2025 La Marea by Ian Brand, Albariño, Kristy Vineyard, Monterey County.
I got a little sneak peek of the 2025 La Marea Albariño and it’s definitely a winner with an ultra pale hue, fine aromatics with white blossoms and lime starting things out, along with a subtle tropical passionfruit note and a racy and exciting citrusy palate that also gives white peach and green apple. This crisp lighter framed white, inspired by the classics in Spain’s Rias Baixas region and in particular the brilliant coastal Salines efforts, and it is again a savvy buy for the quality and its sublime sea food pairing capabilities and zesty charm. With air, this steely new La Marea Kristy Vineyard adds orange flower bouquet, sea shore and lingers with mouth watering acidity, making it tasty with grilled fish tacos and or oysters on the half shell. This vintage saw a bit more skin maceration and partial concrete vat lees aging which has brought out a bunch of personality and an extra degree of depth and it is one of my favorite to date from Ian Brand, who has led the way with Albariño in Monterey County. Ian’s wines are always transparent and wonderfully fresh, allowing the region’s terroir to shine through and with some tweaking in the cellar he looks to elevate his game, and this wine is a sure sign that is truly the case. Thanks to Parker Fisher of Ian Brand’s I. Brand & Family Winery for the early chance to check out a local favorite and I look forward to its release soon.
Winemaker Ian Brand, as I mentioned in prior reviews, who is mostly known for his reds, like Grenache and Cabernet Franc, told me recently that he’s getting really excited with the white wine grapes in the greater Monterey region and his latest set of wines reflects that, with his Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnays, this Albariño, Melon de Bourgogne, the rare Arneis and Ian’s new Verdelho, all being distinctive, thrilling and delicious! There’s quite an exciting set of white grapes growing in the Monterey region, many from Spain and Portugal, as well as Mediterranean varietals, like Vermentino and Malvasia, which have become very popular, along with a lots of white Rhône grapes, including fun rarities like Picpoul and Clairette. So there’s plenty to explore here in this large and diverse Coastal region. The Albariño continues to set standards here and this 2025 looks set to win over even the most loyal Spanish fans to this California version and I look forward to the rest of the I. Brand & Family and La Marea lineups for this vintage. Typically this white wine, coming from a mix of loam and alluvial soils, sees a stainless steel fermentation and an ultra short lees aging in neural barrel, but as noted, it got an extra period on the skins, along with the cement, and was bottled quickly to preserve purity and freshness, as can be seen here perfectly. I highly recommend, still grabbing Ian’s reds, especially the Grenache, Cab Franc and Mourvèdre, but be sure not to miss out on the fabulous collection of whites.
($28 Est.) 93 Points, grapelive