Woodsy, walk in the dewy woods, if you will, dampness and pungent, sour, acidic, and heavy, like an earthen pot; and look at the glass, that mellow amber hue. This is the Yin to, say, an ethereal Alsace white Yang. And it is novel; pretty much unlike any white you’ll have in the cellar. I will admit it’s the first Listan Blanco that I’ve searched out.
Over at the Wine Advocate they raved, gave it 97 points, and perhaps in its class (a unique and individual class, like a wire haired Ibizan Hound), it soars. We couldn’t get past the novelty of it all. I write that both positive and negative, yin and yang. The WA used the term “rock juice” which is both accurate and the first time I’ve ever seen a pointster use the phrase in print.
Just as a relevant sidebar: Up at Okanagan Crush Pad they are (in our view) extremely hit and miss, but never do they rest on their laurels. There is no repetitive “Wolf Blass minimize the vintage variation” at OCP. And right now they have a Vin Gris which, rather than Pinot Gris, is a Pinot Noir treated as if a white wine. And it’s novel. Also earthy, funky, unusual, appealing, and complex. And half the price of the Blanco. So if novelty is your thing, you don’t need to travel halfway round the globe to sample the Canarias.
As you reach for the stars with wine, if you are willing to shell out the big bucks, novelty is of course a thing. Gary Shteyngart can’t stop buying watches, not that he needs another watch. And we can’t stop buying wine, not that we need another bottle, the cellars (yes, plural), are brimming. To say nothing of the “everyday” drinkers under the sofa in the coldest room of the house. And then that box that got delivered to the office. Or two…
But despite the WA raves, the way this wine opened with air, and the unusual mouth texture, it still left us feeling a bit unsure, deer in the headlights stunned, and over it before it all began. And, yes, the wax on the neck is bar none a gargantuan pet peeve.
Price: $60.
Market Liquidity: Lovely, in passing, but the memory will fade too soon.
