2011 Luis A. Rodriguez Vazquez, Vina de Martin, Escolma, Ribeiro Blanco, Spain.
Luis Rodriguez’s gorgeous Escola Blanco from Galicia’s Ribeiro DO is one of the great white wines of the world and it was a pleasure to meet him and drink this beauty from magnum with his importer Jose Pastor last October. Grown on sand and granite, the Vina de Martin Escolma is a selection of the best and oldest vines, these are somewhere close to 40 years old and this bottling only happens in the best vintages, it is made from native varietals and is a field blend. The Grapes in the mix include mainly of Treixadura, but usually has some Albarino, Torrontes and the very rare Lado, this combination along with gentile winemaking produce one of Spain’s glorious treasures, a wine that rivals the best from Burgundy, in fact it tastes most similar to Corton-Charlemagne or Batard-Montrachet in certain years! The 2011 Vina de Martin Escolma is exotic and plush, the warm vintage brought out a wildly hedonistic nature in this Atlantic influenced cool climate white, it shows deep layers, mineral intensity and stunning length with citrus, apple, melon and stone fruits all vying for attention. The nose is a mix of white flowers, yellow fruit, sea salts and hints at shea cream/butter leading to a dense palate of peach, summer melon, green apple, lemon and bruised pear along with flinty mineral, ocean brine, hazelnut, farm cream and tropical sorbet. Luis uses native yeasts and temperature control in his tiny old world cellar to preserve fresh details and terroir, the wines are aged on the lees and they almost never exceed 13% in natural alcohols, he is careful to use quality oak in different sizes with just a little new wood when the vintage needs it, such as the case with this Escolma. Treixadura is Rodriguez’s hands is one of the great grapes that you’ve maybe never heard of, and his wines are masterpieces, drink this glorious and decedent white over the next 7 to 10 years, it is something amazing.
($60 Est.) 96 Points, grapelive
