Wine Chronicle: Albariño Emerges as Napa's Next White Wine Contender
By Dan Berger
Pickett Fire Update: 29% Contained at 6,803 Acres as Crews Hold Lines, Humidity Improves
Update as of 7:53 p.m., Aug. 27: The Pickett Fire east of Calistoga remained at 6,803 acres and is now 29% contained, according to Cal Fire. Cooler overnight temperatures and a returning marine layer improved humidity at lower elevations, aiding firefighting efforts. Crews focused on strengthening control lines and mopping up remaining hot spots, with the fire expected to remain within its current footprint.
Evacuations: Orders and warnings are still in place.
Road closures: Aetna Springs Road remained closed, while Pickett, James Creek and Rosedale roads are open to residents only.
Resources: 2,785 personnel, 251 engines, 62 dozers, 11 helicopters and multiple air tankers remain assigned to the incident.
Damage assessment teams are working to identify any structures affected by the fire.
Drones remain prohibited in the fire area, as they can ground firefighting aircraft.
More Pickett Fire Information Sources:
Correction (Aug. 28, 2025): The original version omitted the list of grape varieties referenced after the paragraph beginning “One reason for this is that many wineries are investigating…”. The list was added at 5 p.m. PDT Aug. 28, 2025.
Albariño Emerges as Napa's Next White Wine Contender
Article Thumbnail: As Napa Valley winemakers look beyond chardonnay and sauvignon blanc, a once-overlooked Iberian grape is gaining quiet traction. Albariño, known for its aromatic complexity and food-friendly freshness, is now being produced with finesse in California vineyards. Berger explores the variety’s potential, its origins in Spain and Portugal, and how Napa’s cool-climate pockets are bringing it to life. A recent tasting suggests this crisp white could be a new favorite among both vintners and consumers.
NAPA VALLEY, Calif. —With all the excitement that two dozen Napa Valley wineries are showing for the reemergence of dry chenin blanc recently and with sauvignon blanc gaining amazing traction with Napa producers and with chardonnay retaining preeminence, the valley’s unchallenged champion grape, cabernet sauvignon, has recently acquired several upstart challengers.
The curious thing is that they all happen to be white wines – and wines that actually don’t require aging in barrels and may well be of debatable quality if they are so treated.
It’s a curious phenomenon that at a time when global climate change seems to be forcing grape-growers toward seeking cooler climates that typically are associated with white wines, exactly the opposite is happening. White wines have become Napa’s most recent secret wines of excellence.
Those grape-growers who are doing yeoman work to create this phenomenon may be struggling a bit for international recognition. But I believe it is right around the corner, just as soon as there are sufficient plantings for these remarkable new white wines to become more widely available.
But anyone who is paying strict attention must be excited about the immediate future of great white wines coming out of Napa. That includes riesling(!), vermentino, semillon, the aforementioned chenin blanc and pinot blanc This trend may not last more than a decade as temperatures continue to increase, but as wineries discover new and more creative methods for growing grapes in a warmer climate, it may extend beyond that.
One reason for this is that many wineries are investigating grape varieties that have opportunities here that few people considered until the threat of searing heat forced them to seek alternative grapes that had proven successful elsewhere in the world where temperatures were often warmer. (Below is a list of the grape varieties that are already being tested for viability at some places in California.)
Albariño
Falanghina
Arneis
Blaufrankisch
Teroldego
Nero d’Avola
Ribolla Gialla
Sagrantino
Aglianico
Grechetto
Pecorino
Verdicchio
Verduzzo
Fiano
Cortese
Friulano
Picpoul
Grignolino
Tribidrag
Muskateller
Silvaner/Sylvaner
Furmint
Xarel-lo
Verdejo
Viura
Monastrell
Mencia
Zweigelt
Touriga
Aleatico
One of the most natural places to look for alternative grape varieties was Iberia. Less well-known than other wine-growing regions of Europe, Spain and Portugal are in Mediterranean climate zones, unlike the typically blotchy central-Europe continental climates of most of France. California’s Mediterranean-like climate is similar to that of the Iberian Peninsula. Both regions are near several large bodies of water, all of which provide cooling.
Challenge your vocabulary with this week’s mystery word. Submit your answer in the poll, and check the bottom of the page for the correct answer.
Perhaps the white-wine grape with the most popularity — and one that is widely grown in Iberia — is albariño. It is the primary white grape of Galicia in southwest Spain, near the Atlantic Ocean. And just south of Spain’s southern border, Portugal also produces wines from the same grape that it calls alvarinho.
Now, without much fanfare, Napa Valley and other areas nearby have developed a tiny, almost imperceptible subculture for albariños, wines that have real character and that are made in a relatively dry style that appeals to consumers who are seeking new flavors and wines that work nicely with many kinds of foods, including exotic stuff.
This is a fascinating grape variety because it is seriously aromatic. And as such, it can deliver a little more pizzazz than you get in many other white-wine grapes.
Wikipedia says albariño’s botanical aroma can be similar to that of viognier (tropical), gewürztraminer (spicy) and petit manseng (stone-fruit redolent), suggesting apricot and peach. The gewürztraminer reference is most apt, but the aroma of most albariño wines I have had (roughly 50) tends to be only subtly perfumed. As such, some wine lovers say the grape’s wines are only “semi-aromatic.” Some versions are slightly sweet or noticeably off-dry.
Spain has been more successful selling albariño wines in the United States than has Portugal. But Portugal also has another superior delicate white wine that, interestingly, comes from the same cool Iberian region, vinho verde. Both wines benefit from cool Atlantic winds.
As a new variety for many Americans, albariño often is distinctive with strong citrus tones, not unlike viognier. (I describe it as smelling like a flower basket). It’s also a bit like gewürztraminer. (Think gardenia, carnation or vaguely muscat-y.) Or it can be like petit manseng. Most Spanish versions are sold here with the designation Rías Baixas, the district that was certified as a DO (Denominación de Origen) region in 1985.
Viticulturally, the variety is odd: It once was grown near the trunks of poplar trees, a tradition that continues in some places. Recent growing regimens call for high trellising and overcropping (allowing huge crops to grow). Harvest-time decisions determine which grapes to discard — those that clearly won’t reach 8.5% alcohol.
Grapevines must be on wires with large canopies to cover the 30 to 40 buds per shoot that is typical. The grape responds well to the heat and humidity of Spain and Portugal, which both are moderated by proximity to large bodies of water, including numerous large rivers such as the Ebro.
Twelve wine-lovers gathered two weeks ago to try 10 different albariños (four from Spain), all purchased locally. The general reaction by most of our tasters, none of whom had ever tasted an albarińo before, was that it was definitely a grape variety worth paying significant attention to.
In my opening remarks I said that there were benefits to albariño that exceeded those of some gewürztraminers because that grape has in its genetic makeup more color compounds that can produce wines with a slight bitterness (a risk of white-wine tannin). And to cover up that problem, most producers leave too much sugar in the wine. So many gewürzes tend to be one-dimensional. That limits its use to serving it with spicy foods or sipping it on a patio.
However, after my seminar on albariño, I went back to my computer and found a regular newsletter from the exceptional English wine analyst Tim Atkin, who has just concluded writing a complete report on the wines of Spain. In his newsletter was this:
“I’m increasingly convinced that my favourite grapes contain multitudes [of character] … They are adept at expressing a range of different styles, as well as reflecting their origins. Such grapes are invariably white, capable of producing dry, sweet, medium sweet, orange and sparkling styles.
“In Rías Baixas last week, I realised that Albariño deserves a place among my … top four, alongside Riesling, Chenin Blanc and Muscat.” (hello@timatkin.com)
At my tasting, the wines were served open (with sight of the labels), but I knew virtually nothing about any of them. I asked the 12 tasters, all of whom work in the wine industry, to vote for the top three wines.
The “winning” wine was 2022 Quinta Cruz albarińo from winemaker Jeff Emery’s small Santa Cruz County winery affiliated with Santa Cruz Mountain Vineyards. It has only 12.2% alcohol and has a lovely delicate fragrance, oriented more toward pairing with food. Sold out at the winery, Bottle Barn has it for $23.99.
The group’s very close second-place vote (by one vote) was a tie between two Napa Valley properties, 2024 Hendry and 2024 Mahoney. Both wines displayed gorgeous fruit, with the Hendry slightly drier and the Mahoney a little more textured.
The Mahoney albariño ($26), made by winemaker Ken Foster, comes from Francis Mahoney’s cool La Brisas Vineyard in Carneros That vineyard is cooled by breezes from San Pablo Bay. The Hendry wine ($28) comes from an estate vineyard west of the town of Napa. The family website states, “Morning fog and afternoon breezes from the San Pablo Bay moderate the climate, creating a transitional climate zone between the cooler Carneros region and the warmer northern reaches of the Napa Valley.”
Although I loved all three of those wines, my first-place vote went to 2023 Lola albarińo from a St. Helena (Zinfandel Lane) vineyard ($45) with cabernet sauvignon vineyards surrounding it. Brilliant wine stylist, founder and owner Seth Cripe designs all of his Lola wines as having lower alcohols, and this exciting product has only 11.5% alcohol.
From his website: “…whole-cluster pressed; unsettled juice is allowed a native cool fermentation in old neutral French oak barrels. The lees are stirred throughout its six-month élévage and the wine is racked once at bottling, unfined, and unfiltered. The finished wine is dry, fresh and crisp with a subtle weighted creaminess on the palate to balance out the racy acidity, complemented by aromas of pineapple, citrus, lemongrass, and green apple.”
This is a particularly fascinating wine because it elevates what otherwise might be seen as a relatively simple grape into something that clearly needs additional time in the bottle to expand on it. It has subtle but persistent tropical notes and is tremendously complex now but will be better in a year or two.
A little more oriented toward a continental-climate wine, the wine’s aromatics are more subtle than some of the other wines. If it is served cool, not too cold, it is one of the most complex albariños you’ll ever try.
(Although this wine is listed as being available only to club members, I suggest considering joining the club because Seth, based in Calistoga, makes numerous wines from different grape varieties.)
Two more California wines scored extremely well with everyone. They were Jose Reyes’ dramatically tropical 2024 Cru Albariño from Edna Valley and the 2023 Oak Farm Albariño, Estate Grown, from a cool area in Lodi. It was much richer and more complex than most of the other wines, but the higher alcohol (14%) bothered two of the tasters.
Still, despite the lower scores for the last two wines, almost everyone liked them. One of the tasters pointed out that this was much more exciting than the last chardonnay tasting he attended because the fruit component of these wines was evident. He pointed out that the wines, which were served quite cold initially, actually improved or changed slightly when they warmed up.
The Spanish wines: 2022 Bodegas Margon “Albarin”; 2023 Burgans Albariño, Rias Baixas; 2023 Ferreiro Albariño, Rias Baixas; 2023 Troupe Albariño, Rias Baixas.
Through tasting all of these wines that were initially served cold and watching them as they warmed up was an impressive experience. Every taster was impressed with the aromatics and beautiful structure of almost all of the wines, and everyone commented about the success of the Napa Valley products because they displayed so much personality and balance.
Some years ago, I read a comment by a chef that he believed that lobster and scallops, among other shellfish, really called for dry chardonnays, and he suggested mature Chablis. In the midst of my evaluation of albariño, I began imagining how good lobster and crab would be with a dry version of this particular variety.
—
Dan Berger has been writing about wine since 1975.
Wine Discovery:
2024 Aviatrix Albariño ($38, 201 cases) — This second vintage of albariño from Aviatrix is made by Heidi Barrett with her daughters Chelsea (co-winemaker) and Remi (sales and marketing). The Barretts — deeply rooted in Napa winemaking — bring a personal edge to the brand, shaped by Heidi’s aviation background and a shared spirit of exploration.
Sourced from an undisclosed vineyard in the Napa Valley and fermented in stainless steel, this 100% albariño opens with aromas of freeze-dried pineapple, barely ripe honeydew and a hint of sea salt, shifting toward grapefruit and feijoa as it warms. The palate is light-bodied yet structured, with notes of citrus peel, white strawberry and candied ginger, and a savory herbal edge reminiscent of bouquet garni. Zesty acidity and 13.9% alcohol keep the wine focused and clean.
Serve lightly chilled to allow the full range of aromatics to emerge. Pair with seafood risotto, grilled padrón or shishito peppers, salty feta–cucumber salad or fish tacos. — Tim Carl
Today’s Polls:
This Week's Word Challenge Reveal:
The correct answer is B: "Attracted to unfamiliar things."
Something described as "xenophilous" shows an affinity for the foreign or unfamiliar — a fitting term for regions such as Napa Valley where winemakers are embracing nontraditional grape varieties such as albariño. In viticulture and beyond, a xenophilous mindset often drives innovation, cultural exchange and deeper appreciation of global traditions.
The word derives from the Greek roots xenos (stranger or foreigner) and philos (loving). Though the noun "xenophile" dates back to the 1920s, the adjective xenophilous first appeared in print in 1984, according to the Oxford English Dictionary. It has been used in biology, sociology and cultural commentary to describe openness to outside influence — a trait increasingly shaping modern wine regions.
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Matt:
The list is being processed and will be posted very soon.
Yes, other areas of Spain are worth investigating, but Albariňo already grows well in Napa, so we decided to look at what is already here.
I buy one or two cases at a time. Once I find an unusual wine I want to buy the case.