2023 Artadi Valdegines Alava, Spain Château Meyney black currants and a hint

black currants and a hint of oak in a fleshy

dark chocolate and currant leaves

to deliver a stunning Malbec that goes well beyond the variety

with mineral and floral tinges midpalate and suave

lending length and dimension

2023 Artadi Valdegines Alava, Spain Château Meyney black currants and a hintI 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