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Item Number: 7040
UPC: 0810411013441
Country: Spain
Region: Galicia
Appellation/AVA: Rias Baixas DO
Vintage: 2011
Grape(s): 100% Albariño
Type: Wine - White
Bottle Size: 750ml Pack: 3
Closure: Cork
Alc by Vol(%): 13.5
Soil Type: Sand atop solid granite
Case Production: 100
About the Wine: Sketch by Raúl is a single barrel production wine coming from a vineyard planted in 1972. Sketch is the wine that best explains the genius of Raúl Pérez. It is also the wine that put him on the map. Sketch is the wine he ages under the water on the Aurosa estuary! The lack of oxygen, the greater amount of pressure at 60 feet below sea level and the low temperatures affect the aging of the wine in a unique way, making it taste unlike any other wine. Sketch is the name of a restaurant in London where Raul used to hangout with his former girlfriend.
Sketch Winemaking Notes: The must is macerated for 24 hours in a stainless steel tank. Fermentation and post fermentation maceration is carried out in 750-liter French oak barrels, that are seven years old, for 12 months. Because the grapes already contain near-ideal acidity, there's no malolactic fermentation. Raul aged both 2002 and 2003 vintages underwater. Today, some lots of Sketch are aged underwater on an experimental basis, but Raul is very selective with this process since a large percentage of one year's production was spoiled. This process has helped Raul understand how a lack of oxygen during elevage helps Albarino age well. Vineyard Information: The vineyards are located within the Rías Baixas DO region (Zone 1), in
the Val do Salnes subzone. Located in Spain's upper northwest corner,
Rías Baixas is just above the Portuguese border. Rías Baixas means 'low
estuaries,' a reference to the area's many rivers that lead to the
ocean. Sketch comes from a single vineyard that is located in the town
of Dena, 150 meters from the Atlantic ocean.
The vineyard's close proximity to the ocean adds an interesting saline
element to the wine. The vineyard's soil is composed of fine, powdery
sand atop solid granite bedrock, which imparts an identifiably
pronounced mineral character. This area's climatic conditions give this
wine a definite “Atlantic” character.
Sketch Tasting Notes: This wine's immense structure requires some time open or in a decanter
before it unwinds. This remarkable Albariño has high-pitched aromas of
lemon and talc with an unmistakable saline note. Similar to the aromas,
the wine's flavors are incredibly packed and concentrated on the palate,
with huge, squeaky-clean flavors of minerals, citrus, and fresh stone
fruits and their skins. In character and palate presence, this easily
recalls a Montrachet, Batard Montrachet or fine Chablis from Raveneau or
Dauvissat. The wine shows intense power with depth and finesse. Pair
this with simply prepared cockles, shrimp, razor clams, oysters or a
nicely seared piece of yellowfin tuna.
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