Electric white grapefruit, oyster brine, tart nectarine. Citrus zest, French baguette, underripe pear. Strikingly intense and nervy beams of lemon juice, green apple, and passion fruit lead an expressive and immensely invigorating attack brimming with spunky evervescence that tickles the palate with incredible crispness and crunch. Notes of crushed rock, chalk, and sea spray playfully reveal deliciously saline mineral undertones that cut straight through mild floral impressions of wildflowers and daisies. Hints of brioche and yeast gently expose riveting autolytic depth as faint suggestions of salted cucumber and sage provide just a pinch of clean herbal charm. Astoundingly tart, vibrant, and edgy throughout while maintaining admirable complexity and breadth; exhibiting a bone dry and classically styled presentation dripping with characterful old world-esque earthiness. Medium-minus in body with pronounced laser-like acidity. This 2017 "Ode to Pearls" Sparkling Albariño by Cadres Wines is an impressively precise and energetic bubbly from the Edna Valley.

While it is most often crafted into still white wines both in the USA and in its homeland of Spain, Albariño is well known for its natural high acidity and salty mineral charms which both lend themselves perfectly to the production of high end sparkling wine. This bottling, crafted by Cadre Wines using Albariño sourced from the Paragon Vineyard in San Luis Obispo's Edna Valley, is an incredible example of the natural propensity for this variety to make beautifully tense and exciting bubbly. This traditional method wine saw over 2 years on its lees and possesses wonderful bready and yeasty qualities to compliment its driving citrus-led fruit profile and decidedly saline minerality. At 5 years of age and nearly 2 years from its disgorgement date this is currently within its ideal drinking window, yet will surely continue to hold well for a number of years to come. Wow.