Bushong "Spanish Castle Queen" 2024 Albarino, Edna Valley

The Bushong “Spanish Castle Queen” Albariño 2024 opens like a breath from the Pacific—pear blossom tempered with lime flesh, then a swell of saline stone that feels more coastal mist than mainland ripeness. There’s airiness, but also anchor—this isn’t Albariño with torched aromatics; it’s one that leans into chill and earth. 

On the palate, it doesn’t flutter—it stays upright. Fruit is vivid—green apple and Meyer lemon—then tapering off into crystalline threads of mineral and white pepper. The texture is vibrant, with lees-softened flesh carried forward by linear acidity. It finishes clean, not clenched, leaving the glass cool, not empty. 

Edna Valley is the spell that makes it happen. The AVA, tucked in San Luis Obispo County, unlocks Albariño’s saline signature through its clay-humus soils, ocean-born fog, and wind-whipped hillsides. It’s the kind of place that trades heat for nuance without losing depth. 

Winemaking leans out of the frame. Bushong embraces Albariño’s lean muscle—fermentation stays in stainless, aging rests on lees for five months, just enough to give breath without weight. You drink the vineyard, not the cellar. 

This isn’t wine that wants a standing ovation—it wants a long pause. Pour it beside ceviche, oysters with a squeeze of lime, or let it sit on its own as dusk grows blue. It lingers without imposing.

Bushong “Spanish Castle Queen” 2024 Albariño—fog from fruit, earth in every sip, and stillness in motion.