WTN: 2008 Terrai Macabeo

[Jenise]

From Spain, appellation Carinena, comes this 100% Macabeo. Macabeo is also known as Alcañol, Alcañón, Blanca de Daroca, Charas Blanc, Forcalla, Gredelín, Lardot, Maccabeo, Perpignan, Queue de Renard, Rossan, and Viuna or Viura (in the Rioja region). It is most widely grown in Rioja and the Cava producing regions of Barcelona where it appears in Cava blends, and also in the Languedoc region of France.

This wine is wonderful: the nose is both floral and fragrant, on the palate there's white melon like galia or cassaba along with kiwi fruit, pears and green tea. The wine's mildly but sufficiently acidic and both balanced and refreshing at just 13 % alcohol. It's summer in a bottle. Cost was around $8; it's a definite buy-again.