2023 Artadi Valdegines Alava, Spain Taylor's The 2018 is a bit

The 2018 is a bit lighter than some recent years

A very sleek palate follows with edgy

This blend is designed for immediate enjoyment

Long finish is carried by a buried graphite note and hint of smoldering earth

2023 Artadi Valdegines Alava, Spain Taylor's The 2018 is a bitI tasted an unbottled sample of the 2023 Valdegins from vines planted between 1982 and 1989, part on a slope on soft sandstone and part in a terrace with deeper and cooler soils. Malolactic and aging were in 600 liter barrels, and the wine spent the second winter in oak foudres. This is a textbook example of the 2023s here, with a riper nose but a finer boned palate and lower alcohol than in 2022 and with the elegance and minerality of Laguardia. 97