2018 Ca' di Mat Valautin Albillo Real

Region: Sierra de Gredos, Spain

Grape: Albillo

Culinary Suggestions: Seafood Paella, Garlic Prawns, Quiche, Grilled White Fish

Vineyard Practice: Sustainable

About

I am really happy to be able to bring the superb wines produced by Curro Bareño and Jesus Olivares at Ca’ di Mat (meaning ''Crazy House" in Italian) to Australia. Having held a passion for wines produced from Grenache, or Garnacha here, for my whole career I was bowled over by the wines from Spain's Sierra de Gredos upon first tasting them some years ago. 

Stylistically they are truly sui generis - mountain wines from ancient bush vines, grown on decomposed granitic soils between 600-1000m altitude. This means they are taut, crisp and pure in style, relatively low in alcohol for Grenache and somewhat lighter in colour too. These are athletic mountain wines though, they have a tension and vigour that put's them up there with the very very best.

The estate has 20 hectares of 30-80 year old vines which are cultivated organically and include Garnacha and Albillo. Much of the vineyard land is under recovery and this is being undertaken slowly to ensure the old vines have a chance to recover, rather than replanting. It is a continental climate with annual average at rainfall 600 mm and annual average temperature of only 13,7 º C.
Wine making is along the minimal intervention path that we like; indigenous yeasts, cold gentle macerations and the use of whole brunches produce delicate, fragrant and ethereal wines to fascinate and delight.

We look forward to bringing these beautiful wines to you here in Australia! - Importer Note

Tasting Notes

The second vintage of the village white, the 2018 Valautín Albillo had a slightly longer élevage—12 months instead of eight—in the fermentation vessels with the lees that were not stirred. 2018 is a very different year from 2017, much cooler and wetter. The aromatic profile is completely different from the 2018, and I would say it's also completely different from the majority of Albillo wines. The day I tasted it, the wine had incredible aromatics, to the point that it made me think of a Savagnin from Kenjiro Kagami in Jura or the Coteaux Champenois white from Emmanuel Lassaigne! The palate combines volume and the voluptuous character of the grape with length and freshness. It's really delicious, full of character and very affordable. 4,000 bottles produced. It was bottled in January 2020. 

93 points - Luis Gutierrez, Wine Advocate April 2020