Etxea Albarino Rorick Heritage Vineyard Sierra Foothills 2018 (750ml)

“In some utopian wine future, I'd like to see the New York City Parks Department install water fountains that dispense ice-cold Albariño.”

Ray Isle Food & Wine

 

Rated 93 Points & Editor’s Choice by Wine Enthusiast

 

This site is famously high-elevation (2,000 feet) and rich in limestone soils.  The resulting white here is remarkably fresh, energetic and bursting in green apple and melon.  With a light touch to the oak and ripeness, it retains an earthy minerality of sea spray and wet stone, that's deliciously memorable and complex.  Virginie Boone

 

Etxea Albarino Rorick Heritage Vineyard

 

Sierra Foothills 2018

 

We source Albariño and Cabernet Franc from three vineyards in Northern California.  Each vineyard experiences a significant diurnal shift in which warm days are moderated by cool afternoon breezes and dramatic temperature drops at night.  This fluctuation means that summer temperatures can climb up to 90+ degrees during the day and drop to as low as 40 degrees at night.  This nocturnal cooling-off slows ripening and preserves acidity.  Ultimately, this intensifies the grapes’ flavors and allows us to produce wines with natural balance.  Our approach and winemaking style is to let the grapes, and their unique vineyard origins, speak for themselves.

 

The Albariño was hand-picked on September 14th, whole-cluster pressed and fermented with native yeast.  The wine then aged on its lees, with no sulfur added, for six months in neutral oak before bottling.  The result is a refreshingly crisp wine with lingering notes of cantaloupe melon, green apple and a burst of salinity.  It finishes with mouth-watering acidity that begs for another sip.

 

Sourced from Rorick Heritage Vineyard, a 2,000 ft. elevation vineyard high in the Sierra Foothills with steeply-planted vines and limestone-rich soils.  This rare geological gem is located in Calaveras County, outside the old mining town of Murphys, and has a stunning diversity of sun exposures, elevations, temperatures and soils.  Our Albariño block has Northeast facing slopes of schist and limestone which see warm days and cool nights driven by the high elevation.

 

Rorick Heritage Vineyard

 

Sierra Foothills AVA

 

This rare geological gem sits high in the Sierra Foothills outside the old mining town of Murphys.  Located in Calaveras County, this 2,000 ft. elevation vineyard has limestone-rich soils and steeply-planted vines.  There are approximately eighty-six acres planted to a wide array of grape varieties – sixteen and counting!  Diverse sun exposures, elevations, temperatures and soils provide a myriad of ideal microclimates for each grape variety.

 

Elevation:  2,000 ft.
 

Acres Planted:  86

 

Soils:  Schist, limestone, quartz, mica.

 

Grape Varieties:  Albariño, Chenin Blanc, Pinot Gris, Picpoul, Mondeuse, Trousseau, Verdelho, Grenache, Chardonnay, Tempranillo, Mourvèdre, and more.
 

 

Etxea

 

It all started in 2014 when we were neighbors in downtown Napa and bonded over skiing, porróns and Cabernet Franc.  Ryan studied Viticulture and Enology at UC Davis and has been working in the industry for ten years while Luisa practices trademark law, helping establish wine brands.  Our journey began by searching for the perfect grapes.  Upon learning that Albariño was available at Rorick Heritage Vineyard, we were intrigued; after seeing the vineyard, we were unwaveringly committed.  We now source Albariño and Cabernet Franc from three distinct vineyards in Northern California.  Etxea means “house” in the Basque language and gives homage to Luisa’s Basque roots, the Spanish origins of Albariño (from Galicia in NW Spain) and the Basque grape Hondarrabi Beltza, a descendant of Cabernet Franc.  Our goal at Etxea Wines is to make a “house” wine from unique vineyard sites and varietals that you can enjoy every day and with every meal.

 

Ryan Pass & Luisa Bonachea

 

 

Rated 93 Points & Editor’s Choice by Wine Enthusiast

 

This site is famously high-elevation (2,000 feet) and rich in limestone soils.  The resulting white here is remarkably fresh, energetic and bursting in green apple and melon.  With a light touch to the oak and ripeness, it retains an earthy minerality of sea spray and wet stone, that's deliciously memorable and complex.  Virginie Boone