The top-of-the-range 2019 La Comtesse comes from a vineyard called Cacheiro, 1.4 hectares of their oldest vines (planted in 1965) that deliver lower yields and aim to showcase the aging potential of Albariño. The must fermented in 3,000-liter oak vats where the wine was kept for 12 months, the first three with the lees, and then it was kept in concrete for a further 12 months. It has a golden color and an intense nose but with subtle aromas and almost no trace of oak. 2019 was a warmer, very complete and balanced year of powerful wines with concentration, clout and very good balance and freshness. This has 13.5% alcohol, a pH of 3.25 and 7.3 grams of acidity. It has a round and creamy texture and is velvety and tender, sleek and elegant. 9,655 bottles and 400 magnums produced. It was bottled in April 2022.

A silky white, offering grainy pear, chamomile and beeswax notes layered with sleek, mandarin orange peel–infused acidity, with tropical hints of guava and pineapple. A push of salinity sweeps through toward the finish, offering a tangy frame for the hints of white blossoms, vanilla and lime peel. Drink now through 2029.

A graceful white, with well-honed acidity aligned to flavors of ripe pear, tangerine peel, white cherry, vanilla and almond. An underlying streak of salinity provides a lively tang to the detailed flavor range and drives the mouthwatering finish, which shows delicate floral, graphite and spice notes. Drink now through 2030.

The La Comtesse bottling from Pazo Barrantes is their old vine cuvée, with these Albariño vines having been planted in 1965. The wine is fermented in a three thousand liter oak vat and then aged for the first year in the same vessel, with the wine racked after two months of lees contact and then returned to the large vat. It spends a second year of aging in cement tank. The 2019 La Comtesse is the new release of this bottling and offers up a deep and complex, aged Chablis-like nose of pear, fresh apricot, dried flowers, a touch of beeswax, a nice foundation of soil tones, gentle smokiness and orange peel. On the palate the wine is vibrant, full-bodied and beautifully complex, with fine depth at the core, good soil signature and grip, fine balance and a long, mature and very classy finish. This is really a lovely bottle of Albariño that is drinking with the breed and complexity of full maturity, but has the underlying structure to also continue to age very nicely. Fine, fine juice. 2024-2035+.

“Aromas of mango, lemon zest and orange blossom waft from the glass. Striking pineapple and grapefruit flavors are joined by touches of vanilla and almond blossom that linger into the vivid finish.”