Viña Albina Semidulce 1999 Blanco Reserva

Wine: Viña Albina Semidulce 1999 Blanco Reserva

Winery: Bodegas Riojanas
Appellation: D.O.Ca. Rioja (Logroño, Rioja)
Varietals: 90% Viura, 10% Malvasía Riojana
ABV: 13.5% 

Winemaking
Grapes sourced from small plots (majuelos) in Cenicero, selecting the most suitable old vines with specific microclimates. Late harvest with over-ripening and localized noble rot (botrytis). Fermentation of the free-run juice in new oak barrels with spontaneous arrest. Aged for 16 months in 225-liter barrels. Bottled in 50 cl format. 

 

Tasting Notes

 

Appearance: Intense golden-yellow; brilliant and luminous with golden highlights. Very thick, persistent legs. 

 

Nose: Powerful and possessing immense personality, marrying classical Riojan aging with subtle and unusual high-quality botrytized aromas. It reveals sensations of old soleras, seasoned staves, varnish, and noble woods. Gradually, white fruit emerges (baked apple, custard apple) alongside fresh butter, smoky notes, dried apricots, and white pepper. The hint of botrytis becomes more radiant with time, revealing reminiscences of preserved lemon, white flowers, jasmine, beeswax, honey, and syrup. This is a wine of profound Riojan typicity, resembling a semi-botrytized wine with a curious, distinctive touch of hydrocarbons. 

 

Palate: Slightly broad and off-dry. Toasted with soft creamy undertones and nearly vegetal bitters that accompany the white and stone fruit. Good acidity, which still needs time to fully integrate, yet savory and deeply engaging from an oenological perspective. This is a wine out of time and context that shines on its own merit, expanding the viticultural spectrum. While enjoyable now, it "begs" for many more years in the bottle to be tamed, specifically to refine and harmonize its significant structural load. Truly excellent, though it is likely not yet even a shadow of what it will become in 15 or 20 years. Very few wines possess this kind of longevity.

 

Personal Score: 89
Tasting Group Score: 90