Bodega Garzon

Single Vineyard Albarino

Uruguay, Maldonado

2024

Proving it's not only Rías Baixas in northwest Spain that can make world-class albariño is this vibrant expression from Bodega Garzón in Uruguay. Grown on hillside slopes close to the Atlantic Ocean, you can taste the terroir in the wine, which has a saline finish. Drink it with salt-baked sea bass.

Bodega Garzón, located in Maldonado near Uruguay's Atlantic coast, farms more than 1,000 small vineyard blocks planted on decomposed granite with excellent drainage and natural acidity retention. The estate, designed with sustainability in mind, employs precision viticulture: GPS mapping, wind‑channel analysis, and altitude variation are used to match varieties to micro‑sites.

Whole‑cluster pressing and cool stainless‑steel fermentation yield white wines with pronounced minerality and saline drive. Garzón's gravity‑flow winery allows gentle handling, preserving freshness and phenolic integrity. The wines' Atlantic influence – cool nights and breezy days – is central to their structure and longevity. Garzón's approach blends high‑tech vineyard analytics with a strong sustainability ethos, producing some of South America's most terroir‑distinctive wines.

Tasting
NOTES

Giving expressions from Rías Baixas a run for their money, this lively Uruguayan albariño begins with notes of apple, orange peel, candied lemon, quince and white tea. The palate echoes the nose, with flavours of lemon, grapefruit, ripe peach and citrus blossom coming through. The wine has a waxy texture, sea salt freshness and wet stone minerality to it. The acidity is high and there's a hint of bitterness on the finish that adds complexity.

Food
PAIRINGS

This sprightly albariño will sing with seafood. Try it with Dungeness crab in a miso bisque, salt-baked sea bass, or a simple Thai-style papaya salad.