2023 Artadi Valdegines Alava, Spain Taylor's Long finish is carried by

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

The wine is characterized by its richness and complexity

The 2018 is a bit lighter than some recent years

cherries and plum

and black tea compliment a balanced tannin structure

2023 Artadi Valdegines Alava, Spain Taylor's Long finish is carried byI 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