2017 Lagar de la Santina Albarino Rias Baixas

White Companion For The Dog Days of Summer

Mouthwatering, terrifically mineral, finishing with bracing acidity, this 2017 Lagar de la Santina Rías Baixas drinks like a $25 Albariño—available exclusively to Wine Access loyalists for just $14.99. From renowned importer, winemaker, and Loire native Christophe Chapillon, this is everything we love about the variety from the verdant slopes of northwest Spain, a traditional expression that’s balletic, crisp, fresh and massively over-delivers for the price tag, a sentiment echoed during our judging panel, and met with smiles from even our toughest critic—Sur Lucero Master Sommelier. James Suckling was a fan too, laying on 90 points as he praised the “full body, round texture andcrispy finish.” As we head into the dog days of summer, this bottle practically begs to be paired with a plate of seared scallops or fresh-shucked Wellfleet oysters—strongly recommended you lock into at least 6 bottles but a case will ensure fewer calls to Kate in customer service hoping for more. Once our 100 cases are gone, that’s all folks. Shipping included on 6.

One look around Rías Baixas in Spain’s Galicia, just north of Portugal, and it’s no mystery where Albariño gets its clean, bright, zesty flavors. The greenest part of Spain, it’s so lush with vegetal life and rolling emerald fields, you could be forgiven for mistaking it for Ireland’s Cork County. Factor in the ample rainfall—sometimes over 70 inches a year—and the cool influence of the Atlantic Ocean on the coast, plus blankets of fog and mist, and you’ve got the recipe for one of Europe’s most refreshing whites. Everything conspires to lock scintillating acidity and saline minerality in the Albariño’s green, thin-skinned grape, making it the summer wine sommeliers so often reach for when pairing with hyper-local seafood.

Lagar de la Santina is a private brand created by Christophe Chapillon, whose family has a winemaking legacy in the Loire Valley. Living in Aragon since 1986, he’s made Spain his adopted home and his acclaimed wines under the Chapillon label have met with rave reviews from Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate and James Suckling.

This bottling, drawing on fruit from across the five small sub-divisions of Rías Baixas, offers a complete profile of the magnificent region, showcasing everything from the granitic soils and cooler climes of Val do Salnés, offering up bright green apple aromatics, to the sunny warmth of Condado do Tea, lending luscious rounded texture and ripeness. At under-$15 a bottle, snap up as much as you can fit in your cellar—it will go fast.

• Fruit Intensity
• Oak Intensity
• Body
• Sweetness
• Acidity

• ABV 12.50%
• Enjoy right away
• Drink Up
• % Albarino
• Serving temperature – 50°
• Screw cap