For years, soft-spoken Ivy League graduate Craig Mitrakul has turned Albariño into gold and best-of-class awards at West Coast wine competitions. A key and constant ingredient has been pixie dust found in famed Evergreen Vineyard, the site managed by Ryan Flanagan and the source of some of the country’s top examples of Riesling. As usual, this example of Albariño brings thoughts of walking through a Wenatchee Valley orchard with peaches and green apples. Inside, it turns a bit tropical on the midpalate as notes of crushed Maui Gold pineapple create a fascinating mouthfeel and give it a ripe and tart approach that addresses the 0.7% residual sugar in an impeccable manner that’s not too racy. “It’s ultra-ripe in a balanced way that makes it magical,” one judge said. And it would also land at No. 6 on The Seattle Times ranking of Top 20 Northwest Wines for 2022.
Rating: Unanimously Outstanding!
Double gold medal — 97 points
Production: 140 cases
Alcohol: 13%
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