Ian Brand & Family make wines from remote, challenging vineyards in the Monterey area and beyond. La Marea (‘the tide”) is their project featuring Spanish varieties. The Kristy Vineyard is located near Monterey Bay, which, like the Atlantic Ocean next to Galicia, moderates temperature and maintains acidity in the grapes. The wine macerates for two days with the skins and ferments in temperature-controlled stainless steel tanks to preserve minerality and freshness. It smells and tastes like albarinõ (which is not always the case with California albariõ): granite stoniness, a kiss of fruit, and a whiff of floral. This is lean, refreshing, and 13% alcohol; perfect for these warm early July days. Drink it with mollusks and crustaceans, or pimientos de padrón.
