Pale lemon colored with a watery sheen (12.5% ABV).  The nose has medium intensity aromas of lemon and grapefruit pith, peach, pear, some salty minerality, white blossom, and a hint of green apple.  The palate is dry with medium (+) acidity, and a medium (-) body.  The flavor intensity is slightly more than the nose and echoes the aromas in taste.  The finish is long and slightly tart from the zippy acidity.  It’s refreshing, light and delicious.  Worthy of 91 points and for the $20 price point it gets 5 stars. Load up on this beauty for summer, serve with grilled fish all day long.  Salut….

Pale lemon with gold highlights and a medium viscosity (13% ABV).  The nose has medium (+) intensity aromas of peach, white blossom, saline, grapefruit, lemon pith and a hint of papaya.  The palate is dry with high acidity and a medium body.  Flavors of white blossom, sea spray, peach, papaya, lemon pith and grapefruit zest with a medium to long finish.  It runs about $20 and gets 90 points from me.  I like the crispness and tangy acidity coupled with the saline notes.  Drink this 5 star wine with seafood till 2027.  Salut….

Pale to medium lemon in the glass with a watery sheen (12% ABV).  The nose has medium intensity aromas of peach, cantaloupe, Mandarin orange, white flower and saline.  The palate is dry with medium (+) acidity and a touch of spritz.  The body is medium and the flavors echo the nose with some grapefruit pith thrown in for a touch of bitterness.  The finish is quite persistent and refreshing with citrus taking over the lead role.  The acidity is en pointe with this wine and keeps it focussed.  We tasted this wine blind last night and it was slightly chilled.   I’m re-tasting it at room temp and feel it needs a few minutes in the chiller followed by a pairing of seafood with lemon wedges.  Drink this 90 point Albarino dominated blend till 2026.  For $20, it gets 5 stars from me.  Salut….

Pale lemon with medium thin legs (12.5% ABV).  The nose has intense aromas of peach ring, tangerine, apricot, white blossom, marzipan and a touch, no, a smidge of lychee.  The palate is dry with medium (+) acidity and a medium body.  It is rounded with a silky mouthfeel and I get flavors that are not as intense as the nose but correspond.  It’s a delicious wine that I’m tasting at room temperature but would pair beautifully as a chilled accompaniment to shellfish.  The finish is medium in length and turns a touch bitter.  Yummy stuff that gets 91 points from me and for $19 it’s a 5 star wine to stock up on for the summer.  Salut….

Last night was Moxie’s birthday dinner at The Melting Pot fondue restaurant.  After perusing the menu and deciding on going the whole hog 4 course extravaganza I needed a white to pair with the cheese course.    Apparently every Wednesday night is half price wine on bottles costing less than $40.  I scanned the wine menu and was impressed with the offerings and prices.  Seems most bottles were in the more palatable 2X retail range rather than the more obnoxious 3X that most restaurants deem is fair for a bottle of wine.  I digress…

I picked this Spanish Albarino from the Rias Baixas region and was rewarded with a delicious, chilled bottle that hit every note I asked of it.  Straw colored it offered up a melange of fruits and spices on the nose that were delicious to smell.  On the palate it was very true to varietal with great aromatics mingling with some peaches and dried apricots, kinda like Viognier but with far more acidity.  This wine was crisp and lithe which paired very well with our cheese.  This varietal is well planted in Spain and Portugal and is definitely one which I will be purchasing for the summer.  I can imagine  sipping this one on the patio in the evenings with some cold cuts and crudités.  I bet it would rock a baked salmon and risotto dish.  When was the last time you had an Albarino?  Retailing at about $18 I am going with 90 points and 5 stars.  I hope my local shop carries it!  Salut….

The family plus Nick’s girlfriend