Orixe Sotelo 'Cósmico' Albariño, St. Helena, Napa Valley, California 2025
Orixe Sotelo is one of only a handful of California wineries dedicated exclusively to Spanish grape varieties — "orixe" means origin in Galician. Gustavo Sotelo traced his family's roots back through Mexico to Spain's northwestern province of Galicia, and built the label as a blend of that heritage with his California winemaking career (trained across California, Bordeaux, and Burgundy). He and his wife Jackie run the operation from Sonoma, working with vineyards across the state and pushing growers toward Spanish varieties beyond the usual Albariño and Tempranillo. Every vintage of Cósmico follows a single question — where is Albariño expressing itself best that year — with the wine made from whatever site answers it.
- Winemaker: Gustavo Sotelo
- Farming: Certified Organic
- Variety: 100% Albariño
- Terroir: Solares Vineyard, St. Helena, on the eastern floor of Napa Valley — one of the valley's warmest AVAs; well-drained gravelly, fine sandy loam formed from mixed alluvial sediments, 250 feet elevation; a small block of Albariño planted in 2011 amid vines otherwise dominated by red varieties; hand-harvested August 25, 2025.
- Vinification: Hand-harvested and lightly foot-trodden; three hours of skin maceration before pressing; native fermentation in a 500L puncheon; malolactic fermentation arrested; filtered before bottling.
- Aging: Eight months in puncheon.
- Tasting Notes: This is serious Albariño. Textured and dense, with incredible floral lift and a wave of energy on the palate. Citrus blossom and white peach lead the aromatics, framed by a bright thread of grapefruit zest. The wine is bone dry, yet a subtle stone fruit richness lingers on the palate, adding a roundness that keeps it from feeling lean.
- Food Pairings: Octopus a la plancha, fresh oysters, creamy malai chicken, or a spicy Thai red curry with vegetables — this wine offers refreshment but also considerable power for a white, so don't be shy.
Orixe Sotelo 'Cósmico' Albariño, St. Helena, Napa Valley, California 2025
Orixe Sotelo is one of only a handful of California wineries dedicated exclusively to Spanish grape varieties — "orixe" means origin in Galician. Gustavo Sotelo traced his family's roots back through Mexico to Spain's northwestern province of Galicia, and built the label as a blend of that heritage with his California winemaking career (trained across California, Bordeaux, and Burgundy). He and his wife Jackie run the operation from Sonoma, working with vineyards across the state and pushing growers toward Spanish varieties beyond the usual Albariño and Tempranillo. Every vintage of Cósmico follows a single question — where is Albariño expressing itself best that year — with the wine made from whatever site answers it.
- Winemaker: Gustavo Sotelo
- Farming: Certified Organic
- Variety: 100% Albariño
- Terroir: Solares Vineyard, St. Helena, on the eastern floor of Napa Valley — one of the valley's warmest AVAs; well-drained gravelly, fine sandy loam formed from mixed alluvial sediments, 250 feet elevation; a small block of Albariño planted in 2011 amid vines otherwise dominated by red varieties; hand-harvested August 25, 2025.
- Vinification: Hand-harvested and lightly foot-trodden; three hours of skin maceration before pressing; native fermentation in a 500L puncheon; malolactic fermentation arrested; filtered before bottling.
- Aging: Eight months in puncheon.
- Tasting Notes: This is serious Albariño. Textured and dense, with incredible floral lift and a wave of energy on the palate. Citrus blossom and white peach lead the aromatics, framed by a bright thread of grapefruit zest. The wine is bone dry, yet a subtle stone fruit richness lingers on the palate, adding a roundness that keeps it from feeling lean.
- Food Pairings: Octopus a la plancha, fresh oysters, creamy malai chicken, or a spicy Thai red curry with vegetables — this wine offers refreshment but also considerable power for a white, so don't be shy.