La Comtesse de Pazo Barrantes grapes are sourced from Pago Cacheiro — a single-vineyard, old-vine plot within Marqués de Murrieta’s 12-hectare estate of Pazo Barrantes — located in Salnés Valley, Rías Baixas D.O. of Galicia, Spain.

The family behind the well-known Rioja estate Marqués de Murrieta produces La Comtesse de Pazo Barrantes and founded the winery in 1991 to make the highest quality albariño. The wine’s true albariño character is a direct reflection of the Creixell family’s core values of quality and estate-owned vineyards, paired with a modern winemaking approach and the latest technology.

The albariño bunches are destemmed before pressing to avoid any herb flavors, then the grapes are pressed slowly and gently to respect and extract the intense aromatic potential that these old vine grapes provide. Once the juice is settled, fermentation takes place in temperature controlled (50ºF) a 3,000-liter French Allier oak vat for 60 days. In effort to gain more volume on the palate and a balanced mouth-feel, the wine is left in contact with its fine lees for six months. La Comtesse remains in this same wooden vat for 12 months further. Afterwards the wine is aged in bottle for another 12 months before release.

La Comtesse’s amber notes make a wine with refi ned and subtle ripe pear, gardenia flower and fennel aromas with a hint of the eucalyptus trees surrounding singlevinegard Cacheiro. The aging in oak and concrete vats makes the wine refi ned and silky. These characteristic balsamic aromas give the wine a fresh and elegant touch.

La Comtesse allows for bolder pairings with different textures and flavors. Seared crayfish with fresh pasta and vegetables; grilled lobster with mayonnaise; steamed prawns with mustard and truffle oil; warm shrimp salad with honey mustard and green apples. The recommended serving temperature is 55ºF to 57ºF, allowing the flavors and complexity to show at their best.