2007 Longoria Albariño Clover Creek Vineyard

Community Tasting Notes (4) Avg Score: 88.3 points

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  2/3/2010 - skinnydave wrote: 91 Points

  Pretty authentic taste for a California Albarino. Much better than Bokish or Tangent or other California Albarinos I am familiar with. Rich bouquet nose. Mouth feel is smooth. Lots of butter, melon, honey, citrus and a bit of floral. It is a little heavily oaked, but the result is a rich and viscous Albarino. I enjoy this wine very much and it does do better at around 54-55 degrees vs. 51 or sub fifty. The melons and honey shine as the wine warms.

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  3/12/2009 - NPWolfe wrote: 84 Points

  Several reviews ago I mention a column in Wine Spectator that Matt Kramer had written. In that column he presented the thesis that making wine is not art, it is high craft. He was not submitting that there is not judgement in wine making, rather his point was that the very best that you can do with Chardonnay grapes is to make a very good Chardonnay. As he put it, “Art is creation, wine is amplification”. While I agreed with the thesis I have had trouble with this view because I clearly see that there is an artistry in wine making. Finally I hit upon what I think is the right word for vintners. While vintners may not be artists, they are aesthetes - individuals with a high sensitivity to beauty. They apply this sensitivity to beauty in the decisions that form the wine. What we appreciate are the aesthetic judgements that they make.
  
  I wish I could get as excited about this wine as I was about finding the right noun for describing the artistry of vintners. The second time around this wine just struck me as boring. Pleasant enough but with too much oak for the floral qualities. Wet stones, flowers, and melon in the nose and flavors. Rick Longoria really seems to like to oak the hell out of his wines and on the more delicate varietals it takes away from their charm.

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  12/14/2008 - arthrovine wrote: 93 Points

  Delighful light/straw-colored wine that improved as it warmed from the fridge. Melons/apricot on the nose and initial taste. Light, lithe playful wine crisp acidity. A long finish with a slight thickness imparted from oak yet crisp and dry. Paired well with a scampi dish, cutting the butter and oils. While I've only had a few albarinos, this has been the best and will definitely increase my current inventory of 2. It will probably drink well for 1-2 years.

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  11/26/2008 - NPWolfe wrote: 85 Points

  Wet stones, minerals, and flowers in the nose. Light bodied. Wet stones, minerals, and flowers in the taste but more like a riesling than like a sauvignon blanc. Light and crisp. Clean and pleasant finish. Would be excellent as an apperatif or with with a salad.
  
  Wine was better the second day. More typical Albarino flavors were present which included melon and nectarine. I bumped up my rating from Good to Very Good.

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