Ampelos - Albarino Orange - Santa Barbara

Overview: The wine making goal for the Orange Albarino is to retain the flavors of the freshly picked fruit and not to mask it with oak or other distracting components. As opposed to white wine making, where we press the grapes the day of harvest to separate the juice from skins, seeds and stems, we treated these grapes just like they were red grapes: they were destemmed into one of our fermenters and left on their skins after destemming they cold soaked for 3 days with two daily pump-overs we let the fermenters reach room temperature after which the natural, wild fermentations kicked in.  no man-made yeast – we just let nature do her job. The fermenters were hand punched twice a day to facilitate optimal extraction of colors, tannins and flavors.  the flavors during fermentation were awesome!  tannins in white wines?  yes! After completed primary fermentation we drained the free run to tank and gently pressed the rest when the wine had settled for a few days, we racked it to stainless barrels we did not start the secondary fermentation (malolactic) – we like the crisp malic acid the wine is a little cloudy from the skin fermentation we decided not to filter it – it’s a “funky town” wine!

Tasting Notes: Cloudy in the glass, this skin-contact take on Albariño will satisfy orange wine lovers but may be challenging for others. Aromas of rust, orange peel, wet stone and apricot show on the nose, while the palate's thicker mouthfeel carries flavors of dried apple and lemon.

Pairing: Duck, goose, and game birds

Points: 88, Wine Enthusiast

Format/ABV: 750 ml/13.9%

In certain circumstances, a specific vintage may not be available. If this is the case, a comparable vintage of the same wine will be substituted for online orders. If shopping in store, please check the bottle for the appropriate vintage. If you have a question about a specific vintage that is in stock, please email wine@kegnbottle.com