Wine Wednesday - 2011 En Garde Albarino

En Garde Winery is a little gem that Ashley and I found behind the Tenuta tasting room. En Garde rents space in the back and it is worth a try. The wine maker Csaba Szakal can often be found in either of the two tasting rooms, in Livermore or Kenwood. In fact, I mentioned Csaba in my first post as the inspiration for Wine Wednesdays.

He and his staff are knowledgeable and always a pleasure to talk to. Ashley and I belong to the wine club and definitely enjoy the vast majority of Csaba's wines. They can get a bit pricey but if you buy them at release, you can generally get much better prices before the awards come and prices go up.

Today's wine is Csaba's 2011 Albarino from Vista Luna Vineyard in Lodi. The Albarino is a white grape from the Galicia region in Spain. It was brought to Spain by monks in the twelfth century and translated stands for "white from the Rhine." No one knows exactly the origin of the grape, but locals claim it to be a Riesling clone from Alsace, though historically Riesling was not a known varietal until the 15th century. Today it is speculated that the Albarino is most closely related to the Petit Manseng.

This one might be a little harder to find now that the 2012 has already been released. When we first discovered En Garde, this was one of the first wine's we tasted and this is a crisp little white that has really grown on us. It's perfect for summer on those hot afternoons and pairs well with a Gruyere or Comte and fig and likely a pretty spicy dish (chili or pepper crab any of my peeps from Singapore?).

2011 En Garde Albarino, Vista Luna Vineyard

The Albarino is a crisp white, that is a light yellow and gold color. I preferred this on the more chilled side than normal to add to the refreshing bite.

The aroma has hints of lemon and orange with what something I picked as a tart green apple, but I believe Ashley had some different smells present (that I cannot recall exactly).

The taste started with strong citrus, lemon and orange and had an acidic bite. It finished smooth and lingered in the back of the throat.

The Albarino does well with that extra chill and allowing for some time to open prior to drinking. It's is a great hot weather wine and should be drunk immediately.

Cost: $28