We got this bottle during Singapore's Circuit Breaker last year (2020) as part of a "Stay-At-Home Wine Box" but it must have gone in and out of our wine fridge countless times as none of our friends at the dinners and gatherings we brought this bottle to (after Circuit Breaker) were intrigued enough to check out its content. Too many fine wines or too many snobs? LOL!
Anyway, we popped this "Mas del Gaio" 2018 from Catalunya last evening since it was a Flower Day and the wine showed a lovely, albeit cloudy, light golden yellow colour. Immediately floral and perfumed upon opening with lots of stone fruits, apricot skin and light citrus aromas. Macerated peaches, ripe citrus, guava skins, and some natural funky notes on the palate with a barely detectable touch of effervescence that made this quite a juicy, easy-going and glouglou wine on a warm day. It also reminded us a little of the 2018 Matassa Blanc we drank recently, just a few amber/ orange shades lighter, much less tannic and perhaps not as intense a wine. Nonetheless, this is possibly a much better pairing for the steamed chicken (marinated with ginger, soy sauce, dry sherry) & waxed Chinese sausages (lap cheong) we had, and will likely work well with thinly sliced Jamón Serrano and savoury Breton galettes, preferably filled with ham, comté, leeks and egg.
A blend of three popular Spanish varieties: Garnacha blanca (25%) and Macabeu (25%) were fermented together naturally while the remaining 50% Parellada was harvested some 10 days later and fermented separately. The wines were then combined, blended and transferred into large amphoras and used old barrels for aging until they are ready for bottling. A lighter style of skin-contact white which will be a good introduction for those who have never tasted an orange/ amber wine before, especially those made in Georgia.
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