The Afelio from Manuel Modes has been our favorite Albarino for five years running, and today, we have the new release from the '23 vintage. This Albarino is from Galicia, Spain, one of the world's most challenging growing regions, with lots of rain and humidity, making it a real challenge for those working the vines. For this reason, Manuel Moldes is a fanatic in the vineyard and equally as focused in the cellar, giving it his all to produce one of the greatest expressions of Alberino. The vines here, which are 50 years old, grow uniquely, and much like in Carema, Italy, these are trellised on 8-foot tall pergolas at 200 to 400 feet of elevation. The Moldes vineyards are quite ancient sites that have been used for hundreds of years to grow grapes and feature prized granite soils that make Albarino sing. The vines are tended sustainably, with grapes fermenting in small stainless steel vats and old French oak blended together after a brief aging period. The result is a fantastic, world-class Alberino that we always put at the top of our list. The '23 once again has incredible aromatics of lime blossom, stonefruits, yellow fruits, herbs, and liquid minerals, all wrapped up with an impeccable balance, depth, and tons of dry extract. These wines are delicious and have become some of our favorite old-world white wines because of the quality they jam-packed at this pricing, and this new release is no different. Highly recommended!