Not All Whites Are For Summer Sipping

The story: The weather in California has been very strange this spring. We have had more rain and cool days here in L.A. than normal, and almost seemed to skip spring altogether. All of a sudden over Memorial Day weekend summer arrived. Lucky for us we had an invitation to sit around the pool at a friend's vacation home in Palm Springs, so I grabbed the white wines that I had (I tend to not have a lot on hand) and headed out. It was hot, but there was no agenda so we ate, slept, cooked, and vegged out.


A complicated wine, no matter how well made and delicious it is probably not meant to be brought out in this environment. This wine was delicious and well made but complex, minerally, and not exactly refreshing in 95 degree sun. While we should have saved it for the inside, air-conditioned, seafood dinner this wine was still very worthwhile and one of my favorites that I have tasted this month.

The wine: Nessa Albariño 2008 offers a nose of lemonade, crushed seashell minerals, delicate white flower, with a touch of honey and almond. It has a very floral almost perfume like palette, with some marzipan and honey across the mid-palette and almost bitter minerality that is distinct and delicious rather than off-putting.


The verdict: I really liked this wine a lot and found that the acid and slight salinity kept the perfumed flavors in check. However I will warn you that most of my easy-drinking friends who prefer more fruity and less complex wines did not enjoy this. As for the wines quality it gets a 3.5 out of 5, and a recommended buy at around $15. Both previous vintages have scores ranging from 88 to 92 (92 is from Tanzer for 2007).