Bodegas Vibe, Utiel-Requena (Valencia, Spain) Tardana 2018

 When’s the last time you tasted a wine made from Tardana?  I’d have been hard-pressed to answer that question myself when I enjoyed this wine in March of 2019, but one thing I can tell you for sure is this:  I won’t miss my next chance to try a wine made from Tardana.  An extremely late-ripening variety, this doesn’t get picked until the weather turns bad in autumn each year, and even then, this producer noted that 12.5 percent alcohol is the highest they’ve ever yielded.  This 2018 rendition was labeled at 11.5 percent, and that seemed entirely plausible, as there’s a terrific sharp edge to this.  Yet, this is no tart little wine along the lines of classic Muscadet, and in fact, my tasting note likens it instead to Semillon, which is nearly at the opposite end of the white grape variety spectrum.  The aromas shows fascinating notes of garrigue, dried herbs and pine resin, and the flavors recall melons and figs…which is where the similarity to Semillon comes in, also on account of grippy texture.  I’d have loved to taste an older bottle of this wine, as I can’t imagine that it doesn’t show positive development for at least two or three years, but sadly, in the absence of direct experience, that’s merely guesswork on my part.  Hence my score, while high, is conservative.  Buy this if you can find it, which is exactly what I will do.