2021 Albariño
$42
Collector's & Founder's Club: $31.50
Case Club: $33.60
Connoisseur's Club: $35.70
Lemon oil, ripe nectarine, tangerine peel, and oak spice. The 2021 Albariño is rich, but also very fresh on the nose. Swirling brings ripe cantaloupe, orange blossom, caramelized peach, wet stones, and hints of rosemary and baking spices. The mouthfeel is medium to full bodied, with remarkable texture and pronounced acidity. Flavors of ripe stone fruit and fresh tropical fruits dominate the mid-palate, but there is also phenomenal tension stretching the wine from more forward to a fresher style. Extremely layered, this barrel fermented Albariño finishes long, with great acidity and a saline touch, but the perfect amount of sweetness to back it up. Drink now or in the next 8 years.
| Vintage | 2021 |
| Varietal Composition | 100% Albarino |
| Appellation | Royal Slope AVA |
| Vineyard | Corfu Crossing Vineyard |
| Designation | Lawrence Vineyards |
| Alcohol | 13.60% |
| Volume | 750 ml |
| Cases Produced | 90 |
92pts - Owen Bargreen - "Coming from the Lawrence Vineyard, this limited production (90 cases) wine offers honeysuckle, pear and cantaloupe notes on the nose. The palate is very concentrated and fresh with excellent tension holding this smooth-textured Albarino together. Enjoy now and over the next five plus years. Drink 2023-2029- 92"
92pts - International Wine Report / Jeremy Young: "This is a more serious Albarino than you would typically expect. With some oak treatment on the wine by the medium golden-colored core and the spicy and earthy nose. Ripe apricot, candied pineapple, butter, and cream creep up on the nose. It smells off-dry, but it’s not. A rich and racy finish of golden fruits and sweet baking spice completes the wine. "
91pts - Northwest Wine Report / Sean Sullivan
This is an aromatically generous wine, with notes of lychee, freshly peeled tangerine, jasmine, and flower, along with a whiff of struck flint. Perhaps just a hint off-dry, full-feeling citrus and floral flavors follow, showing a sense of presence and grace. It’s delicious, a compelling mixture of vibrant aromatics and a fruit-filled palate. 13.6% alcohol. TCA-free micro-agglomerated cork. 90 cases produced.
91pts - James Suckling
This is aromatic, with apricots, candied mandarins, honeysuckle and honeycomb. Medium-bodied and dry with a sleek, chalky texture and crunchy acidity. Hints of flowers and dried herbs with crushed stones to close. Drink now.
Gård Vintners is 100% estate grown sustainably at Lawrence Vineyards in the Royal Slope AVA. Lawrence Vineyards features seven distinct vineyard sites with elevations ranging 930 feet to 1,675 feet. The combination of elevation and south-facing slope provides a great framework for grape production, while the diversity of the seven locations delivers a high level of complexity to Gård wines. Lawrence Vineyards is certified sustainable by Vinewise.org.
MATÍAS KÚSULAS
Winemaker & Viticulturist
A Chilean with Greek roots, Matías was a Marine officer and Naval Engineer in Chile for more than seven years when he realized that it was time to change the course of his career: In 2005, he started studying Agricultural Engineering at the University of Chile, where he graduated with distinction and a major in Viticulture and Enology. He worked in Chile for a few years and in 2011 he decided to start traveling the world on a quest to learn new wine-making techniques. After several harvests in Oceania, Europe and Africa, he settled down in France, to do his post degrees at the Universities of Bordeaux and Montpellier. He also performed for two years as a Maître de Chai for one of the oldest and most reputable wineries in Condrieu and Côte-Rôtie.
After years of traveling and over 15 harvests, he came to the United States and joined Gård Vintners/Lawrence Vineyards as a Production Winemaker and Viticulturist, and is currently head winemaker for Gård Vintners, Desert Wind Winery, Valo Cellars, and his own label, Massalto. In his spare time he likes to jump out of planes and is a Judo Black Belt.
