Martin Codax Albarino

Grape: Albarino

Region: Rias Baixas, northwestern Spain

Vintage: 2006

Price: $11.99

In the glass: Martin Codax Albarino is a bright, fine citrine-yellow color with a star-bright core going out into a faint yellow to glass-clear rim definition and medium-high viscosity.

On the nose: The aromatics of this wine are like nothing else in the world of white wines. It is intense and pungent with crushed Japanese gooseberries, also known as physalis, then pear sparkler, apple cider, pomelo fruit segments, water chestnuts, Key lime pie made with kaffir limes, tangerine rind and oodles of fresh minerality.

On the palate: This explosively delicious white wine coats the palate with a plethora of interesting white fruit characteristics, including, but not limited to citrus rind, lemon drops, Granny Smith apples, white peach skins, apricot jam, honeysuckle and zesty minerals. The flavor comes through because the wine has no oak to interfere with the pure fruit and delineation in the bottle.

Odds and ends: Albarino is the most expensive grape varietal in Spain and is considered quite noble there. This is a sensational white wine that could turn a red wine drinker onto whites. Martin Codax Albarino is much better, crisper and fresher than 99 percent of all white wines in the market. It is perfect for a late summer party or dinner. Try it by the glass or with spicy Thai food or grilled halibut. It should drink well through 2010.

Gil Lempert-Schwarz’s wine column appears Wednesdays. Write him at P.O. Box 50749, Henderson, NV 89016-0749, or e-mail him at gil@winevegas.com.