real and Albillo Mayor. If you see a wine labeled simply "Albillo," then it's Albillo Real. Real exhibits moderate acidity with more fruity aromas and is prevalent in the Sierra de Gredos near Madrid. Albillo Mayor, on the other hand, is nervier with a higher natural acidity and a longer aging potential, proving to be Ribera del Duero's answer to the stalwart mineral whites of Galicia and Bierzo. Secondly, old vines are paramount. You don't want the newly planted stuff, which tastes like it could be from anywhere. You want this stuff, 60-plus year-old vines that have the guts of a fine Meursault.   

Referred to as a "Superb Newcomer" by Jancis Robinson, Bodega Tr3smano farms some of the oldest vines in the Ribera del Duero appellation. Founded by industry friends, Pedro Aibar, Fernando Remírez de Ganuza, and José Ramón Ruíz, their Albillo Mayor comes from vines living within the Tempranillo-dominant vineyards of Olmedillo, Nava de Roa and Villalba. The vine age is 60-100 years-old, and the soils are sand over limestone. The harvest is painstaking, as the workers must sift through many vineyards, sometimes picking just a few grapes per site. 2021 was especially brutal, yet precious, as the drought led to smaller berries with super low yields but impressive quality. 2,000 bottles of the 2021 exist, and the allocation for the United States is practically non-existent. Fermented and aged in French Oak barrels, when you smell this wine, your first thought might be White Burgundy, as a cool rush of flinty stone and chestnut perfume the glass. Then, on the palate, the wine moves swiftly and precisely with a limey acidity. Medium-plus size in weight, chamomile and salted almond remind me of exotic Palomino Fino and take me away from France. With its supercharged minerality, it's hard to believe that these white grapes grow in a maze of red. But this is the thrill of Spain and the incredible diversity of Ribera del Duero. ~Allegra A