TN: Yet another Otto's report on those endless blind tastings

WINE TALK
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I guess the title says it all. Bunch of blind wines, no idea if there was going to be any theme (there wasn’t), most of them were pretty hard. But fun! And that’s the best part in these tastings.

Anyways, no big stories here - let’s just get down to business.

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Pale, still somewhat youthful yellow-green color. Wonderfully fragrant and expressive nose with seductive, matured aromas of lemon marmalade and saffron, some honeyed tones, a little bit of overripe golden apple, light sweet peachy notes, a perfumed hint of dried flowers and a touch of exotic spices. The wine feels medium-sweet and wonderfully balanced on the palate with somewhat evolved flavors of stony minerality, some lemon marmalade, light exotic notes of saffron, a little bit of acacia honey, a hint of crunchy red apple and a touch of fresh peachy fruit. The quite high acidity keeps the sweetness at bay and the wine light on its feet. The finish is somewhat restrained and a bit on the short side with light, off-dry flavors of lemon marmalade, some candied ginger, a little bit of saffron, light honeyed notes of a hint of stony minerality.

A pleasantly evolved and thoroughly enjoyable Spätlese. Although the wine is otherwise wonderfully expressive and precise, its finish feels surprisingly light and brief. Nevertheless, this is a delicious, classically styled Mosel Riesling with a nice dose of sweetness, great balancing acidity and just the right amount of ripeness in the fruit department. Although starting to show some signs of age, it feels like the wine is still quite far from its peak, so there’s no harm in letting the wine age some more. (90 pts.)

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  • 2006 St. Supéry Virtú Meritage - USA, California, Napa Valley (1.12.2021)
    A blend of Sauvignon Blanc (52%) and Sémillon (48%). 13,5% alcohol. Tasted blind.

Quite deep golden-yellow color. Concentrated, sweet-toned nose with moderately evolved nose with aromas of honey, chopped nuts and slivered almonds, beeswax, some pineapple, a little bit of pear marmalade, light creamy and buttery notes of oak, a hint of dried peach and a touch of wizened golden currants. The wine is evolved, concentrated and slightly oily on the palate with a moderately full body and complex, somewhat concentrated flavors of chopped nuts and tertiary spices like saffron and baking spices, some honeyed tones, a little bit of toasty caramel oak, light fruity notes of passion fruit and pineapple, a hint of browned butter and a touch of stony minerality. The relatively high acidity lends good sense of balance and structure to the palate. The finish is very long, complex and quite intense with layered flavors of honeyed richness, some toasty and nutty tones, a little bit of sweet pear marmalade, light evolved fruit notes of wizened peach, a hint of browned butter and a touch of stony minerality.

Just like the last time I had this wine (half a year ago), this was a superb, impressively complex and wonderfully evolved Napa white with remarkable depth of flavor and sense of balance and structure. I guessed aged Northern Rhône white and then older Bordeaux white, never thought of the new world. Impressive and immensely rewarding stuff, drinking magnificently now but will keep for a good number of years more. A bargain at 30€. (93 pts.)

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  • 2019 Giuseppe Rinaldi Rosae - Italy, Piedmont, Vino da Tavola (1.12.2021)
    100% Ruchè. Fermented spontaneously, bottled unfined and unfiltered. 13% alcohol. Double-decanted for 3 hours prior to tasting. Tasted blind.

Dark yet slightly translucent blackish-red with a youthful blueish hue. Fragrant, very youthful and subtly lifted nose with sweet and almost primary aromas of black cherries and blueberries, some candied notes of Bassett’s black wine gums, a little bit of licorice, light lifted notes of VA and a hint of ripe raspberry. The wine is dry and firm yet juicy on the palate with a medium body and bright and surprisingly acid-driven flavors of fresh blueberries and crunchy chokeberries, some licorice, a little bit of stony minerality, light funky notes of brett, a tart hint of lingonberry and a lifted, subtly acetic touch of VA. The bright acidity feels almost surprisingly, almost malic in quality, with light-to-medium tannins that feel sparse yet lend some perceptible grip and bitterness to the palate. The finish is dry, long and slightly grippy with bright flavors of crunchy crowberries and somewhat bitter chokeberries, a little bit of tart lingonberry, light brambly notes of black raspberries, a hint of licorice root and a faint acetic touch of VA.

Stylistically this wine was very similar to the bottle I tasted only a week ago, yet still I didn’t recognize it! Shaking my head. Anyways, letting the wine breathe for three hours had the obvious benefit of blowing off the reduction that was quite prominent in the previous bottle. However, I don’t know if it was the aeration or just bottle variation, but this wine had a bit more funky and slightly acetic character, whereas the previous bottle was completely clean without any sauvage qualities. All in all, it seems there’s either some bottle variation or then the wine changes quite noticeably with air, but the quality remains pretty consistent all the same. Despite its wild nature this time around, this nevertheless remains a very enjoyable and promising vintage of Rosae. It might be a bit too youthful and primary at the moment, but it holds good promise for future potential - I’d wait for another 8-10 years before opening another bottle. (92 pts.)

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  • 2019 Domaine Bruno Clavelier Bourgogne Champs D’Argent Vieilles Vignes - France, Burgundy, Bourgogne (1.12.2021)
    A Pinot Noir from tiny (0,2 ha) and old (average age 60 yo) parcel in the commune of Vosne-Romanée that is farmed biodynamically. The wine is fermented spontaneously in tronconical open-top vats, aged for 18 months in predominantly old Tronçais and Allier oak barrels. Bottled under neutral gas to minimize the use of SO2. 13% alcohol. Double-decanted for 3 hours prior to tasting. Tasted blind.

Youthful, luminous and moderately translucent ruby red color. Youthful, pure and wonderfully fragrant nose with aromas of brambly raspberries and fresh red plums, some wild strawberries, a little bit of blueberry, light floral notes of violets and a faint hint of earthy spice. The wine is clean, dry and crunchy with bright flavors of fresh cranberries and tart lingonberries, some licorice tones, a little bit of cherry-driven primary fruit, light gravelly mineral notes, a hint of sour cherry bitterness and a touch of perfumed floral character. Lovely high acidity with quite light and gently grippy, well-managed tannins. The finish is dry, gently grippy and somewhat acid-driven with pure flavors of crunchy cranberries and lingonberries, some stony mineral tones, a little bit of sour cherry bitterness, light brambly notes of raspberries and a faint hint of savory old wood.

A beautiful, clean and wonderfully crunchy Bourgogne Rouge with great sense of freshness, purity and precision. Still very youthful and primary - at times even slightly too much so - but shows just immense drinkability and depth of flavor. My first guess was Pinot Noir and the second was Burgundy, so I guess the wine shows good sense of place. Although drinking quite well right now, I’d let the wine settle down and grow up just for a few years more. Terrific stuff, expect the score to inch slowly up over the next handful of years. Solid value at approx. 25€. (91 pts.)

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  • 2007 Lenné Estate Pinot Noir - USA, Oregon, Willamette Valley, Yamhill-Carlton (1.12.2021)
    An Oregon Pinot Noir that is a blend of different clones (mainly Pommard planted in 2001 and 2003, but including some Dijon 115 and Dijon 777 planted in 2001, Dijon 114 planted in 2004 and Dijon 667 planted in 2004). Bottled unfined and unfiltered. 14% alcohol. Double-decanted for 3,5 hours prior to tasting. Tasted blind.

Somewhat evolved and moderately translucent dark maroon color. Sweetish, somewhat tertiary and rather meaty nose with aromas of meat stew and baked red fruits, some cherry tones, a little bit of tomato stalk, light smoked meat notes, a hint of earthy Pinosity, a touch of salty liquorice and a whiff of pine forest. Lots of things going on here. The wine is silky, ripe and quite evolved on the palate with a somewhat full body and slightly sweetish flavors of noticeably ripe raspberries and cranberries, some dark-toned notes of toasty oak spice, a little bit of wizened red fruit, light umami notes of tertiary meaty character, a hint of smoke and a touch of earthy Pinosity. The overall impression is on the soft side of things with its gentle acidity and fully resolved, modest tannins. The finish is long, evolved and savory with dark-toned and slightly tertiary flavors of meaty umami, some ripe dark cherry, light woody spice, a little bit of earthy Pinosity, a toasty hint of mocha oak and a smoky touch of speck. The high alcohol lends a subtle hint of warmth to the aftertaste.

A nice, enjoyably evolved and savory Pinot Noir with lots of developed meaty character. However, it seems obvious that the wine is quite ripe in style, as the acidity feels quite modest here, the fruit still retains a rather ripe and sweet overall character and the alcohol punches a bit through. It’s nice to see how well the wine has kept its cool over the years, but I can’t help thinking this would feel noticeably fresher, more precise and less clumsy if it wouldn’t be so soft and ripe. This is a nice and complex wine, but lacking the playful freshness I look for in a Pinot Noir. I doubt the wine is going to evolve much or at all from here, so time to drink up now or soon in the future. (88 pts.)

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  • 2009 Weingut Rosi Schuster Sankt Laurent Zagersdorf - Austria, Burgenland, Neusiedlersee (1.12.2021)
    100% organically farmed Sankt Laurent from the vineyards located in the town of Zagersdorf, right next to the Hungarian border. Fermented spontaneously in open-top fermentors and aged in oak. 12,5% alcohol. Double-decanted for 4 hours prior to tasting. Tasted blind.

Slightly translucent cherry red nose. Wonderfully rustic and funky nose with tons of merde and horse stables, some Rioja-like saddle leather, a little bit of ripe dark forest fruits, light volatile notes of nail polish, a hint of fresh blueberry and a touch of ripe red apple. The wine is ripe and silky yet fresh, cool and crunchy on the palate with good sense of firmness and density to its medium body. There are vibrant, slightly funky flavors of ripe black raspberries, some bretty notes of leather and barnyard, a little bit of sanguine meaty character, light gravelly mineral tones, an evolved hint of savory and earthy spices and a touch of Pinosity. The tannins seem ripe and fully resolved, contributing mainly to the firm yet silky texture, so the structure relies mostly on the high acidity. The finish is long, savory and somewhat funky with a complex aftertaste of bretty leather and stable floor, some ripe, red-fruited Pinosity, a little bit of brambly raspberry, light crunchy notes of tart cranberries a hint of earth and a lifted touch of nail polish.

A wonderful and positively rustic Sankt Laurent which might be 12 years old and from a solar year, yet doesn’t really show any signs of age or hot vintage! I’m afraid people who like their wines squeaky clean might find this wine just too rustic and funky with its unabashed bretty overall quality and a healthy dose of merde, but to me, this was a prime example of a wine where brett really doesn’t spoil anything, but instead adds complexity with its interplay with the ripe yet fresh and precise fruit. The overall style here reminded me a lot of a Pinot Noir - something that seems to be very common in Sankt Laurent wines - so when we were told that this wasn’t Pinot Noir after multiple Pinot Noir (especially Burgundy) guesses, I immediately went for Sankt Laurent. All in all, a terrific wine that is still surprisingly young for its age. Although terrific right now, I’m positive this will continue to improve for at least a handful of years and keep just fine for much longer. Highly recommended. (94 pts.)

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  • 2008 Château Prieuré-Lichine - France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Margaux (1.12.2021)
    The indicative blend here is Cabernet Sauvignon (50%), Merlot (45%) and Petit Verdot (5%). Aged for approximately 15 months in oak barriques (approx. 50% new). 13% alcohol. Double-decanted for 4,5 hours prior to tasting. Tasted blind.

Deep, somewhat evolved and rather opaque black cherry color. Classic, somewhat leafy Bordeaux nose with quite dry and savory aromas of dark-toned fruits and ripe blackcurrants, some woody pencil shaving tones, light herbaceous notes of bell pepper and currant leaves, a little bit of forest floor and a hint of chopped beet. The wine feels dry, firm and moderately dense on the palate with a medium body and quite intense flavors of ripe blackcurrants, some tobacco, a little bit of savory wood spice, light leafy green notes, a sweet, dark-toned hint of toasty mocha oak and a touch of forest floor. The wine shows good sense of balance with its high acidity and moderately ample yet ripe and well-managed tannins that pack good sense of firmness and grip without making the wine feel tough or aggressive. The finish is long, dry and somewhat grippy with savory flavors of ripe blackcurrants, tobacco, some leafy tones, a little bit of woody bitterness, light gravelly mineral tones, tart hints of fresh and crunchy dark berries and a sweeter touch of toasty mocha oak.

A nice and surprisingly classically styled Margaux that seems to be evolving in the right direction. Although the wine is a bit more dense and fruit-forward than a “proper claret” made in the classic pre-Parkerized style, the wine still has those textbook Bordeaux elements of underlying herbaceous greenness and fruit department that feels lean and dry, not sweet and supple - something that seems to be not uncommon with many 2008 Bordeaux wines. Although the wine still shows a bit more oak influence than I’d like it to, the overall style is very enjoyable and to my liking; most likely the woody tones will integrate with the vibrant and fresh fruit as the wine ages, although seeing how little evolution the wine shows at 13 years of age, I have no doubts it will continue to develop at a very slow pace. No hurries with this one. (93 pts.)

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  • 2008 Terra D’ Uro Toro Uro - Spain, Castilla y León, Toro (1.12.2021)
    Made with Tempranillo grapes sourced from the ungrafted centenarian Finca La Coscojosa vineyard. Fermented in old 5000-liter oak vats, then moved into new 500-liter French oak demi-muids, in which the wine is aged for 20 months. 14,5% alcohol. Double-decanted for 5 hours prior to tasting. Tasted blind.

Dense, fully opaque blackish-red color with an evolved maroon hue. Very sweetish, rather evolved and somewhat boozy nose with intense aromas of prunes and raisiny dark fruit, some toasty oak notes of chocolate and baking spices, a little bit of alcohol, light meaty sausage tones, a hint of sweet volatile lift, a touch of pipe tobacco and a whiff of tomato puree. The wine is very big, concentrated and chewy on the palate with a mouth-filling body and evolved flavors of raisins and prunes, some savory meaty tones, a little bit of very ripe blackcurrant, light mocha oak tones, sweet oaky hints of toasty wood spice and a hot touch of alcohol heat. The acidity feels moderately high for such a big wine, yet not high enough to keep the wine entirely in balance. Fortunately, the formidable, quite grippy tannins lend a good amount of firmness and structure to the wine so that it never comes across as soft or blowzy. The finish is rich and powerful with quite a bit of grippy tannins and long, sweetish flavors of raisiny dark fruit, evolved beef jerky tones, some earthy spice, a little bit of wizened blackcurrant, light toasty notes of mocha oak, a sweet hint of prune and a lifted touch of VA. The high alcohol lends some noticeable heat to the aftertaste.

Typical of a flagship Toro, this is a huge blockbuster of a wine. Stylistically this kind of super-rich, hot, oaky and mouth-filling bruiser isn’t really up my alley and I’m not entirely sure if the wine has really benefited from aging - although the wine doesn’t feel like it has become any more graceful than it must’ve been in its youth and I’m not sure if it has developed that much aged complexity, the fruit department has started to turn rather raisiny and the powerful oak is yet to integrate with the fruit. My first guess was Amarone based on its huge size, high alcohol and raisiny fruit and after that I guessed Ribera del Duero, based on the faint blackcurrant notes I tend to associate with blockbuster Tempranillos from Castilla y León. Well, at least the second guess wasn’t that far-fetched! All in all, not really my cup of tea and perhaps not going to improve much with age - even if the wine probably won’t fall apart anytime soon - but the fans of huge bruiser wines might find this much more enjoyable than I did (and that is not to say I didn’t like the wine!). (87 pts.)

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Moderately translucent and somewhat evolved cranberry red color with a developed pomegranate hue and a pale rim. Sweetish, somewhat evolved nose with aromas of cherry marmalade, some blueberry juice, a little bit of wizened dark plum, light sweet notes of soft strawberries, some earthy tertiary hints and a touch of savory spice. The wine is dry, clean and medium-bodied on the palate with quite intense flavors of tart lingonberries and sour cherry bitterness, some ferrous notes of blood, a little bit of wizened dark fruit, light umami notes of aged meaty character, a hint of ripe red red berries and a touch of savory earth. Pronounced, fresh acidity and very light, easy and well-behaved tannins. Lovely, velvety texture. The finish is dry, fresh and crunchy with long and rather acid-driven flavors of sour cherries and tart cranberries, some fresh dark forest fruits, a little bit of ferrous blood, light meaty umami notes, a sweet hint of wizened red fruits and a touch of earth.

A harmonious and thoroughly enjoyable Barbera with some bottle age. The wine has evolved into a supple and silky yet still fresh and precise Piedmontese red with a great combination of developed complexity and still relatively youthful, nuanced fruit. Although in a wonderful spot right now, I can see this wine keeping - if not improving - for many years more. A terrific, well-made Barbera. Highly recommended! (92 pts.)

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Very tertiary, somewhat translucent and slightly hazy reddish-brown color. Old, oxidative and rather tired nose with aromas of beef jerky and soy sauce, some dried dark fruits, a little bit of smoke, light spicy notes of oak and a hint of stewed rose hips. The wine is old, oxidative and slightly sweet-toned on the palate with a medium body and quite tired flavors of raisins, some soy sauce, light mocha oak tones, a little bit of old, dusty chocolate, a hint of tangy salinity and a sanguine touch of iron. The acidity feels high, but the tannins come across as nonexistent. The finish is tired and oxidative with medium-long flavors of salt-cured beef and soy sauce, some pruney dark fruit, a little bit of dried sour cherry, light smoky notes and a hint of toasty mocha oak.

Flat, oxidized and dead. It was completely impossible to guess what the wine was since the oxidative qualities had overwhelmed any and all sense of place and varietal character. NR (flawed)

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  • 1997 Poderi Aldo Conterno Barbera d’Alba - Italy, Piedmont, Alba, Barbera d’Alba (1.12.2021)
    13,5% alcohol. Double-decanted for 4 hours prior to tasting. Tasted blind alongside vintage 1998 of the same wine.

Moderately translucent and rather evolved pomegranate red color with a developed brick-red hue and a pale rim. Sweetish, aged and somewhat tertiary nose with aromas of wizened dark fruits, some ripe black cherry, light gamey notes, light ferrous notes of blood and a slightly oxidative hint of bouillon or meat stew. The wine is dry, crunchy and evolved on the palate with quite acid-driven flavors of sour cherries and cranberries, some tertiary notes of meat stew, light tart notes of crowberries, a hint of blueberry and a saline, oxidative touch of soy sauce. The wine retains great sense of structure and precision with its high acidity; the tannins, on the other hand, feel very light and lend only a subtly grippy touch to the gums. The finish is evolved, savory and gently grippy with quite long and somewhat tertiary flavors of salt-cured beef, some sour cherry bitterness, a little bit of tart cranberry, light ferrous notes of blood, a crunchy hint of crowberry and a touch of bouillon.

A nice but also moderately tertiary Barbera. Although the wine was obviously cut from the same cloth as the 1998 Barbera d’Alba, I didn’t recognize they were the same wine, because this 1997 was so much more evolved and tertiary in comparison, coming across as so different in overall character. This is a still balanced and enjoyable wine, but already slightly past its peak with its very mature, tertiary and already subtly oxidative nuances - although this wasn’t nearly as flat and oxidized as the Braida Bricco della Bigotta Barbera 1995 that was tasted at the same time! This is good and actually surprisingly rewarding stuff, but unlike the 1998 that will probably hold on for at least a handful of years more, I really can’t see any upside to cellaring this wine any further. Time to drink up. (89 pts.)

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  • 1995 Coop. Agricola Piano d’Angelo Taurasi - Italy, Campania, Taurasi DOCG (1.12.2021)
    The front label reads “Vinicola Taurasi”. 100% Aglianico, aged for 1 year in botti. 12,5% alcohol. Double-decanted for 4 hours prior to tasting. Tasted blind.

Moderately dark and quite evolved maroon color with a brick-orange hue. Dull, dry and somewhat earthy nose with aromas of ferrous blood, some stony dust, a little bit of damp earth, light rusted iron notes, a hint of cherry and a touch of dusty attic. The wine is dry, dull and quite tough on the palate with a medium body and no fruit to speak of. Somewhat metallic flavors of rusted iron, some stony minerality, a little bit of dusty earth and a hint of sour cherry bitterness. High in acidity with firm medium-plus tannins. The finish is dry, tough and quite nondescript with moderately grippy tannins and a dull and very understated aftertaste of earth, some rusty iron, a little bit of dusty earth and a hint of sour cherry bitterness.

The general consensus was that the wine was either mildly corked or just so dead that no fruit remains even though the wine didn’t appear particularly tertiary or oxidative. Whatever the case was, this wasn’t particularly enjoyable. NR (flawed)

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  • 1996 Marqués de Griñón Cabernet Sauvignon Dominio de Valdepusa - Spain, Vino de Mesa (1.12.2021)
    This is wine predates the Vino de Pago appellation of Dominio de Valdepusa, so according to the label this is “Vino de Mesa Tinto de Toledo”. Bottle #23286 of total 97850 bottles. 14% alcohol. Double-decanted for 4,5 hours prior to tasting. Tasted blind.

Quite deep and dark, almost fully opaque pomegranate color with a light brick-red rim. Somewhat evolved and wonderfully nuanced nose with layered aromas of wizened dark fruits, some dry leafy tones, a little bit of ripe blackcurrant, light tertiary notes of meat stew, a hint of tomato puree, a herbaceous touch of cooked bell pepper and a whiff of savory oak spice. The wine is rich, ripe and full-bodied on the palate with somewhat sweet-toned and slightly extracted flavors of wizened blackcurrants, some licorice root, a little bit of savory wood spice and sweeter toasty oak, light leafy Cab notes, a hint of salty liquorice and a touch of gamey meat. The overall feel is quite firm and structured with the rather high acidity and still pretty assertive tannins. The finish is rich, ripe and quite grippy with long, somewhat evolved flavors of juicy blackcurrants and some wizened figs, a little bit of licorice, light herbaceous notes of cooked bell pepper and autumnal leaves, a sweeter hint of toasty oak spice and a touch of game.

A ripe and somewhat extracted but also surprisingly balanced and harmonious Cab that shows why Marqués de Griñón was the first producer to be awarded the Vino do Pago appellation. I haven’t been particularly impressed by the rather modern, gloopy and oak-heavy Dominio de Valdepusa wines of the 2000’s and 2010’s, but this 1996 feels much more balanced. It’s hard to say whether it was made in a less international style or if age has just done its magic, but the wine combines some powerful new world theatrics with more savory, herbaceous and structure-driven old world antics. Nobody guessed close, most guesses were on the new world with some guessing Cab-heavy Super-Toscana. I was positively surprised how enjoyable and harmonious this wine was, despite its obvious ripeness, high alcohol and all that. Drinking mighty well right now, but still retaining some potential for future development - probably peaking soon, though. (93 pts.)

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Deep, moderately opaque and still relatively youthful garnet color. Powerful, somewhat evolved and quite sweet-toned nose with concentrated aromas of wizened figs and prunes, some lifted minty notes, a little bit of toasty new oak, light cherry marmalade tones, a hint of ripe forest fruits and a perfumed touch of dried flowers. The wine feels dense, evolved and quite chewy on the palate with a rather full body and rather concentrated flavors of meaty umami and bouillon, some crunchy cranberry notes, a little bit of blood, light sweet notes of boysenberries and dark plums, aromatic herbal hints of rosemary or oregano and a touch of vanilla oak. The overall feel is quite muscular, thanks to the rather high acidity and still quite formidable, grippy tannins. The finish is rich, quite evolved and noticeably tannic with intense flavors of ripe dark fruits, some sweet plummy tones, a little bit of juicy blackcurrant, light sappy herbal tones, oaky hints of vanilla and chocolate and an evolved touch of meat stew.

This was a big, stern and moderately developed Bairrada from a rather modern and polished end of the spectrum. Although the age had integrated a good deal of the new oak, the wine still didn’t come across as rustic and savory as I’d like my Bairradas to be, instead coming across like a missing link between a mature Bairrada and a modern, sweetly-fruited Napa Cab. Fortunately the wine was still fully alive and even surprisingly unresolved structure-wise, so the overall impression was still pretty impressive despite all that glossy oak sheen and ripe, sweet-toned fruit. Perhaps the wine could benefit from a few additional years of aging, in the hopes that the oak would continue to integrate better with the fruit. However, seeing how the wine is already showing some tertiary qualities, I wouldn’t cellar it for extended periods of time anymore. (90 pts.)

Posted from CellarTracker

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I’m extremely curious about the Giuseppe Rinaldi Rosae, a Ruché that does not seem to show the floral characteristics of the typical Ruché from its native Castagnole Monferrato. Also, curious about this summer in Helsinki. Are you getting any benefit from the heat wave in Europe?

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Indeed, my experience with Rinaldi’s Rosae has been that even though it is a lovely wine by all accounts, it isn’t as aromatic and floral as its counterparts from Castagnole Monferrato. I have no idea if it is because of the brett (which is quite obvious in many Rinaldi wines), some vinification methods which might yield a less floral wine, or if it’s the clone.

And I don’t know much about the benefits of the heat wave. We had our own heat wave in June when for a short period of time Finland was among the hottest countries in Europe, we had couple of weeks around 30-32 degrees Celsius here (86-90 F). That’s quite a problem here when most of the buildings in Finland have been built to reserve warmth to keep them reasonably livable throughout the year (normally the temperatures got down to -25 to even -30 C / -15 to -20 F during the winter, but normally not much above 20 C / 70 F during the summer). However, now when the temperatures hover around 0 C / 30 F during the winter and don’t really drop below -10 C / 15 F, but get up to 32 C / 90 F during the summer, we’re starting to see some problems: the houses and apartments are getting unbearably hot and most of them don’t have any kind of air conditioning.

Fortunately at the moment we have a pleasant 20-25 C (68-75 F) throughout the country, so while the rest of the Europe seems to be either boiling or burning, we’re doing ok. at least for now. Even though I’m very much a summer person, I still prefer these kinds of temperatures to true scorching summer heat. I guess with proper AC I’d be more ok with the higher temps.

But I guess thanks to geography, we usually have a bit different weather patterns compared to the central Europe. For example 2017 was one of the driest and hottest summers in recorded history in most European countries, but in southern Finland we never got a summer that year! It was just rain and hail and wind and constant thunderstorms throughout the summer and the the temperatures were around 10-15 C (50-60 F) even during the hottest months. We saw only a handful of clear sunny days where temperature got up to 20 C (68 F). It was very confusing to read about about the scorching heatwaves in Langhe, Rhône and Bordeaux during that time! [wow.gif]

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I know, I was there! I had the brilliant idea of booking a bike tour in Andalucía in mid-June 2017, when the heat wave struck. The first day it was about 55K from Seville to Carmona, we started at 8 am and the temperature was around 18C, by 10 am it was already in the mid-30s. We bearly made it to Carmona. On the second day, we decided to start earlier, 6 am - 15C, but this time by 9 am we were already in the mid-30s. We stopped in the first town that we found and quieted, I almost lost my wife because of dehydration. During that time I would have happily traded you those windy and rainy cool summer days for that unbearable heat in Andalucía. On the positive side, I was able to spend those extra days in Jeréz which allowed me to dip a little bit deeper into Sherry wines, and even had the opportunity of tasting a red wine from Jeréz made of Tintilla de Cádiz (AKA Graciano).

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