Ramon Bilbao’s 2007 Albarino Mar de Frades went through malolactic fermentation. Light gold-colored, it is very expressive with its floral notes bordering on the tropical side of the spectrum. Smooth-textured, elegant, intensely flavored, and balanced, this is a superb example of Albarino to drink over the next 1-2 years with shellfish or light seafood. Bodegas Ramon Bilbao was founded by Ramon Bilbao Murga in 1924. Bilbao, in addition to his focus on Tempranillo, was one of Spain’s pioneers in the art of aging wine. In addition to the wines reviewed below, in 2007 Bilbao (no longer family-owned) introduced a line of value priced wines called “Volteo”. Several of those are noted in the Best Buy chart at the end of this report.Importer: Quintessential Wines, Napa, CA; www.quintessentialwines.com

So young and simple that one can only describe this as Albarino Nouveau. It’s a bouncy, almost spritzy confection with pineapple, green apple and other thin citrus flavors. There’s zero body to it, but it is fresh and snappy.——M.S.(4/1/2008)—— 83