Don't be afraid of being different... be afraid of being the same as everyone else.
Barrel Distortion is always Albariño-based, but always with a twist. Or two twists. Or three twists. Most Albariños are made to be light, crisp, and aromatic, and are produced in large stainless steel tanks. We aimed for something a bit different, so we barrel-fermented nearly all the wine in neutral French oak and stainless steel barrels and then aged it on its lees for approximately eleven months to develop additional complexity and richness. For 2021, we also added four percent Albariño that had been skin-fermented (for additional layers of flavor and a touch of tannin, and two percent Gewürztraminer.
Barrel Distortion is always Albariño-based, but always with a twist. Or two twists. Or three twists. Most Albariños are made to be light, crisp, and aromatic, and are produced in large stainless steel tanks. We aimed for something a bit different, so we barrel-fermented nearly all the wine in neutral French oak and stainless steel barrels and then aged it on its lees for approximately nine months to develop additional complexity and richness. For 2020, we also added four percent Albariño that had been skin-fermented (much as a red wine would be produced) and six percent Gewürztraminer. The result is a wine that maintains the vibrant and aromatic character for which Albariño is known, but adds in a bit more structure and mouthfeel, plus some savory and aromatic notes from the skin-fermented component and the Gewürztraminer. 93 Points - Robert Parker's Wine Advocate (their second highest score ever awarded to an American Albarino).
Many Albariños are made to be light, crisp, and aromatic, and are produced in stainless steel tanks. We aimed for something a bit different, so we barrel-fermented nearly all the wine in neutral French oak and stainless steel barrels, and aged it on its lees for approximately nine months to develop additional complexity and richness. We also added six percent that had been skin-fermented (much as a red wine would be produced) and two percent that had fermented via carbonic maceration (another red wine technique). The result is a wine that maintains the vibrant and aromatic character for which Albariño is known, but adds in a bit more structure and mouthfeel, plus some savory notes from the skin-fermented and carbonic macerated components. 92 Points – Purely Domestic Wine Report
Many Albariños are made to be light, crisp, and aromatic, and are produced in stainless steel tanks. We aimed for something a bit different, so we barrel-fermented nearly all the wine in neutral French oak and stainless steel barrels, and aged it on its lees for approximately nine months to develop additional complexity and richness. We also added six percent that had been skin-fermented (much as a red wine would be produced). The result is a wine that maintains the vibrant and aromatic character for which Albariño is known, but adds in a bit more structure and mouthfeel, plus some savory notes from the skin-fermented component. 90 Points – Jeb Dunnuck
Many Albariños are made to be light, crisp, and aromatic, and are produced in stainless steel tanks. We aimed for something a bit different, so we barrel-fermented nearly all the wine in neutral French oak and stainless steel barrels, and aged it on its lees for eight months to develop additional complexity and richness. We also added four percent that had been skin-fermented (much as a red wine would be produced). The result is a wine that maintains the vibrant and aromatic character for which Albariño is known, but adds in a bit more structure and mouthfeel, plus some savory notes from the skin-fermented component. 90 Points - Wine Enthusiast; 90 Points - Wine Spectator (their highest score ever for an American Albariño)
Barrel Distortion is a term associated with camera lens design, but it also works for this wine. Most Albariños are made to be light, crisp, and aromatic, and are typically produced in large stainless steel tanks. We aimed for something a bit different, so we fermented and aged nearly all the wine in neutral oak and stainless steel barrels, and left it on its lees for about eight months. We also added in four percent that had been fermented on its skins (much as a red wine would be produced). The result is a wine that maintains the crisp, vibrant and aromatic character for which Albariño is known, but adds in a bit more structure and mouthfeel, plus some interesting notes from the skin-fermented component. 92 Points - The Wine Write; 91 Points - Wine Enthusiast
