Marquis De Murrieta Grand Vino Pazo Barrantes Albarino 2019 (750ml)

 

Rated 94 Points by Robert Parker's Wine Advocate

 

When some are releasing their 2021 wine, Pazo Barrantes took a break and are now releasing their 2019 Gran Vino Albariño, after a hiatus of almost two years.  Because they changed almost everything...  They have 12 hectares of 35-year-old vineyards divided into eight different plots around the winery in the Val do Salnés plus one hectare they rent from the archbishopric.  The soils are degraded and sandy granite and the pruning the traditional "parrón," "emparrado" or pergola at 1.8 to two meters high.  The grapes were picked between September 13th and 20th, let to settle and fermented in stainless steel at 10 degrees Celsius for 60 days.  The wine was kept with the lees for two months and a further seven months in tank, but 15% of the wine matured in 225-liter acacia barrels.  The wine was bottled in June 2020 and was kept in bottle for 16 months.  It's 13% alcohol and has a pH of 3.4 and 7.8 grams of acidity (measured in tartaric acid per liter).  The wine is extremely balsamic and medicinal, with an explosive nose with notes of white flowers, but the nose changes, as we know.  What impressed me was the seamless structure and the harmony on the palate.  It's titillating, elegant, detailed and nuanced, with terrific balance.  I was gobsmacked!  95,097 bottles and 1,425 magnums produced.  All bottles are numbered and in the same elegant bottle as La Comtesse.  Obviously, the price has changed.

 

Rated 92 Points by James Suckling

 

A fruity nose of apple blossom, nectarine, candied pear, guava, lime cordial and some fresh cider.  It’s medium-bodied with bright acidity and a juicy, ripe palate.  Subtle saline notes.  Round, delicious finish.

 

Rated 91 Points by Wine Spectator

 

This white has a smooth, luxurious texture, with lime, honey cream, white blossom and tangerine flavors that are matched with a hint of toast and ample spice elements.  Mouthwatering acidity is well-integrated, with a long, lingering finish.

 

Ranked #57 Wine Spectator Top 100 of 2021

 

This new Pazo de Barrantes will surprise with an extremely elegant and expressive nose; fine aromas of white stone fruits, hints of citric fruits, balsamic nuances, acacia blossoms and bay.  Liveliness and freshness in the palate, with a fluid texture and a balanced, long finish.

 

Pairings

 

Pairs beautifully with grilled queen scallop over truffled potatoes and cavia, mille-feuille filled with smoked eel, white asparagus pudding, white shrimp with mint, marinated sardine, grapefuit jam and blood orange.  The suggested serving temperature is 52ºF.

 

Marquis De Murrieta Grand Vino

 

Pazo Barrantes Albarino 2019

 

Producer:  Marquis De Murrieta Pazo Barrantes

 

Country:  Spain

 

Region:  Galicia

 

D.O.:  Rías Baixas

 

Varietal:  Albariño

 

Vintage:  2019

 

Visionary and brave Albariño sourced from our historical estate in the heart of the Salnés Valley.  A cherished elaboration with a subtle combination of stainless steel tanks and Acacia barrels.  Bottled in July 2020.

 

Tasting Notes

 

This new Pazo Barrantes will surprise with an extremely elegant and expressive nose; fine aromas of white stone fruits, hints of citric fruits, balsamic nuances, acacia blossoms and bay.  Liveliness and freshness in the palate, with a fluid texture and a balanced, long finish.  “This new Pazo Barrantes 2019 is the clear evidence that the Albariño grape is one of the best white varieties in the world, with the ability to show its incredible character and aging potential over time.”  María Vargas - Technical Director. 

 

Alcohol:  13%

 

Food Pairing

 

Medium-boiled red shrimp with its coral juice and pickled beetroot ravioli; rose dairy beef sirloin over foie grillé, vermouth and apple sauce; steamed and roasted pil pil hake loin, Norway lobster. 

 

Winemaking

 

After an exhaustive selection, the grapes are destemmed and pressed gently and slowly in a pneumatic press.  The must is decanted by flotation to ensure greater aromatic purity and then fermented at 10°C in stainless steel tanks for approximately 60 days.  After fermentation, it remains 2 months with the fine lees in the stainless-steel tank. 

 

Aging Process

 

The wine is aged for 7 months in stainless steel tanks and 15% in acacia wood barrels.

 

The Vineyard

 

The grapes with which it is made come from the Pazo de Barrantes farm, with 12 hectares divided into 8 different plots and located around the winery.  The estate's soils are granitic, with sand on the surface and the average age of the vineyard is 40 years.

 

The Wine Story

 

At Pazo de Barrantes we have been in the tireless search for excellence since 1511, the engine of our daily dedication and the object of the patience and know-how of a team that always pursues the highest quality and authenticity.

 

After years of enjoying Pazo Barrantes, the result of a terroir of extraordinary quality and meticulous and balanced production, our admiration and respect for the Albariño grape led us to make the risky decision to withdraw it from the market for two years in order to give it a more pampered aging, a small contribution of acacia barrel, a later bottling and a more restful maturation process in the bottle to create the new Pazo Barrantes.

 

Ten years of research and meticulous work in the vineyard to optimize the quality of the grapes and make an exclusive selection of the same, have been necessary to carry out this new project that came to light with the 2019 vintage and that was the point starting point of the new era of Pazo Barrantes.

 

Albariño

 

Albariño wine (“alba-reen-yo”) is a delightfully refreshing coastal white that grows on the Iberian Peninsula.  It’s loved for its rich stone fruit flavors, a hint of salinity, and zippy acidity.

 

 

Barrantes Manor

 

Maximum singularity and expressiveness of the Albariño

 

A family writing their own history since 1511

 

The origin of the Pazo de Barrantes dates back to the beginning of the 16th century and since then it has been linked to the Cebrián-Sagarriga family.

 

It is a unique building, built in stone that has witnessed relevant episodes in the history of Galicia for centuries.  Next to it stands the winery, also in stone, built in 1991 by Vicente Cebrián Sagarriga, X Count of Creixell and father of the current owners, following the same philosophy as Marqués de Murrieta: to produce wines that show the character and personality of the vineyard from which they come.

 

Philosophy

 

A quest for excellence that spans generations

 

The spirit of Pazo de Barrantes rests on the iron commitment of a family and a great team in the search for excellence.  Great professionals who dedicate every day to this project real efforts, great doses of love and passion.

 

Estate

 

Mime and uniqueness from the Salnés Valley

 

The Pazo de Barrantes is surrounded by 12 hectares of its own Albariño grape vineyard, all in the Salnés Valley, in the heart of the DO Rías Baixas.

 

The incomparable terroir and its unique microclimate, together with the daily effort, affection and expert knowledge, allow us to obtain, year after year, a grape of the highest quality.  A painstaking unhurried production process will allow this grape to express its maximum potential in wines with a vocation for longevity and great personality.

 

Marquis De Murrieta

 

Since 1983, the Cebrián-Sagarriga Family has been in charge of Marqués de Murrieta Estates & Wines, a family educated in good work and daily effort.  Some brothers with a Galician heart who day after day remember their parents with affection and gratitude:

 

“Our parents started a great business and family project that today we try to continue with their same strength and enthusiasm.  They transmitted to us the value of the family, they taught us to smile daily at the effort and sense of sacrifice.  They conveyed to us the need to respect and be faithful to our past without neglecting our future, always looking ahead.  They gave us their faith, their confidence, their love for life and for those around us, their desire to always give. In short, his endearing way of living”.  Vicente Dalmau Cebrián-Sagarriga, Count of Creixell.

 

A story that is written every day as a family

 

The origin of the Marqués de Murrieta winery is also the origin of Rioja.  Don Luciano Murrieta, applying the techniques learned in Bordeaux, produced the first Rioja wine in 1852, with the intention of lasting over time.

 

Don Luciano was clear from the beginning that a quality Rioja wine with good aging would have the capacity to be exported outside of Spain.  For this reason, he did not hesitate to send that mythical 1852 vintage to countries like Mexico and Cuba, also becoming the first Rioja to be exported.

 

In Ygay Castle, noble materials and the latest technologies blend in a perfect union, turning the oldest industrial building in Europe into a benchmark of modernity and balance. 

 

Thanks to its historical importance for the world of wine, its heritage and the architecture of the building itself, the Ygay Castle and therefore the headquarters of the Marqués de Murrieta was declared a museum in 2019.

 

Philosophy

 

A unique look into the world of wine

 

A way of life that begins on the ground with each grape and that we share with the world through our wines.  We are a family united to a human team with the same objective: to keep our tradition alive, believe in ourselves, in the quality we can offer and in the effort to seek excellence every day.  We work with our hands, with our minds, with our hearts, applying technology, always in balance with our history.

 

Marqués de Murrieta is in continuous evolution, with new, transformative and visionary ideas.  Ideas that help us adapt to changing times, to new consumers, to ourselves and to our dreams.  Marqués de Murrieta is proud to know that our vocation leads us to always do what we love, just the way we love to do it.  It is the passion to dignify our vineyard, each grape, each bottle and each glass of wine in each corner of the world where we go.

 

Estate

 

The vineyard is our origin

 

Our vineyards are our history, our singularity, our passion.

 

Our wines are born in our Finca Ygay, a 300-hectare vineyard, located in the south of Rioja Alta, which surrounds our winery, allowing us exhaustive control of the quality of our wines from the moment they are born.

 

Our team, led by María Vargas, with the help of a privileged climate, limitless care of the vineyard and determined respect for the environment, achieves wines with enormous personality.

 

 

Rated 91 Points by Wine Spectator

 

This white has a smooth, luxurious texture, with lime, honey cream, white blossom and tangerine flavors that are matched with a hint of toast and ample spice elements.  Mouthwatering acidity is well-integrated, with a long, lingering finish.

 

Ranked #57 Wine Spectator Top 100 of 2021

 

This new Pazo de Barrantes will surprise with an extremely elegant and expressive nose; fine aromas of white stone fruits, hints of citric fruits, balsamic nuances, acacia blossoms and bay.  Liveliness and freshness in the palate, with a fluid texture and a balanced, long finish.