2017 Kenneth Volk Albarino

Buy 2017 Kenneth Volk Albarino at Elite Wine Society

About 2017 Kenneth Volk Albarino:

One of the fuller-bodied Albariños out there crafted by veteran winemaker Ken Volk.

Tasting Notes:

2017 Kenneth Volk Albarino is dense in cream, tangerine, Meyer lemon, hazelnut and spice flavors. It’s a complex wine that changes in interesting ways as it warms up in the glass.

Growing and Winemaking Notes:

Although it is a small estate vineyard, the majority of the fruit is purchased from the exceptional growers with whom the winery works. In most cases, they participate directly in the management of the fruit they’re buying, as it grows. The maker can create complex flavors in the fruit by using different techniques even within a single vineyard block.

Rootstock selection, vine density, trellis design, irrigation, shoot density, canopy management so many factors are at play before the fruit is even harvested. But each of these factors and how they intertwine play an important role in the finished wine.

The winemaker creates great wines by manipulating the potential chemistry of the growing fruit.

Instead of seeking whatever is currently considered the best in choosing grape clone, rootstock and trellising system. At Kenneth Volk Vineyard, their goal is to create multifaceted wines. So instead of farming everything alike, they combine many of the best practices, materials and vines available. The differences produce different flavors that blend to create a spectacular, multidimensional wine.

For instance, during harvest they can make a more interesting wine by picking fruit from the same vineyard on multiple harvest dates. This allows to pick fruit at different maturity levels that will have diverse flavors. The first time, they might pick for low pH and higher TA and fresh fruit aromatics. Then they’d come back a week or more later and pick for physiological and ripeness and mature flavors.

Just as a rich stew or curry creates a more vivid culinary experience when it includes a complex combination of ingredients that harmonize, the winemaker seeks to bring together complementary flavors for a richer wine experience. But in their case, the cooking starts right in the vineyard, by varying our viticultural practices.

About The Winery:

Proprietor Ken Volk has been making Santa Barbara and Central Coast wines for more than a quarter century. Perhaps best known as the founder of Wild Horse Winery, Ken has earned a reputation for crafting world-class wines, particularly Pinot Noir and Chardonnay from the Santa Maria Valley.

Ken’s unparalleled knowledge and skill have garnered him immediate recognition for producing luxury wines of exceptional character with his new brand, Kenneth Volk Vineyards, located in Santa Maria Valley.

In many ways, Ken’s landing in Santa Maria is sort of a full circle journey. He made home wines from the nearby Rancho Sisquoc Vineyard in the 1970’s, and his first professional wine under the Wild Horse label was a 1983 Pinot Noir from the nearby Sierra Madre Vineyard. Rodolfo Callado, of Mesa Vineyard Management, who oversees the management of Kenneth Volk’s small estate vineyard, was Ken’s first employee at Wild Horse.

Some Notable Accolades:

• 1990 – Winemaker of the Year, Wine & Spirits Magazine
• 1990 – Winemaker of the Year, Central Coast Wine Classic
• 1998 – 1st San Luis Obispo County Winemaker of the Year, CA Mid-State Fair
• 1998 – Outstanding Citizen Award, Central Coast Salmon Enhancement
• 1999 – Agriculturalist of the Year, Cal Poly State University
• 2001 – Wine Industry Person of the Year, Paso Robles Vintners and Growers Association