Parker zu 2020 om:
Camino del Pilar Albillo
They are definitely going to pursue flor-aged whites and are building a specific room for them in the new winery in Villanueva de Ávila. Proof of it is the 2020 Camino del Pilar Crianza Biológica, from Albillo Real grapes from Cadalso de los Vidrios and still unnamed when I tasted the initial vintage in 2018 (it was presented in a bota). The juice from the very precise operation was put to ferment in stainless steel, then transferred to a 1,000-liter Sherry tonneau and a 600-liter Manzanilla cask, where it spent one year and developed a thin veil of flor à la Jura. After that it, it was transferred to 54-liter demijohns, where the veil continues but with less space than in the casks, for one more year. As I saw with the white Tamboril, there's freshness and precision here, subtle smokiness, spiciness and nuttiness, more in the style of the Jura wines than the ones from Jerez. It's a completely different expression of Albillo, tastier and saltier, which helps the wine to overcome the variety's lack of acidity and narrow the mouthfeel, giving it a chalkiness in the finish but not heavy on the veil. This is quite unique. There are 2,000 half-liter bottles of this. It was bottled in March 2022.
