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WTN: Some New/Aromatic Whites...(long/boring)

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WTN: Some New/Aromatic Whites...(long/boring)

by TomHill » Mon Jun 03, 2013 1:40 pm

We tasted tonight (5/29/13) Some More New Whites:
1. Harrington Fiano LunnaMattaVnyd/PasoRobles (13.5%) 2012: Med.light gold color; strong appley/apple
blossom/slight pineapple quite fragrant/floral/almost Viog-like some stony/earthy/mineral/pungent
very attractive/perfumed nose; rather tart lovely apple blossom/floral/pineapple/mango some waxy/
mineral/stony rather rich/lush very attractive high-toned flavor; very long/lingering pineapple/mango/
apple blossom/floral some stony/mineral tart/rich finish; almost Riesling-like in its aromatics w/ lots
of high-toned fruit & nice touch of stony/mineral; really lovely white. $25.00
________________
2. Harrington Terrane Fiano LunnaMattaVnyd/PasoRobles (13.9%; No added SO2) 2012: Med.light gold bit darker
color; strng phenolic/apple cider some honeyed/pungent/mead/smokey some stony/earthy bir resiny-like
low-fruit very strange nose; slighht spritz rather phenolic/apple cider/mead/honey some resiny/waxy/
pungent some tart/tangy little fruit rather strange flavor; long tangy/tart/grapefruity some waxy/resiny
bit mead/pungent/smokey/cidery finish w/ a noticible wet dog fur component way in the backtaste; doesn't
a lot of fruit, a bit pungent/resiny and somewhat on the bizarre side. $25.00
________________
3. d'Antiche Terre DOCG: Fiano di Avellino (13%; www.VillaItaliaWines.com; www.Danticheterre.It) 2011: Light
yellow color; quite perfumed pear/apple blossom/floral slight earthy/stony/smoked meats lovely/fragrant nose;
soft strong apple/ripe pear/floral slightly bitter/apple peel bit weak/watery flavor; med.short bit bitter/
apple peel slight stony rather perfumed apple/pear/apple blossom finish; rather attractive and classic Fiano
nose but not much impact on the palate. $18.00 (WoP)
________________
3a. LaValentina bianco fiano IGT: Fiano Colline Pescaresi (13%; www.DallaTerra.com) Spoltore 2011: Light gold color;
rather fragrnat pineapple/mango/R-like slight grapefruity/lemon/spicy/smokey very slight stony/chalky rather
attractive nose; rather tart/tangy/lemony/grapefruity slight floral/mango/creamy/spicy very light stony/chalky
flavor; med.long tart/tangy/lemony/metallic/steely some stony/chalky very slight floral/carnations/mango/R-like
bit lean finish; lovely fragrant nose & classic stony/mineral on palate; very nice Fiano. $27.50 (KK)
________________
3b. Coenobium Rusticum IGT: Lazio Vianco (45% Trebbiano/35% Malvasa/20% Verdicchio; #1553 of 3000; 12.00%)
MonasteroCistercensi S.O. Trappiste/Vitorchiano; NealRosenthal 2010
: Deep golden/bronze/browning some
muurky/cloudy color; quite phenolic/cidery slight smoked meats/smoked hot dogs bit fumey/volatile rather
earthy/dusty slight honeyed slight oxidized interesting/complex nose w/ no fruit; tart quite phenolic/cidery
bit oxidized earthy/smoked meats rather tannic/bitter slight orangey/honeyed flavor w/ no fruit; med.long
tangy quite quite phenolic/cidery/bitter rather earthy/dusty/smoked meats slight oxidized finish; pretty classic
orange wine taken to the max. $28.00 (WoP)
________________
4. Harrington MuscatCanelli FratelliVnyd/SantaClaraVlly (12.7%) 2012: Light gold color; very intense muscatty/
hair oil/spicy/orange blossom slight earthy very fragrant/perfumed lovely nose; quite tart/acid off-dry
(0.8% rs?) intense spicy/hair oil/muscatty slight earthy balanced rich/racy flavor; very long/lingering
intense muscatty/hair-oil off-dry tart but balanced finish that goes on & on; one of the best Muscats from
Calif I've had...definitely cougar juice; very good balance of acid and sugar; not the bitterness you get
in many Alsatian Muscats; reminds me more of Valle d'Aosta Chambave Muscat; lovely drinking. $25.00
________________
5. Vigna Dogarina IGT: ManzoniBianco/Veneto (12.5%; Riesling X PinotBlanc by Manzoni; DistinguishedBrands
International/Littleton) Campodipietra di Salgareda 2008
: Deep gold bit bronze color; intense resiny/
honeyed/orangey/peachy very ripe bit botrytis/peachy/overripe slight oxidized/phenolic complex nose;
soft slight oxidized/honeyed/orangey/resined some botrytis/honeyed totally dry bit earthy flavor; long
very slight oxidized/Jura-like/honeyed/resiny/orangey slight botrytis/honey finish; not an orange wine
that I can tell because of little phenolic character; seems made of overripe or botrytis grapes; a very
weird duck of a wine but actually rather interesting. $18.00 (DiVino)
________________
6. Rivetto Matire Nascetta DOC: Langhe (13.5%; www.VolioVino.com; Volio/Denver) Sinio/Piemonte 2010: Light
gold color; quite fragrant floral/peach blossom quite aromatic almost R-like perfume slight earthy nose;
quite tart some mineral/stony/metallic rather floral/peach blossom/mango bit lean/tight quite aromatic
flavor; very long slight weak/watery rather floral/peach blossom/mango some mineral/stony finish; quite
an attractive perfumed white that resembles a Langhe Riesling. $29.00 (Arg)
________________
7. Abrente Albarino StewartRanch/Carneros/NapaVlly (13.0%) Morgan Twain-Peterson/MichaelHavens 2012: Light
yellow color; beautiful/fragrant very perfumed floral/pear/pear blossom powerful nose; quite tart/tangy/
metallic very perfumed/floral/pear/pear blossom very grapey lovely flavor; very long/lingering tart/tangy
fairly rich/powerful floral/pear/pear blossom finish; a beautiful very perfumed/aromatic Albarino. $26.00
________________
8. Abrente Albarino NapaVlly (13.0%) Morgan Twain-Peterson/MichaelHavens 2011: Light yellow color; less
perfumed/fragrant almost GWT-like/grapey/floral slight stony/mineral more complex nose; bit richer/lusher
tart some stony/mineral bit frizzante rather floral/GWT-like flavor; long bit frizzante floral/pear/GWT-like
bit stony/mineral fairly lush/rich finish; a bit less intense fragrance and a bit more stone-fruit/complex;
seems refreshed w/ CO2. $19.00
________________
9. Ferdinand Albarino Calif (13.8%; 140 cs) Napa 2010: Light gold color; very attractive floral/Albarino
fragrant/perfumed bit understated slight vanilla/oak slight lemon/lime pleasant nose; soft bit fat low-key/
understated floral/Albarino slight vanilla/oak some 7Up/sprite bit weak flavor; med.long soft/lush light
floral/Albarino light vanilla/oak finish; a pleasant enough Albarino but not deliver that much on the
palate; fairly priced at $18.00 (WoP)
________________
10. Ryme Vermentino LasBrisasVnyd/Carneros (Hers; 11.2%) 2012: Pale/near colorless color; beautiful very
fragrant/perfumed floral/bright/Vermentino/peach/mango some metallic/grapefruity lovely nose; fairly tart
some steely/metallic very bright floral/Vermentino/mango/peach light stony/metallic/mineral rather
tangy/grapefruity flavor; very long some metallic/steely/flinty/mineral strong Vermentino/floral/mango
finish; a beautiful expression of Vermentino; very fairly priced at $26.00
________________
11. Arnot-Roberts OldVine WW Compagni-PortisVnyd/SonomaVlly (2.5 brls; 13.5%) 2011: Light gold color; rather
earthy/dusty/mineral bit Semillon/waxy light floral quite interesting rather quiet/low-key bit medicinal/
insecticide/aromatic pleasant nose; tart/lean/eviscerated rather dusty/earthy/OV some waxy/Semillon flavor;
med.long some waxy/Semillon rather earthy/dusty tart/lean/pinched finish; a rather quiet/low-key interesting
white a bit like the Martini Semillons of old; not a lot of flavor on the palate. $35.00
________________
12. Carlisle Compagni-Portis SonomaVlly WW (13.5%; Planted im 1954; FieldBlend: GWT/TrousseauGris/Riesling; 50 cs)
2011
: Med.light gold color; beautiful GWT/hair oil/lychee some R/floral/mango light earthy/dusty very
aromatic/perfumed very spicy/exotic nose some like an AltoAdige R/GWT blend than Alsace; fairly tart big/rich/
lush intense floral/GWT/lychee/hair-oil textured/glycerined wonderfully aromatic flavor; very long/lingering
spicy/GWT/lychee/floral/mango/spicy tart rich/lush tart/balanced light earthy/dusty finish; powerful aromatics
that speaks mostly of GWT w/ a wonderful balance of richness & acidity on the palate; amazing white much like
an AltoAdige GWT (home of the world's greatest GWT's), but seems in the wrong-shaped btl. $34.00
________________
13. Tenor SauvBlanc ColumbiaVlly (Frmtd in concrete eggs; Skin contact; 14.6%) ArynMorell/Woodinville 2010: Light
gold color; rather earthy/dusty light floral/herbal fruit rather vanilla/oak slight phenolic/cider/mead
unusual nose w/ little/no http://geolife-naturally.com/food_bever ... ion.htmlSB character; dry/austere somewhat phenolic/cider/bitter slight herbal/SB/earthy
rather tannic/astringent flavor; med.long some phenolic/cider/mead/astringent/tannic very slight herbal/SB
finish; fairly strong phenolic character; some like Cowan Isa but less fruit & more phenolic; interesting
but not particularly attractive SB. $30.00
________________________________________________________________________________
And the BloodyPulpit:
1. ManzoniBianco: There were not a lot of grape hybridizers in Italy. LuigiManzoni developed a number of hybrids
in the early 1930's: ManzoniBianco, ManconiMoscato, ManzoniRosa. Supposedly to do well in the Veneto. This
was the first ManzoniBianco I've tried. ElisabettaForadori makes one as well.
This wine was one really strange beast and probably not a good indication of varietal ManzoniBianco. The
color seemed to indicate it was made as an orange wine, but it didn't have the strong phenolic signature
of those wines. Seemed to be made from very ripe, maybe botrytis, grapes. Strange stuff it was.
________________
2. Nascetta: This is a near-extinct variety of the Piemonte that Valter Fissore of Elvio Cogno rescued from
oblivion and made his first one in 1994. Since it was not an authorized LangheBianco grape, he labeled it
as Nas~cetta. Unlike Tribidrag...the authorities pounced & fined him for using an unathorized grape name.
Story is here: http://dobianchi.com/2010/08/24/nascetta/
________________
3. Ferdinand: This is a wine that BrianGoehry at Wines on Piedmont recommended to me. There's not much
information out there on the Net about this wnry..so they're a mystery to me. Followed them from the
very start, I suppose.
________________
4. Rusticum: This is a Giampiero Bea from grapes raised bu Cistercian nuns in the Lazio region of Umbria. Made w/
skin-contact thru the 15 day fermentation and then extended lees contact. "Interesting" is about the highest
praise you can give this wine. Because of the intense phenolic/tannic character, it was not a pleasure to taste.
Well...this is a wine that needs food...some would say. I tried it w/ a number of dishes, including BBQ beef
brisket...none of which made it a pleasant wine to drink. I'm open to suggestions...what would this wine
go well with??
________________
5. Tenor: This was a new wnry for me, picked up by SteveCostigan. www.TenorWines.com. Winemaker is ArynMorell,
who also makes the wines at Matthews and has recently started his own label, Alleromb (www.Alleromb.com).
Thought his SauvBlanc was a pretty interesting wine, some like the Cowan Isa, but somewhat more phenolic
in character.
________________
6. Harrington: Winery of BryanHarrington in SanFrancisco that sources a number of very interesting varieties.
The MuscatCanelli is a beautiful wine, one of the best Muscats I've had in some time. Powerful aromatics
but an acidity & balance on the palate that makes for great drinking.
Bryan makes the only Fiano in Calif that I have had. The regular, with wonderful aromatics, is one of the
best expressions of Fiano that I've had.
The Terrane wines of his are made w/ minimal/no SO2 additions. I was absolutely certain (LosAlamos guys
learn to speak w/ absolutly authority...even when they know nothing on the subject) that the Terrane Fiano
was made w/ prolonged skin-contact and in a slightly oxidative manner. Yet there was something out of whack
for it to be an "orange" wine. The color was not right. It didn't have that strong phenolic/tannic character
on the palate you find in orange wines. And Bryan corrected me that it is NOT a skin-contact/orange wine.
Bryan has been working since 2008 w/ an SO2 alternative from Switzerland called Protos. It is extracted
from grapeseeds and is OPC (oligomeric proanthocyanidin). He had a friend run it thru a mass spec and it
appears to have some very strange characteristics. Bryan is convinced, seen the evidence, that Protos can
make really great/ageable wine and is convinced of its efficacy as an anti-oxident. You can find more
information on this product at: http://geolife-naturally.com/food_bever ... ation.html
He asserts that the wine went into the bottle absolutely clean and none of the weird character that I was
finding. He says in the first year in the btl, it develops a slightly oxidative character and then comes
out of it down the road. He served the '11 Terrane Fiano at Sat's OpenHouse and it was clean & no oxidative
character whatsoever. In fact, EricLundblad thought it his favorite of the day. So my two remaining btls are
going into my cellar and we'll revisit one in a yr or so.
________________
7. Ryme: The winery of Ryan & Megan Glaab; he the asst.winemaker at WindGap. This Vermentino; known as Rolle in
France and Favorita in the Langhe, Pigato in Liguria; comes from FrankMahoney's LasBrisas vnyd in the Carneros,
one of the coldest Vermentino vnyds in the world (except some in Liguria). They make a Hers and a His Vermentino.
Megan's is made by convential SS fermentation, minimal oak. His is made w/ skin-contact. Both are quite good
Vermentinos, but quite different in character. I'm partial to Hers for its powerful aromatics.
Tom
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Re: WTN: Some New/Aromatic Whites...(long/boring)

by Andrew Bair » Mon Jun 03, 2013 10:13 pm

Hi Tom -

Thank you for the interesting notes yet again.

A few comments:

I've liked the Cogno Nasceta in the past, but haven't had it in a while. Not familiar with Rivetto, but theirs sounds nice as well.

IMHO, the Coenobium Rusticum is as good an orange wine that you can get for the price point.

Re: Harrington - I was not aware of Bryan's interest in Campanian varieties. I've had his 2005 Pinot Noir from the Brosseau Vineyard a couple of times, and have enjoyed it both times.

Finally, Manzoni Bianco, Incrocio Manzoni 6.0.13, or whatever you want to call it (Incrocio just means a cross or hybrid): I've yet to try one from Veneto, though Gambrinus has also made one. Both varietal examples that I've had were from Alto Adige and Lombardia.The Foradori Fontanasanta will probably be the easiest Manzoni for most people to track down. Presumably, the best places to grow this grape have yet to be determined.
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Re: WTN: Some New/Aromatic Whites...(long/boring)

by Rahsaan » Tue Jun 04, 2013 10:45 am

Andrew Bair wrote:IMHO, the Coenobium Rusticum is as good an orange wine that you can get for the price point.


I haven't tasted the 2010 but in general I agree that it is a fine wine for the price.

And on the issue of food pairings, I remember pasta with uni being touted as a perfect match.

Although in my house I generally serve orange wines as an aperitif with roasted and spiced nuts.
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Re: WTN: Some New/Aromatic Whites...(long/boring)

by Keith M » Tue Jun 04, 2013 12:48 pm

TomHill wrote:4. Rusticum: This is a Giampiero Bea from grapes raised bu Cistercian nuns in the Lazio region of Umbria.

I thought Lazio was a different region to the south of Umbria. Is there also a subregion within Umbria named Lazio?
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Re: WTN: Some New/Aromatic Whites...(long/boring)

by Andrew Bair » Wed Jun 26, 2013 9:18 pm

Keith M wrote:
TomHill wrote:4. Rusticum: This is a Giampiero Bea from grapes raised bu Cistercian nuns in the Lazio region of Umbria.

I thought Lazio was a different region to the south of Umbria. Is there also a subregion within Umbria named Lazio?


Keith - You're right about Lazio and Umbria being two different regions. Good catch!

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