Bonny Doon Vineyard Central Coast Albarino – Silky, Salty and Seductive

100% Albarino from Central Coast, California.

SRP of $18 and available for as low as $16. Sample received courtesy Bonny Doon Vineyards for review purposes.

From the bottle:

“50% Casa Grande Vineyard & 50% Jesperson Ranch

This Albarino expresses a beautifully crystalline mineral aspect with great persistence. Bracing aromas of lemon rind, grapefruit, pineapple and peach telegraph a lively acidity. Extended lees contact gives the wine an exquisitely silky texture that’s almost savory. Perfect as an aperitif and wildly appropriate with Asian food or shellfish.

We farm sustainably to restore vital life-forces to our soul and to promote the farm as a self-sustaining organism. Our winemaking practice is exceptionally light-handed with minimal intervention — unplugged or “acoustic”.

The sensitive crystallization image on the front label reveals the wine’s organizing and growth forces — a snapshot of its internal harmony. By featuring this image and listing the ingredients used on processing, we reveal our commitment to natural, vital wines and to the virtue of transparency.

13.2% Alcohol”

We’re big fans of Bonny Doon Vineyards here at The Reverse Wine Snob and with good reason: excellent wines like the Vin Gris de Cigare Rosé and the Bonny Doon Vineyard “Le Pousseur” Syrah. And today’s wine is absolutely no different.

The 2011 Bonny Doon Vineyard Central Coast Albarino begins with a really pleasing aroma of citrus, peach, pineapple and graphite as well as a little honeysuckle. The wine tastes silky smooth with intense and juicy flavors of tart citrus and has a bright acidity that makes your teeth hurt. (Bonny Doon describes it as a “citrus bomb”.) It also has a zesty, salty character unlike any other wine I’ve tried that is really quite appealing. The finish features more salt-laced, tart and zesty citrus. Be sure not to drink this wine too cold — if you put it in the fridge let it warm up a bit before serving. Really quite a delicious offering, I liked it a lot. Hugely flavorful and almost seductive in that you can’t help but take another sip.

See a listing of local retailers selling this wine here.

Find out more about my rating system and check out the Wine Ranking to find all my reviews! You can sort by type of wine, cost, rating, etc. in the interactive spreadsheet.