The first was Töövi Alder Springs Chardonnay 2009 from a cool climate, high altitude vineyard in IIRC Mendocino, California. This was only bottled two weeks ago, so I was a bit worried that it might be completely in pieces. But it was actually really nice! This sees no oak at all, which I am of course very happy about, and the scent is therefore very pure and unadulterated. Mineral and lime aromas - nothing tropical here, just elegant, cool fruit. Good acidity and a general sense of grip, focused fruit. Really rather Chablisesque - except for a bit of heat on the finish. Apparently this is about 14% abv, and it sadly shows a little (but could it be that this a bit disjointed simply because it was opened so soon after bottling? might we see the alcohol hide itself with a bit of age?). Really nice wine otherwise.
The next wine was even better because of better integrated alcohol. The Töövi Alder Springs Marsanne/Roussanne 2009 is a 50/50 blend, and also about 14% abv, but it is better hidden than in the Chardonnay. This is also raised in steel, and sees no oak (which, again, is nice!
). It has lovely aromas, reminiscent of e.g. the Texier white Rhones that I have had, but I always find it hard to describe these aromas. They seem nutty, but since that is a descriptor so often used for oak, it isn't applicable here since this wine obviously isn't oaky. I'll just skip the scent and go to the structure, which is also very well done: restrained richness. Oily texture yet also delightfully acidic for these grapes. Fascinating stuff.And finally, over dinner, I opened a Töövi Pinot Noir Hein Vineyard 2008 from the Anderson Valley, California. The oak for this wine has been once and twice used, but, I'm sorry to say, I still found a bit more of it than is ideal for my tastes. But the good thing is that I think it might just be a case where the wine needs more age: the oak didn't obfuscate the pure Pinosity of the wine at all. And the Pinosity is a very lovely Pinosity indeed: bright fruit, some vegetal aromas, racy. Good acidity, sexy fruit (but not in the overblown way of the stereotype of New World Pinot Noir), racy, nervous. I think I might like this very much in a year or so once the oak goes more to the background.
I think Asko is making some really good wine in California: these new releases were leaning more toward an old world, elegant style than the stereotypical Californicated style. And I'm not the only one to like his wines - Restaurant Carelia, the wine Mecca of Helsinki, now serves some of them! Congratulations Asko!