Oh. My. Goodness. Look at her shoes. And after Labor Day no less. Shudder. She's wearing... white!
The prevailing opinion, be it for marketing or merely historical convenience, is that for every wine there is a season: Red for Autumn and Winter and Rose for Spring. White belongs to Summer. Nonsense! In the words of my friend Frank Morgan: drink what you like. And might I add, when you like!
Many think of Albariño as a summer white, and indeed it works well with a variety of fresh seafood. An Iberian grape most prevalent in northwestern Spain, it is bright and crisp and citrusy -- just like a day at the beach. The Gallica Albariño Calaveras 2015 is all that, but more.
Sourced from Rorick Heritage Vineyard located just outside Murphys, California in Calaveras County, Gallica's only white wine is made from grapes grown north of Yosemite National Park in the Sierra foothills, 2,000 feet above sea level in soils rich in limestone. A touch of Muscat Blanc adds a pleasant viscosity; an elegant "roundness" with notes of white peach blossoms and lemon curd. Available by allocation, this elegant white wine is priced at $36.
Pairing: We tasted it with a mélange of Mediterranean tapas: baked kibbi, hummus, tabbouli and fatoush salads, dolmas (grape leaves) and beef shawarma for a near perfect pairing.
In addition to Albariño, Gallica Winemaker and Proprietor Rosemary Cakebread makes small quantities of Cabernet Sauvignon, Grenache, Syrah and estate Petite Sirah from the vineyard located on two gravelly acres in St. Helena, California. We're looking forward to tasting her reds and chatting with her this week. Stay tuned to hear more.
Cheers!
The WineWonkette
