La Marea 'Kristy' Albarino 2024

Profile & Story

La Marea is Ian Brand's Spanish-inspired label within I. Brand & Family Wines, a small winery focused on single-vineyard Spanish varietals grown in Monterey and San Benito counties -- climates Brand considers among California's best suited to grapes like Albarino, Grenache, and Mourvedre. The Kristy Vineyard sits on the western bench above the Salinas River, on the broken sediment of an ancient seabed, fully exposed to winds off Monterey Bay; the site's high-limestone soils and cool maritime exposure let the Albarino reach full phenolic ripeness at low potential alcohol with naturally bright acidity. Two-thirds of the fruit is whole-cluster pressed and one-third is crushed and left on the skins for two days; fermentation begins with a pied de cuvee harvested in the Kristy rows and finishes cold in stainless steel to preserve minerality and aromatics, with the wine aged on lees for four months.