2020 Now finished: ALBARINO, Reserve, Garzon. Maldonado, Uruguay.

Uruguay, just north of Argentina, is gaining a superb reputation for its predominant grape variety Tannat, somehow taming the austere tannins that tend to dominate in its ‘home’ region of Madiran in S.W. France.
Now winemakers are branching out to see what else works, and Albarino, from coastal north west Spain, was an intellingent choice when your vineyards are only 11km from the Atlantic.

100% Albarino, fermented cool and kept on lees in concrete tank for 4 months before bottling.

From their UK agents, Liberty Wines:
“Bodega Garzón is a family owned winery in Maldonado on the Atlantic coast in southern Uruguay. They pioneered viticulture in this area over 10 years ago, and have since become the standard-bearer for premium wines from Uruguay. In November 2018, their pioneering status was recognised by Wine Enthusiast with the ‘New World Winery of the Year’ award. The vineyards at Bodega Garzón are a patchwork quilt of 1,150 individual plots of around 0.2 hectares in size, each plot carefully chosen for a specific variety according to its soil and microclimate. The winery is specially designed to operate as sustainably as possible, and is the first winery outside North America to pursue LEED certification (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design). Built on natural terraces, the winery uses cutting-edge technology and operates using a gravity system to ensure quality and energy efficiency at every stage of production.”

Lovely balance of richness (a touch more than you would find in Galicia) and pristine freshness. Fine wine by any standards.