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Palo Blanco Valle de la Orotava Listan Blanco
Valle de la Orotava, Canary Islands, Spain
Tart and fresh. Saline with bright lemon acidity and good minerality.
Tart and fresh. Saline with bright lemon acidity and good minerality.
Jun 24th, 2022
Bottle variation? Vintage? Transport? This was just so different from the 18’ Palo Blanco, which was a masterclass in minerality. While still mineral, I felt the 19’ Palo Blanco was more about oxidation than anything else.
Drank over 2 days. Straight out the gates, the rather dark golden colour was already foreboding of the poorer difference. Drank like an oxidative-styled Chenin, which I’ve never really been keen on - light flinty reduction on the nose, bruised apples, salinity, medium-high acidity that has a crescendo quality to it, long finish. After a 6 hour slow oxidation, the reduction on the nose melded into a rather savoury olive-like note. Definitely more intriguing at this stage with notes of bruised apples, honey, hay, white florals, sea salt, musk, and a herbaceous touch. There’s an oiliness to the palate which juxtaposed nicely with the feisty acidity. Gained copious volatility and lost vitality the night after.
Fell below expectations after the brilliant 18’, but wasn’t a bad experience in itself. Will check on other bottles down the track.
Bottle variation? Vintage? Transport? This was just so different from the 18’ Palo Blanco, which was a masterclass in minerality. While still mineral, I felt the 19’ Palo Blanco was more about oxidation than anything else.
Drank over 2 days. Straight out the gates, the rather dark golden colour was already foreboding of the poorer difference. Drank like an oxidative-styled Chenin, which I’ve never really been keen on - light flinty reduction on the nose, bruised apples, salinity, medium-high acidity that has a crescendo quality to it, long finish. After a 6 hour slow oxidation, the reduction on the nose melded into a rather savoury olive-like note. Definitely more intriguing at this stage with notes of bruised apples, honey, hay, white florals, sea salt, musk, and a herbaceous touch. There’s an oiliness to the palate which juxtaposed nicely with the feisty acidity. Gained copious volatility and lost vitality the night after.
Fell below expectations after the brilliant 18’, but wasn’t a bad experience in itself. Will check on other bottles down the track.
In a testament to just how great these wines are and how good the wine making is, let me just tell you what my dumbass did to this wine by accident. I was in my fridge yesterday and saw I had left this bottle entirely full with a cork pulled for over a week. I thought back to when I would've opened it, and my jaw dropped. I had opened it two hours before meal time and then we changed the food plan so we changed wines but I forgot about already opening this wine. I left it in the door of the fridge so I missed it.
The wine is gloriously good… I was shocked that it wasn't completely oxidized. We drank it over the last two days and it was very delicious. Complex with citrus and white orchard fruits, leaning more citrus, zesty and salty brine, loads of minerality, dried wild florals, quite the wine here. Excellent med+ acidity, med/med+ body, med+ length.
In a testament to just how great these wines are and how good the wine making is, let me just tell you what my dumbass did to this wine by accident. I was in my fridge yesterday and saw I had left this bottle entirely full with a cork pulled for over a week. I thought back to when I would've opened it, and my jaw dropped. I had opened it two hours before meal time and then we changed the food plan so we changed wines but I forgot about already opening this wine. I left it in the door of the fridge so I missed it.
The wine is gloriously good… I was shocked that it wasn't completely oxidized. We drank it over the last two days and it was very delicious. Complex with citrus and white orchard fruits, leaning more citrus, zesty and salty brine, loads of minerality, dried wild florals, quite the wine here. Excellent med+ acidity, med/med+ body, med+ length.
On a roll with this oxi-but-still-mineral theme. This bottle was a little sherry like. Very little fruit, almost sterile even, nutty, with a lovely salinity. Fell below expectations but drinkable.
On a roll with this oxi-but-still-mineral theme. This bottle was a little sherry like. Very little fruit, almost sterile even, nutty, with a lovely salinity. Fell below expectations but drinkable.
1 person found it helpfulMar 29th, 2023
Super fab wine, absolute must for all canary wine lovers
Super fab wine, absolute must for all canary wine lovers
Apr 15th, 2022
Saline, olive, mineral, sherry, hay; kumquat, gooseberry. Light and bright.
Saline, olive, mineral, sherry, hay; kumquat, gooseberry. Light and bright.
Aug 8th, 2021
Wine with a real sense of place. Tastes like the volcanic island wine it is with intense, salty minerality. Powerful, yet light and zippy with citrusy acidity. Purchased at Popina in Brooklyn, NY.
Wine with a real sense of place. Tastes like the volcanic island wine it is with intense, salty minerality. Powerful, yet light and zippy with citrusy acidity. Purchased at Popina in Brooklyn, NY.
Mar 20th, 2021
