by SteveG » Mon Jun 06, 2011 10:32 am
Melon à Queue Rouge
2006 Philippe Bornard Arbois Pupillin Melon Le Rouge-queue (France, Jura, Arbois Pupillin) 4/6/2011 SteveG 92
Clear burnished gold. Shy overripe apple and Sherry nose. By contrast, the palate is immediately deep, with the chardonnay connection in the background, savory white fruit and tart edges with very slight oxidation flavor. The finish is long and a little bitter, with a sense of really old Burgundy; overall very well-balanced. Enjoyed with popovered chicken, just great!
Poulsard
2004 Domaine de la Tournelle Arbois Ploussard de Monteiller (France, Jura, Arbois) 12/10/2009 SteveG 93
A perfectly lovely wine, enjoyed with pot roast. Exactly between white and red in color, dry flowery nose, lots of fresh fruit, lots of acid, enough tannins, beautifully balanced and a charming resilient finish. Intense but light, and all food-friendly and modestly priced.
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N.V. Domaine de la Tournelle Arbois Petillant de Raisin (France, Jura, Arbois) 12/8/2010 SteveG 91
Slightly murky red-grape color, fresh leaves and fruit nose. Effervescent and racy juice, almost totally dry but powerfully savory and ripe profile. Lightly tannic and tart finish, this wine proved strangely popular. Who doesn't like sparkling poulsard?
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2009 Philippe Bornard Poulsard Arbois Pupillin Tant-mieux (France, Jura, Arbois Pupillin) 5/12/2011 SteveG 88
9.5% abv. Slightly cloudy pink-orange with modest effervescence. The nose is shy citrus/berry/musk, but the palate is all strawberry/raspberry. Very Slightly sweet but very refreshing, the only thing this is lacking is acids, but the bubbles substitute. Not much finish, it just sort of disappears but not in a bad way; fun & enjoyable, just not too sophisticated unless soda-pop is your benchmark.
Jacquère
2007 Jean-Pierre et Jean-Francois Quenard Vin de Savoie Chignin Anne de la Biguerne (France, Savoie, Vin de Savoie Chignin) 11/22/2009 SteveG 88
Perfectly lovely light and elegant dinner wine. Very well-balanced white and citrus fruit and mineral, but not intense. Delicious rather than profound, enjoyed with a light chicken dish.
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2008 René et Béatrice Bernard Vin de Savoie Apremont (France, Savoie, Vin de Savoie Apremont) 1/13/2011 SteveG 91
Pale yellow-green, extraordinarily light and yes, stony on the palate, reminds me of lemon sorbet, but certainly not sweet; perhaps this wine is slightly alkaline, it is totally dry but barely tart and obviously not tannic. Long and fragrant finish, more flowers and some spice.
Ciliegiolo
2009 Bisson Ciliegiolo Golfo del Tigullio (Italy, Liguria, Golfo del Tigullio) 1/5/2011 SteveG 88
Unique grape, transparent strawberry in color, cool, cut-berry nose. Fresh and savory, just lacking a bit of tartness to add zing to the palate. Nice, slightly tannic finish. I agree somewhat with the note below, the overall profile is of a very light and soft red wine.
Hondarrabi Zuri
2009 Ameztoi Getariako Txakolina Rubentis (Spain, País Vasco, Getariako Txakolina) 7/15/2010 SteveG 90
Salmon tint, light apple nose, light spritz and light red-fruit palate, modest finish. Very low alcohol (10.5), seemed best relatively cold. Tasty and easy to drink, just very...light.
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2008 Egia Enea Bizkaiko Txakolina (Spain, País Vasco, Bizkaiko Txakolina) 10/22/2010 SteveG 86
Very tart when cold, best aspects I think are a lively citrus scent and palate, and somewhat briny finish. This wine needs to accompany food, it is just too narrow in flavor to stand pleasingly on its own.
Mondeuse Noir
2007 Charles Trosset Vin de Savoie Arbin L’Expression de Terroir (France, Savoie, Vin de Savoie Arbin) 5/5/2010 SteveG 90
Ejoyed over 3 days, with pan-fried steak, chicken taco casserole and lamb chops, all handled better than adequately. Nose of cedar and peppers, this wine is like a fresh cabernet franc junior. Minerals and spice, very slight tannins, intense enough to stand up to flavorful food but light and balanced enough to be an apertif. Modest finish, overall an excellent and idiosyncratic wine.
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2008 Domaine de L'Idylle Mondeuse Noir Vin de Savoie Arbin (France, Savoie, Vin de Savoie Arbin) 2/28/2011 SteveG 88
Light garnet, pepper-strawberry nose. Delicate palate of very fresh barely-ripe plums, light on the green pepper and almost no tannins. Zesty but short finish, enjoyed with roast duck and buffalo medallions, a bit dilute the second night.
Chasselas
2004 Luc Massy Chasselas Sous-les-Rocs (Switzerland, Vaud, Saint-Saphorin) 2/27/2011 SteveG 88
Unusual but evidently ancient grape, this was pale lime yellow in the glass, slightly musty nose of cantaloupe and citrus. Lightweight but viscous, savory palate of bananas, low-acid tropicals. A bit more zing at finish, best as an apertif or lighter food.
Garganega
2008 La Biancara di Angiolino Maule I Masieri Bianco Veneto IGT (Italy, Veneto, Veneto IGT) 4/30/2011 SteveG 88
Pale lime gold. Slightly shy, waxy cedar lemon nose, transparent spicy citrus palate. At first the mineral finish was almost harsh, but a little air worked wonders, it is medium and a little funky. When tasted with prosciutto risotto this wine was tasty, but refreshing more than filling.
Gringet
2005 Domaine Belluard Gringet Vin de Savoie Mont Blanc Brut Zéro (France, Savoie, Vin de Savoie) 8/31/2010 SteveG 88
Certainly the most austere wine I have had in a long while. Pale in the glass, very effervescent, scent of light flowers and rocks. The dryness is almost alkaline, rather than tart, a full glass of minerals with the barest appley fruit. While calmer after a day or two, still almost aggressively dry. That said, the palate is very clean, I just couldn't figure out a good food match.
Hondarrabi Beltza
2008 Doniene Gorrodona Bizkaiko Txakolina Gorrondona Tinto (Spain, País Vasco, Bizkaiko Txakolina) 3/23/2011 SteveG 87
Lightweight dark fruit nose, palate of blackberries and leather, somewhat subverted by the short (but refreshingly tart) finish. Low tannins, this wine was enjoyable but undistinguished.
Lagrein
2006 Cantina Terlan Lagrein Alto Adige - Südtirol Rosato (Italy, Trentino-Alto Adige, Alto Adige, Alto Adige - Südtirol) 5/24/2009 SteveG 86
Beautiful light-blood-orange color. A little thin on the nose and finish, but nicely balanced taste. Leans more towards the red in texture, with berry flavor and definite tannins along with foody acids. Just the barest hint of sweetness at the exit, a perfectly nice wine but hardly exciting.
Marzemino
2005 De Tarczal Trento Selezione Husar (Italy, Trentino-Alto Adige, Trentino, Trento) 1/18/2009 SteveG 89
Allegedly the only single-vineyard Marzemino on earth, drinking this wine was like a sled ride. Leafy veggies and spice in the nose, giving way to fresh, barely ripe red fruit and still a bit of spice on the palate, supplemented with a rush of tartness towards the finish along with ripening fruit. Just enough tannins to touch the tongue, this is a vivacious and pleasing wine for anyone not turned off by the green pepper nose. A bit of a Cabernet Franc-junior, maybe this will age but I don't see any reason to bother. Under US$17 for a unique treat, perfect for the novelty junkie, enjoyed with pot roast beef.
Obaideh
2004 Chateau Musar Cuvée Blanc (Lebanon, Bekaa Valley) 10/22/2010 SteveG 84
Low acid, low alcohol, almost fruitless, notable woody scent. All this notwithstanding, this wine was decently balanced, very dry and pleasant. I do not otherwise know this grape, so cannot judge this wine as a representative.
Pineau d'Aunis
2005 La Grapperie Coteaux du Loir Adonis (France, Loire Valley, Upper Loire, Coteaux du Loir) 6/2/2010 SteveG 88
As mentioned below, nose of incredible freeze-dried raspberries (like picked out of Cap'n Crunch). Tastes of crushed flowers, overripe blue fruit, green peppers and black pepper. Strongly vegetal finish. strange as this all sounds, this is a balanced wine, moderate tannins, plenty of acid, interesting foodie flavors. We drank this with barbecued ribs, a good choice with strong flavors of its own.
Romorantin
2008 Domaine de Montcy Cour-Cheverny (France, Loire Valley, Upper Loire, Cour-Cheverny) 5/5/2011 SteveG 90
Very pale gold. Clear light nose of pears, wax and Amaretto. Seemingly tame attack of fresh-cut apples, followed by minerals and peach. The finish is where this wine shines, tart edges and stone fruit fading to ripe cider. Fresh and mineral, enjoyed with cod cakes.
Roter Veltliner
1996 Rudi Pichler Roter Veltliner Smaragd (Austria, Niederösterreich, Wachau) 4/7/2011 SteveG 93
Clear bronze gold. Intense honeysuckle nose, lovely palate of candied grapefruit and rind, finishing tart and cleansing, and very long. Clearly botrytized, the sweetness shows through but I think this was vinified to complete dryness. This wine was enjoyed with smoked salmon risotto, a good choice for a wine of such dominant flavors.
Schiava
2007 Heinrich Mayr (Nusserhof) Alto Adige - Südtirol Elda (Italy, Trentino-Alto Adige, Alto Adige, Alto Adige - Südtirol) 2/7/2011 SteveG 88
Clear brownish garnet, light savory and mineral nose. A bit musty at first, fresh and lightly red-fruity, this wine consistently seemed a little thin to me. More tartness and bare tannins with a short finish. Second day significant nose and palate of blueberries, and a bit more body, much more enjoyable.
Tempranillo Blanco
2009 Ad Libitum (Juan Carlos Sancha) Rioja (Spain, La Rioja, La Rioja Alavesa, Rioja) 3/21/2011 SteveG 91
Pale lemon-lime. Buttercreme and savory nose, palate of crumbcake and ripe fresh apples, with a slight tingly sensation. The finish is tart, but still vinous apples. Slightly fleshy but very refreshing, with texture somewhat like a light Savennières.
Trousseau Gris
2009 Wind Gap Wines Trousseau Gris Fanucchi Wood Road Vineyard (USA, California, Sonoma County, Russian River Valley) 4/17/2010 SteveG 90
This wine's first evening was gamy, musky and flabby, so it spent a couple of days in the refrigerator. Two and three days later it emerged clean and slightly spicy, mostly white and occasional citrus on the palate, and altogether more interesting. Light cloudy yellow, newly flowery nose, modest finish; this wine was not made to a formula, simply becoming a unique and satisfying wine.