(EIDOS Albarino Rias Baixas) Baixas Dear Friends, After three encounters with this wine (with and without food), it's apparent that you do not need to spend a fortune to indulge in vinous complexity. Like Sancerre, Pouilly-Fume or even Chablis (all three underpriced versus the wine world), Rias Baixas remains an undervalued gem of a white wine region in northwestern Spain and the best wines can compete with anything from anywhere. In some way, this rocky and wind-swept region is the Iberian equivalent of France's Bretagne. Exposed to the Atlantic with a marine climate, this area of Galicia can be cold, damp, dark and rainy with frequent frost in winter (sounds familiar to those of us that call the Pacific Northwest home). It can also be sunny, warm and divine during the summer months with a large swing in day/night temperatures - perfect for growing steep-terraced grapes of terroir where the goal is an equal balance of acidity and extract. The combination of a maritime climate with a preponderance of granite in the soil gives the signature grape of Rias Baixas, Albarino, a head start toward soaking up minerality like nectar but also in storing ample levels of extract. When vinified in a most natural way (like the Eidos), the resulting wine reflects its vintage and grape with aplomb. Top quality Albarino is also one of the finest food matches in the vinous world as an authoritative and cutting accompaniment to rich seafood dishes (as well as poultry). We offered this wine last year (the 2007 vintage) and some of you found it to be too lean and lacking a certain "oomph". Others found it to be outstanding with terrific cut and presence. I don't think we'll have the same debate with the 2008 - it's a knockout. If you could combine the above mentioned Pouilly-Fume with a dose of Cour-Cheverny (Romorantin) and Muscadet and grow all of it on a slab of granite above a gale-swept parcel of the Spanish/Atlantic coast, it would be the 2008 Eidos - a wine that appears obvious at the outset but is anything but after 15-30 minutes of air. An enlightening branch-out for many of you, this medium-weight and rich white wine is buffered by energy and extract with designs on conquering a fresh plate of mussels (not to mention your palate). A complex example with layers of intrigue stacked between white fruit, stone, sea breeze and acidity, it deepens throughout the meal and is equally good on day two. It represents real value in its class (the 2008 Eidos is every bit as complex as many 1er Chablis or other): HIGHLY RECOMMENDED for complex character and versatile nature with freshwater, shell and ocean fish (it's also great on its own). ONE SHIPMENT ONLY at this price set to arrive shortly: 2008 Eidos Albarino "Eidos de Padrinan" (Rias Baixas) Thank you, Jon Rimmerman Garagiste Seattle, WA Spain8130
By Jon Rimmerman
(EIDOS Albarino Rias Baixas) Baixas Dear Friends, After three encounters with this wine (with and without food), it's apparent that you do not need to spend a fortune to indulge in vinous complexity. Like Sancerre, Pouilly-Fume or even Chablis (all three underpriced versus the wine world), Rias Baixas remains an undervalued gem of a white wine region in northwestern Spain and the best wines can compete with anything from anywhere. In some way, this rocky and wind-swept region is the Iberian equivalent of France's Bretagne. Exposed to the Atlantic with a marine climate, this area of Galicia can be cold, damp, dark and rainy with frequent frost in winter (sounds familiar to those of us that call the Pacific Northwest home). It can also be sunny, warm and divine during the summer months with a large swing in day/night temperatures - perfect for growing steep-terraced grapes of terroir where the goal is an equal balance of acidity and extract. The combination of a maritime climate with a preponderance of granite in the soil gives the signature grape of Rias Baixas, Albarino, a head start toward soaking up minerality like nectar but also in storing ample levels of extract. When vinified in a most natural way (like the Eidos), the resulting wine reflects its vintage and grape with aplomb. Top quality Albarino is also one of the finest food matches in the vinous world as an authoritative and cutting accompaniment to rich seafood dishes (as well as poultry). We offered this wine last year (the 2007 vintage) and some of you found it to be too lean and lacking a certain "oomph". Others found it to be outstanding with terrific cut and presence. I don't think we'll have the same debate with the 2008 - it's a knockout. If you could combine the above mentioned Pouilly-Fume with a dose of Cour-Cheverny (Romorantin) and Muscadet and grow all of it on a slab of granite above a gale-swept parcel of the Spanish/Atlantic coast, it would be the 2008 Eidos - a wine that appears obvious at the outset but is anything but after 15-30 minutes of air. An enlightening branch-out for many of you, this medium-weight and rich white wine is buffered by energy and extract with designs on conquering a fresh plate of mussels (not to mention your palate). A complex example with layers of intrigue stacked between white fruit, stone, sea breeze and acidity, it deepens throughout the meal and is equally good on day two. It represents real value in its class (the 2008 Eidos is every bit as complex as many 1er Chablis or other): HIGHLY RECOMMENDED for complex character and versatile nature with freshwater, shell and ocean fish (it's also great on its own). ONE SHIPMENT ONLY at this price set to arrive shortly: 2008 Eidos Albarino "Eidos de Padrinan" (Rias Baixas) Thank you, Jon Rimmerman Garagiste Seattle, WA Spain81304/13/2010, (See more on Garagiste...)