The Identity of the blind tasting challenge Mystery Bottle revealed

 

Vina Leyda Single Vineyard Canelo Syrah 2013. Image: Alko.

Dear vinous friends, Divine Wine blog is in slight shock. This is due to the identity of the mystery bottle, which was recently revealed by Vindirekt. It was exactly in line with Divine Wine’s blind tasting evaluation! Lets see how it all went down.

Divine Wine’s conclusions based on blind tasting

1. New World (bold use of oak, sweet vanilla, fruit driven, concentrated, ripe fruit, even some stewed fruit character)

2. Not necessarily the hottest of New World climates. The style is rather black peppery, there are even herbs, the fruit isn’t completely cooked or jammy. Cooler parts of Australia? Chile’s Casablanca or San Antonio? New Zealand’s Hawkes Bay?

3. Animalistic and earthy elements. Certain areas, such as Barossa in Australia, are well known of their Brett influenced, sweaty, high quality Shiraz wines. But is this animal/leather/sweat influence in this wine too restrained for Barossa Shiraz?

4. Shiraz. Dark fruit, black pepper, liquorice and leather. Almost full body, high alcohol. I’m going for Shiraz. It might be that there is some CS in this wine (currant), but the black fruit might be also due to Shiraz solely.

Final Conclusion:

Because I have to say something, I say: Shiraz from Chile 2013. However, I leave an option open for cooler climate South Australian or Victoria Shiraz wines.

This wine is well made and is of high quality, although the finish could be longer. It can drink now, but I’d say it has aging potential.

Vindirekt announces the identity of the wine

The Mystery Bottle is Leyda Single Vineyard Canelo Syrah 2013.

The Finnish retailer Alko decribes the wine

Full-bodied, tannic, aromas of black currant, black berry, olive, spice and oak. The grapes were manually picked and the wine was fermented in open stainless steel. The wine was matured in oak barrels for fourteen months and aged for four months in bottles prior to release. The producer estimates that this wine has further aging potential of 7 years in adequate storage.  

 

How?

The accuracy of this particular blind tasting conclusion is greatly due to my incredible WSET3 teachers, particularly Alessadra Fedi, who is very passionate about wines of Chile. Although I have not had a chance to taste this particular product ever before, Alessadra’s tasting sessions last October combined with her very lively way of communicating about Chile’s varied terroirs have obviously left a mark.

Leyda Valley in Chile’s San Antonio lies only 14 kilometres from the ocean, hence boasting an exceptionally cool climate favouring production of more elegant style of wines compared to the hotter regions of Chile. Nevertheless, this wine is still very ripe fruit driven, soft and non-challenging. In my mind this nature of the product combined with unrestrained oak and black peppery character pointed clearly towards cooler parts of Chile while blind tasting.