Date Night

2010 ‘Sketch Albarino’ by Raul Perez—This Albarino is particulary nifty not only because it is a single vineyard Albarino from a top notch, small production producer in Rias Baixas, but because it is bottle-aged for 60 days, 90 feet UNDERWATER. Yup, after fermentation in concrete eggs and a year of barrel aging, this wine is bottled, stacked into a cage and sunk into the Atlantic Ocean where it is allowed to incorporate a touch of brininess that its cork breathes into the bottle.

The result is a true testament to the quality of Albarino. The evolution of this wine from the pop of the cork to the very last sip (after a few hours of air) was also nothing short of incredible. At first whiff, this wine showed off particularly rich dried fruit aromas of apricots, peaches, pairs, quince, and even a touch of a raisony quality that was brilliantly punctuated by that faint but unmistakable aroma of the ocean—seawater.

Damn—I thought—this can’t get any better. But it did. After an hour, the flamboyant orchard fruit that was once so dominant faded into the background and the ‘Sketch’ started tasting more like a young White Burgundy than an Albarino. Flinty minerality, and a soft lemony limey creaminess suggested Meursault more than Rias Baixas—all the while, maintaining the marine saltiness that makes it so distinct. In the third hour, it changed again almost reverting to its original state, although perhaps a bit tempered. A distinct sweet spice now punctuated its ripe tree fruit and we quaffed it down with dessert on the way. An experience for sure.

After the ‘Sketch’ we opened the most recent disgorgement of the Krug Grand Cuvee—which was rich, decadent, endlessly complex, and perfectly balanced—as it always is. This is incredible Champagne. I’ve been told that this wine is composed of upwards of 180 base wines—and it shows through in the divine complexity of this wine. A magnificent result of Krug’s artful and iconic blending.