Nautilus Marlborough Albariño 2019

Description

"Very attractive Albariño with strong varietal flavours including mandarin, orange blossom and a suggestion of chalk-mineral character. A hint of sweetness is perfectly balanced by fruity acidity to give a crisp, dry finish" Bob Campbell, Master of Wine, Real Review, Nov 2019

On the nose, the 2019 vintage shows fragrant fresh apricots, white florals, with hints of melon and mandarin peel. The palate is flavoursome and fleshy with a refreshing zingy finish. Delicious upon release, this wine will improve for 3-5 years post vintage.

This is a limited edition, single vineyard wine. Albariño, one of the most distinctive varieties from Spain, is a recent introduction to the pristine winegrowing region of Marlborough.

The 2019 season started well with no significant frost issues and reasonable spring rains to develop healthy canopies. January and February were then extremely dry with virtually no rainfall for two months and warmer than average temperatures. The harvest period was very kind and we were able to be very detailed with our picking decisions. Vintage 2019 will be remembered for low to moderate crops, pristine fruit and a busy but very satisfying harvest period.

Fruit was hand picked and chilled overnight before being destemmed and crushed prior to pressing. The racked and clarified juice was then cool fermented in a stainless steel tank using an aromatic yeast. A short period of maturation on yeast lees followed prior to bottling.

Food Pairing: Pancetta-Wrapped Scallops with Saffron and Herb Risotto.