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The Pazo de Barrantes La Comtesse is a good example of the potential of the Albariño grape and is a good example of how beautifully an Albariño can age. The La Comtesse is the big brother of the very beautiful Pazo de Barrantes Albariño and is without a doubt one of the very best Albariños. The La Comtesse has concentration and elegance and balance and the cool year of 2016 gives the wine a nice acidity that ensures freshness and length.

The La Comtesse of Pazo de Barrantes has been on the market since 2009. The owner of this house is the well-known Marques de Murrieta - and the owners have their roots in Galicia hence the desire to make a top wine and to show the potential of the Albarino grape with a long aging on drosem and large oak wooden barrels. The grapes come from an old single vineyard in Cacheiro (Rías Baixas DO Galicia). All work in the vineyard is manual and with minimal intervention. The salty sea breeze keeps the vineyard super healthy without the need for all kinds of chemical agents. The Albariño clusters are the first to be removed for pressing. The grapes are then gently crushed to respect and appreciate the intense aroma of these old vines. The juice drops. This is followed by temperature controlled alcoholic fermentation at just 10 degrees in a 3,000-liter French Allier oak barrel for no less than 60 days. In the pursuit of more volume in the mouth and a balanced mouthfeel, the wine stays in contact with its fine lees for 6 months. The La Comtesse will then stay for another 12 months in the same wooden barrel and afterwards the wine will have another 12 months of bottle aging in the cellar of Pazo de Barrantes.

In the glass, the Marqués de Murrieta La Comtesse de Pazo Barrantes is a beautiful clear light straw yellow color. In the nose we smell nice aromas of apple, peach, lime and of course the pear known to the albariño, but we also notice notes of oyster shells and lime. The latter becomes even clearer in the mouth. The wine is full bodied, somewhat creamy, mineral with a good salty sea injection and a long, tasty aftertaste.

This indulgent wine is also a gastronomic topper and begs or fresh oyster, but is also great with richer fish dishes such as cod with rosemary and honey, roasted chicken and vegetables or a warm shrimp salad with honey mustard and green apples.

GUÍA PROENSA (ESPAÑA): 98 points

GUÍA VINOS GOURMETS (ESPAÑA): 96 points

GUÍA PEÑÍN (ESPAÑA): 94 points

PARKER WINE ADVOCATE (USA): 93+ points

JAMES SUCKLING (USA): 92 points

Marqués de Murrieta's also has an estate in the Rias Baixas (Galicia) called Pazo de Barrantes. The Albariño vineyard is 12 hectares in size and is located in the Valle del Salnés. This vineyard provides a lot of aromatic complexity for the wine, thanks to the natural influences on the landscape.

Read more under the heading winery. Click here for a short nice video report

You can of course buy Pazo de Barrantes wines online at Grandcruwijnen.nl, the wine trade with one of the largest wine collections in the Netherlands and Belgium, where you can order both exceptional wines and wines for every budget. Quality products, fast delivery & reliable service are Grand Cru wines!