2023 Albariño

The Nautilus team goes about their business quietly and competently, and that's reflected in the wines, which are always harmonious and understated. The Sauvignon Blancs are restrained, and in the past six years, the winery’s research backs up that thiols have generally been falling – that’s evident in the subtler flavors of 2023. The estate’s small parcel of Albariño remains one of the country’s better examples, with interesting texture as well as classic varietal aromatics. However, its experimentation with Grüner Veltliner has ended due to a lack of demand. The 2021 Chardonnay presents an evident yet integrated, rather attractive, flinty character. The 2022 Chardonnay is missing that flinty note and feels a little old school in comparison; apparently, customers didn’t like the reduction. The back label on the 2022 Sauvignon Blanc The Paper Nautilus says the wine is only made in exceptional years. It makes me wonder why the wine was made in 2022, as it was an exceptionally bad vintage, and the wine isn’t up to its usual standards.