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Re: May Wine Focus: Aromatic Whites!

PostPosted: Sun May 12, 2013 11:17 am
by David M. Bueker
2009 Johann Geil Bechtheimer Muskateller Trocken - Germany, Rheinhessen (5/11/2013)
Showing more floral than my prior bottle, this retains quite a lot of tropical fruit character. It is showing more herbal than at any time in the past, so glad to drink up, as I typically prefer a more fruity style of Muscat.

Re: May Wine Focus: Aromatic Whites!

PostPosted: Sun May 12, 2013 3:28 pm
by Andrew Bair
2001 Müller-Catoir Haardter Mandelring Scheurebe Spätlese
Voluptuous yet graceful, ebullient nose full of tropical fruits, especially pineapples and passion fruit; along with lychees and coconut. Round, lightly sweet, well defined, nicely balanced, with good underlying acidity. Tastes of pineapples, pink grapefruit, limes, raspberries, and blackcurrants, with subtle hints of herbs and minerals. Excellent.

Would love to try both the Nigl and Rebholz Muskatellers sometime, provided that the latter is not overly expensive relative to its peers.

Re: May Wine Focus: Aromatic Whites!

PostPosted: Sun May 12, 2013 3:36 pm
by David M. Bueker
Warning! Warning! Catoir Scheurebe consumed without express permission of Salil Benegal! Warning! Warning!

Re: May Wine Focus: Aromatic Whites!

PostPosted: Mon May 13, 2013 10:01 am
by Kelly Young
2011 Navarro Vineyards Gewürztraminer Estate Bottled Dry
I know I'm probably alone in this but I do not get the "drink Gewurtz with Asian food" thing. Gewurtz usually never suggests food to me, save cheese (and if a wine doesn't go with some kind of cheese it doesn't deserve to exist). This may be the first Gewurtz that has made me rethink that. Went well with chicken! Insert all the normal taste & aroma descriptors here, but very well behaved. Acidity, thank the lord there is some real honest zing going on. This seems to be a completely different beast from the more ponderous palate coating Alsatians that I normally drink. With those I usually square the shoulders and go for a shiny, shiny, shiny boots of leather forced march, for my own good you understand. I drank the Navarro bottle right up. This has future case purchase for yours truly written all over it. Interesting to see the other notes of CA GWTs.

2011 Navarro Vineyards Muscat Blanc Estate Bottled
Navarro is playing a blinder! As I said elsewhere, Muscat seems to me to be Gewürztraminer's more studious and well behaved brother. GWTs are into Chrome, Can, and actually listens to the Yoko solo records, where Muscat is all about Steve Reich and Roland Kirk. Maybe not quite that serious. In any case florally grapey spicy nose, balanced with, yet again proper zing, zing, zing. Works equally well as porch sipper (a holy and noble job for a wine), aperitif, or put it right there on the table with the fish as I did. Next year when Navarro offer their "Alsatian Sampler" I'm going to get three cases. At least.

2008 Domaine Gardiés Muscat de Rivesaltes Flor
Meh. Thin. Seems to constantly be hinting at something but never getting there. I found it ever so slightly annoying. The cold call of wines.

2011 Tramontane Muscat Vin de Pays des Côtes Catalanes
I have a case of this so I'll keep reporting in. I find this best served while wrapped in a toga, grape vines through the hair (if one has hair, as I do not so I wrap the grape leave through a baseball cap), while on the porch, the gentle spring breezes cooling my usually furrowed brow. Floral, lithe, and generally upbeat. If one likes dry Muscat the price on this is stupid low.

2009 Trimbach Muscat Reserve
I think this is the first Trimbach wine I've really liked. Much like the above, though for 8 bucks more.

2010 Johann Geil Bechtheimer Heilig-Kreuz Scheurebe Kabinett
Hey I noticed Salil's tasting note pops up in Cellar Tracker for this! I certainly like this much better than he though. This is a full on party in a bottle. Hint of sweetness but well balanced. Great acidity. There's almost a hint of Sauvignon Blanc like grassiness in the nose. I like it as much as the MC Scheurebe I've had, though this is significantly less expensive. I have literally bought every bottle I could get my hands on of this. The Robyn Hitchcock of aromatic wines. Surreal, slightly off kilter, but with a really good sense of humor. This wine often dreams of trains.

Re: May Wine Focus: Aromatic Whites!

PostPosted: Mon May 13, 2013 10:31 am
by Bob Parsons Alberta
Sounds like a fun time at Kellys eh. Had to find my notes on this gem though>

TN: 2010 Michele Chiarlo Moscato d`Asti Nivole Piedmont It.

L B181, 5% alc, from 375 ml, popped and poured. Always delicious, honeysuckle, nectarine, floral, peach nose. Nice refreshing effervescence on entry, lengthy, peach, not that sweet at all and does not cloy. "Candied orange" from across the table, very nice and consistent wine from Michele C.

Re: May Wine Focus: Aromatic Whites!

PostPosted: Mon May 13, 2013 9:54 pm
by David M. Bueker
Kelly,

Salil measures all Scheurebe against the 1998 and 2001 Catoir. With that measure, everything else falls short.

Re: May Wine Focus: Aromatic Whites!

PostPosted: Tue May 14, 2013 6:06 am
by ChaimShraga
Kelly,

I can't figure out if you're implying that Robyn Hitchcock has a sense of humor.

Re: May Wine Focus: Aromatic Whites!

PostPosted: Tue May 14, 2013 9:35 am
by Kelly Young
Chaim, you'd have to ask his wife or his dead wife.

2007 Meßmer Muskateller Kabinett feinherb

We have left the planet. Any attempt to describe the wonderfulness of this wine will be left wanting. Floral, perfumed, hints of honey, and wild grapes, a touch of lemon, the thrust of the rockets as they break the bonds of gravity, etc. The wine tastes like this:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pIwvLJX-Olg

Zip zing is there, there, there. I'm still having ghost impressions of the taste. I don't know whether it's the feinherbness or whether this might actually be a declassified Spätlese, in any case it has some weight, but weight that fits like a comfy (space) coat. Last nights bottle, which I'd only intended to have a wee sample of, got killed dead. I'm off to find all I can.

Re: May Wine Focus: Aromatic Whites!

PostPosted: Tue May 14, 2013 11:24 am
by Mark Lipton
Kelly Young wrote:Chaim, you'd have to ask his wife or his dead wife.


Or the man with the light bulb head. :mrgreen:

Mark Lipton

Re: May Wine Focus: Aromatic Whites!

PostPosted: Tue May 14, 2013 10:42 pm
by Bob Parsons Alberta
TN: 2010 Koster-Wolf Scheurebe Kabinett, Rheinhessen.

SC, 9% alc, $17 Cdn, Lot # 4251 072 211 11.

Light lemon in color, nose very aromatic with apple, lycee, blackcurrant bush in the garden. No Sauv Blanc here, more of a Pinot Gris from Okanagan.
No effervescence here, sweet entry, ripe fruits..peach, pear, apple. Not cloying but enough acidity?? Lighter bodied, good balance but think I would prefer trocken style.
Interested to see how this developes over the evening.

Re: May Wine Focus: Aromatic Whites!

PostPosted: Wed May 15, 2013 6:49 pm
by Andrew Bair
Bob Parsons Alberta wrote:TN: 2010 Koster-Wolf Scheurebe Kabinett, Rheinhessen.

SC, 9% alc, $17 Cdn, Lot # 4251 072 211 11.

Light lemon in color, nose very aromatic with apple, lycee, blackcurrant bush in the garden. No Sauv Blanc here, more of a Pinot Gris from Okanagan.
No effervescence here, sweet entry, ripe fruits..peach, pear, apple. Not cloying but enough acidity?? Lighter bodied, good balance but think I would prefer trocken style.
Interested to see how this developes over the evening.


Bob - Thank you for the note. I had never heard of this producer before, and looked them up. It appears that the wine that you had was from an obscure site named Albiger Hundskopf, which looks to be one of those anonymous, mostly flat vineyards in the area around Alzey. Not much exciting stuff going on that section of the Rheinhessen. Apparently,they also make a couple of wines from Würzer, a largely forgotten crossing that I have never seen anywhere before.

Re: May Wine Focus: Aromatic Whites!

PostPosted: Wed May 15, 2013 9:34 pm
by Jim Grow
Kelly, I do like those Navarro Gewuztraminers but imho all non-Alsatian Gewurztraminers lack the viscosity I so love in that varietal. Try Handley or Breggo if you get a chance. I do love them with Chinese as the sweetness of the food balances out the cutting acidity + the spice of the wine.

Re: May Wine Focus: Aromatic Whites!

PostPosted: Fri May 17, 2013 3:01 pm
by Kelly Young
2009 Trimbach Gewurztraminer
Hey it's Gewurztraminer! Quiet down please. So sorry, it's gewurztraminer. I would describe this wine as not bad. No apparent flaws. Pleasant enough. But that's not Gewurztraminer now is it? Does anybody go the GWT section of the paint shop thinking "I need a pleasant enough wine that won't offend anyone"?

Re: May Wine Focus: Aromatic Whites!

PostPosted: Sun May 19, 2013 2:43 pm
by Tim York
As it is asparagus season, I've been looking out for a Condrieu (made from Viognier), IMO one of the finest aromatic wines and a good partner for this difficult vegetable, but haven't been able to find one at nearby wine merchants and even at Rob, the Brussels gastronomic temple. Looking at Wine Searcher, I doubt whether I would be able to find one for less than €30-35. I have very rarely had any other Viognier which can hold a candle to Condrieu, where the more northerly climate brings an acidity and freshness without which the wines can be flabby. I'll continue my search.

Re: May Wine Focus: Aromatic Whites!

PostPosted: Fri May 24, 2013 5:57 pm
by SteveEdmunds
how about some Vermentino love?

Re: May Wine Focus: Aromatic Whites!

PostPosted: Fri May 24, 2013 7:37 pm
by Carl Eppig
2011 Knapp, Cayuga Lake, Dry Gewurztraminer ($14.95 U.S., Alcohol level 11.5%). This is a lovely wine with exotic spice and citrus on the nose and upfront, and a flavorful crisp finish. We matched it with crab cakes in cocktail sauce, pilaf, and green peas. Yum!

Re: May Wine Focus: Aromatic Whites!

PostPosted: Fri May 24, 2013 8:03 pm
by Kelly Young
Steve Edmunds wrote:how about some Vermentino love?


I was going to do that but I've got Viognier on deck tonight. Trying to drum up some business? ;)

Re: May Wine Focus: Aromatic Whites!

PostPosted: Fri May 24, 2013 8:36 pm
by SteveEdmunds
Not really; just a grape I'm very fond of.

Re: May Wine Focus: Aromatic Whites!

PostPosted: Fri May 24, 2013 10:08 pm
by JC (NC)
2011 Trivento Amado Sur white blend (75% Torrontes, 15% Viognier, 10% Chardonnay), Mendoza, Argentina. Bottled with a screwcap. 13.5% abv. Perfumed with lemon curd, lemon drops, green apples, and lanolin. The label suggests that the citrus elements derive from the Viognier in the blend but the lemon seemed to dominate the nose and flavors and the Viognier is only 15% of the blend. Acidic, crisp and polished. Pleasant wine that is reasonably priced. This went well with a tossed salad with Greek dressing but I think it would also pair well with scallops, mussels, or clams and possibly with lemon chicken.

Re: May Wine Focus: Aromatic Whites!

PostPosted: Sat May 25, 2013 8:55 am
by Robin Garr
JC (NC) wrote:2011 Trivento Amado Sur white blend (75% Torrontes, 15% Viognier, 10% Chardonnay), Mendoza, Argentina.

Small world! We just had the 2010 the other night. I haven't pulled together my notes yet, but we were certainly in the same ballpark, although with the citrus taking more the form of white grapefruit for me, with nice white-pepper notes, moving over to lemon on the palate.

Re: May Wine Focus: Aromatic Whites!

PostPosted: Sun May 26, 2013 12:15 pm
by Tim York
This afternoon's tasting including wines from the Rhône, the Valle d'Aosta and Puglia. I am pleased that a good aromatic white from each of these regions was on show and the Rhône's contribution was the next best thing to a Condrieu, namely a Viognier from the Collines Rhodaniennes near Brézème.

IGP Collines Rhodaniennes Le Viognier 2011 - Domaine Lombard - (€10) had a well developed nose of fresh exotic fruit and spice and a palate with minerals and nice fresh acidity and good underlying roundness showing off its aromas. No suspicion of cloying which happens sometimes with Viognier. Good 15.5/20.

Valle d'Aosta Moscato bianco 2010 - Château Feuillet - (€15) had a lovely nose full of ginger and spice and a quite full and fruity palate with lively acidity. Good 15.5/20.

IGP Salento bianco Sereno - Consorzio di Maduria, Puglia, made from Fiano 80% (different from that in Avellino) and Verdeca 20%, was surprisingly similar to the preceding Valdaostan Moscato with perhaps a tad less ginger and lively acidity; the presenter drew my attention to its good length. Good 15.5/20+.

Re: May Wine Focus: Aromatic Whites!

PostPosted: Tue May 28, 2013 10:20 pm
by JC (NC)
2011 QUADY ELECTRA CALIFORNIA MOSCATO (Orange Muscat grapes.) 4.5% abv. Screwcap. Pretty label with a painted angel. Some question about how closely Orange Muscat is related to other Muscat grapes. The variety probably originated in France or Italy but is now grown mostly in Australia and California. The color of this wine in the glass is more gold than white or straw. Orange, tangerine and apricot figure into the scents and flavors with a suggestion of musk. Quite sweet but not terribly cloying. Can be pleasing in small portions but not a wine to drink by the large glassful. For those of you not familiar with Quady, this company specializes in dessert and aperitif wines including Essencia and Electra made from Orange Muscat grape and Elysium and Red Electra from the Black Muscat grape variety and Starboard, a port-type wine (get it--port and starboard.) With the Electra, fermentation is stopped when the grape juice is about halfway between grape juice and wine to make a light, crisp wine where in the Essencia, the wine is lightly fortified and the alcohol by volume is about 15%. A suggested cocktail using Electra from the winery website: Martini Becomes Electra--combine 2 oz. Absolut Vodka, .75 oz. Grand Marnier, .75 oz. Quady Electra and two orange wheels, shaken and strained. (I haven't tried it but it sounds intriguing.)

Re: May Wine Focus: Aromatic Whites!

PostPosted: Wed May 29, 2013 9:38 pm
by Andrew Bair
JC (NC) wrote:2011 QUADY ELECTRA CALIFORNIA MOSCATO (Orange Muscat grapes.) 4.5% abv. Screwcap. Pretty label with a painted angel. Some question about how closely Orange Muscat is related to other Muscat grapes. The variety probably originated in France or Italy but is now grown mostly in Australia and California. The color of this wine in the glass is more gold than white or straw. Orange, tangerine and apricot figure into the scents and flavors with a suggestion of musk. Quite sweet but not terribly cloying. Can be pleasing in small portions but not a wine to drink by the large glassful. For those of you not familiar with Quady, this company specializes in dessert and aperitif wines including Essencia and Electra made from Orange Muscat grape and Elysium and Red Electra from the Black Muscat grape variety and Starboard, a port-type wine (get it--port and starboard.) With the Electra, fermentation is stopped when the grape juice is about halfway between grape juice and wine to make a light, crisp wine where in the Essencia, the wine is lightly fortified and the alcohol by volume is about 15%. A suggested cocktail using Electra from the winery website: Martini Becomes Electra--combine 2 oz. Absolut Vodka, .75 oz. Grand Marnier, .75 oz. Quady Electra and two orange wheels, shaken and strained. (I haven't tried it but it sounds intriguing.)



Thanks for the great note, JC. I like most of the Quady wines, but have not had any in a couple of years or so. IMHO, both the Electra and the Essencia do a very good job of showing the potential of a grape that isn't well known, in Orange Muscat. And not everyone gets it right - Maculan is a great producer of sweet wines based on the Vespaiolo grape (would like to try their dry version sometime), but their Orange Muscat-based Dindarello has been mediocre in my experience.

I've also had a couple of fortified and aromatized wines from Quady that have been enjoyable. My one disappointment has been their Elysium (Black Muscat, aka Muscat Hamburg), which was quite cloying the one time that I tried it.

Re: May Wine Focus: Aromatic Whites!

PostPosted: Wed May 29, 2013 9:43 pm
by Andrew Bair
Tim York wrote:This afternoon's tasting including wines from the Rhône, the Valle d'Aosta and Puglia. I am pleased that a good aromatic white from each of these regions was on show and the Rhône's contribution was the next best thing to a Condrieu, namely a Viognier from the Collines Rhodaniennes near Brézème.

IGP Collines Rhodaniennes Le Viognier 2011 - Domaine Lombard - (€10) had a well developed nose of fresh exotic fruit and spice and a palate with minerals and nice fresh acidity and good underlying roundness showing off its aromas. No suspicion of cloying which happens sometimes with Viognier. Good 15.5/20.

Valle d'Aosta Moscato bianco 2010 - Château Feuillet - (€15) had a lovely nose full of ginger and spice and a quite full and fruity palate with lively acidity. Good 15.5/20.

IGP Salento bianco Sereno - Consorzio di Maduria, Puglia, made from Fiano 80% (different from that in Avellino) and Verdeca 20%, was surprisingly similar to the preceding Valdaostan Moscato with perhaps a tad less ginger and lively acidity; the presenter drew my attention to its good length. Good 15.5/20+.


Tim - Thank you for the notes. The Fiano in the Salento wine must be Fiano Minutolo? I've never had anything from this grape before, and would be curious if you, or anyone, can fill me in on how it differs from the better-known Fiano from Campania.

Still haven't tried a Moscato from Val d'Aosta, even if I make a point of trying as much as I can from that tiny alpine region of Italy. Thus far, Chambave is not well represented in my neck of the woods.