We tasted last night (6/2/10) Some New/Unusual Wines, mostly Aromatic Whites:
1. VinoV Confundida WW (12.5%; 100% Albarino; www.VinoVWines.com) Ventura 2009: Light gold color;
very attractive floral/caarnations some stoney/minerally classic Albarino perfumed nose; tart rich/lush
very spicy/floral/carnations bit hair oil/GWT-like slight stoney/minerally flavor; very long floral/
carnations/spicy almost GWT-like light minerally/stoney finish; classic Albarino character w/
a spicy lushness you don't get in Spanish versions. $20.00
___________________
2. Abrente NapaVlly Albarino (13.0%) Morgan Twain-Peterson & Michael Havens 2009: Med.light color;
somewhat more lush/floral/spicy very light minerally/stoney/metallic classic Albarino nose; very
tart/lean rather strong/minerally/metallic light floral/Albarino flavor; med. lean/tart somewhat
minerally/stoney finish; not the floral perfume of the VinoV and much more lean/tart on the palate;
more of a Spanish Albarino in style. $24.00
___________________
3. OjaiVnyd Riesling KickOnRanch/SBC (13.5%) 2008: Light gold color; strong floral/R light pineapply/citric
slight herbal/hatfield slight earthy/minerally very attractive nose; some tart/lean light floral/R/
pineapply slight stoney/earthy/minerally pleasant flavor; med. light/pineapply/floral/R silght earthy/
minerally finish; should age for 4-8 yrs I would guess; very attractive old-Alsatian-style R. $20.00
___________________
4. Chien Edelzwicker SBC (56% Riesling/7% GWT/37% PinotBlanc; 219 cs; 14.1%) 2007: Light yellow color; lovely
aromatic/pineapply/floral/perfumed slight slatey/valve oil/Mosel-like slight GWT/hair oil/lychee very
fragrant nose; tart rich/lush very floral/pineapply/perfumed/floral slight slatey/valve oil dry balanced
flavor; very long pineapply/floral/lush slight minerally/slatey lush tart finish; speaks mostly of
Reisling and in a beautiful tone of voice; very Alsatian in style. $24.00
___________________
5. Chien Edelzwicker SBC (45% PinotBlanc/40% Riesling/15% GWT; 278 cs; 14.1%) 2008: Light yellow color; lovely
floral/pineapply rather GWT/hair oil/lychee lush/spicy very aromatic nose; tart fairly rich/lush floral/
hair oil/GWT/pineapply spicy dry flavor; long very spicy/floral/pineapply/hair oil/GWT dry lush finish;
speaks mostly of GWT w/ R/floral overtones; lovely Alsatian-style wine. $24.00
___________________
6. MaRof Beli Kriz (White Cross) Kakovostno Vino ZGP Prekmurje/Slovenija (65% SauvBlanc/
35% WelschRiesling; 12.5%; www.Marof.EU; www.PanVita.SI) Winemaker: Erich Krutzler 2007: Very pale yellow
color; rather strong grassy/SB slight cat pee/unpleasant/unclean/sewer gas nose; soft somewhat grassy/
SB/aspargras some earthy slight cheesy bit unusual flavor; med.short grassy/aspargras/SB/cheesy slight
earthy finish; a rather interesting herbal/earthy rendition of SB. $17.00
___________________
7. Praepositvs Sylvaner DOC: AltoAdige/ValleIsarco (13.5%) Stiftskellerei Neustift Abbazia di
Novacella/Varna 2008: Light gold color; attractive floral/Sylvaner/spicy rather earthy/chalky/minerally
classic AltoAdige nose; tart rather earthy/minerally/chalky light floral/Sylvaner/spicy pleasant flavor;
med.long some earthy/minerally/chalky somewhat lean light floral/grapey/Sylvaner/spicy finish; attractive
floral/Sylvaner character w/ classic AltoAdige minerality/earthy character; bit pricey. $33.00
___________________
7a. ElenaWalch Kastelaz GWT AltoAdige (15%) 2006: Med.gold color; very intense hair-oil/lychee/GWT very
perfumed/fragrant slight chalky/minerally beautiful nose; slight tart very rich/lush intense GWT/lychee/
hair-oil rich/mouthfilling slight chalky/minerally flavor; very long/lingering intense GWT/hair-oil/lychee
light stoney/chalky ripe/lush finish; more towards the Z-H model of GWT but shows some of the AltaAdige
minerality; beautiful GWT. $25.00
___________________
8. Chien GrunerVeltliner SBC (100%; 322 cs; 13.8%) 2009: Light gold color; lovely peppery/spicy/GV/citric/
pineapply very perfumed some complex/mineral nose; lightly tart/lush spicy/peppery/floral some pineapply/
fruity dry/near-dry balanced/perfumed flavor; very long tart/balanced dry very spicy/floral/peppery/GV
complex finish; low-key GV pepperiness w/ some floral/R-like character; a very lovely white. $25.00
___________________
8a. Chehalem GrunerVeltliner WindRidgeVnyd/RibbonRidge/Oregon (RS: 0.2%; 13.0%) 2009: Med.yellow color;
very attractive floral/R/PG-like light pineapply pleasant rather simple nose; soft light pineapply/floral
slight metallic simple flavor; med. light pineapply/floral/fruity soft slight earthy finish; lacks
the classic GV peppery character; a pleasant fruit wine more like PG or R than GV. $20.00
___________________
9. Tiberini Maturato IGT: ToscanaBianco (14.5%; Pulcinello grape) Montepulciano 2007: Dark gold bit orange
color; beautiful/intense grapey/very ripe/lush figgy/spicy very perfumed almost botrytis slight oxidized
nose; soft slight oxidized very ripe/figgy/Semillon-like bit earthy/dusty fairly dry complex/interesting
flavor; very long/lingering slight oxidized very ripe/figgy/spicy somewhat earthy/dusty/Kansas root cellar
complex finish; appears to be made as an orange wine w/ skin contact and slight oxidative character;
a biit pricey but quite an interesting wine. $36.00
___________________
10. DonnaPaola DOC: Marino/CollePicchioni/Lazio (12%; 60% Malvasia+Trebbiano/Semillon) Az.Agr
Paola di Mauro 2006: Med.gold color; intense Malvasia/muscatty/orangey very ripe almost Sauternes-like
interesting nose; soft slight tangy very ripe/figgy/lush fairly dry/off-dry orangey/muscatty very ripe/
passito-like flavor; long very ripe/lush/passito dry/off-dry figgy/muscatty finish; sort of like a passito-
wannabe; quite an interesting wine but a bit pricey. $27.00
___________________
11. ProCorde Vranac Plantaze PodgoricaRegion/Montenegrin Reserve Dry RW ControlledOrigin:
LakeSkadorVlly (Autochthonous Grapevine Variety; "The high proanalaocyanidin content,
obtained in specific technological process, provides for the high quality of this wine")
2007: Dark color; very rustic/earthy plummy/juicy/Dolcetto-like some blueberry/black cherry interesting
nose; soft rather tannic/rustic fairly plummy/juicy/blueberry/Dolcetto-like fairly earthy light oak
flavor; med.long rough/earthy/rustic some tannic/hard blueberry/plummy finish; a rather rough & rustic
red much like a Dolcetto w/o the hard tannins. $17.00
___________________
12. SanTomas big red V.O. Slovenska Istra (100% refosk; 13%) L.N.Glavina 2006: Dark color; rather earthy/
bretty/unclean/rustic/bit fecal plummy/blackberry/earthy nose; rather hard/tannic quite rustic/earthy some
plummy/blackberry/Refosco somewhat unclean/bretty/fecal; med. rough/rustic/hard/tannic some blackberry/
plummy/earthy rather unclean/bretty finish; pretty hard/tannic & needs some age; rather unclean/bretty
w/ a low-key/plummy/refosco character. $19.00
___________________
13. Ampelos Epsilon Dornfelder HuberVnyd/StaRitaHills (14.5%; 5 brls; www.AmpelosCellars.com)
2007: Very dark/black color; intense grapey/plummy/licorice some earthy/blackberry rather minty/
menthol/eucalyptus very interesting nose; strong minty/menthol/eucalyptus very plummy/blackberry/
boysenberry some earthy/rustic lush bit tannic/hard complex flavor; very long intense grapey/plummy/
blackberry/boysenberry light toasty/oak somewhat menthol/eucalyptus fairly hard/tannic finish; loads
of rich/plummy/licorice fruit w/ an underlying earthy/rustic character; rather big & bombastic and
not the usual Ampelos high-toned/elegant character; sorta like the hippopotamus ballerina doing
the SwanLake ballet; lovely wine that should age out 5-10 yrs. $35.00
____________________________________________________________________________
And the usual BloodyPulpit:
1. Albarino: I like Spanish Albarino for it's minerality and lightly floral character. The Abrente was
more along the profile of the Spanish ones. I really liked the VinoV version because it spoke more
of a Calif rendition of Albarino, yet still had some of that stoney/mineral character. The VinoV
Albarino comes from a small/Eastern SantaYnezVlly vnyd nearby the Estelle vnyd.
___________________
2. Ojai R: This is Adam's 2'nd Riesling. Grapes come from KickOn Ranch, just to the nort & west of
LosAlamos, near the LosAlamos vnyd. Last yr's was pretty lean & acidic, schreechingly so. This yr's
version is much more attractive; not as painfully acidic. Very nice R at a very good price.
___________________
3. Gruner: This is a variety that is starting to attract some attention in Calif and elsewhere.
You can buy some pretty terrific Austrian GruVees in the $15-$30 price range. Supposedly the first
Calif GV is the vonStrasser. Priced at a laughable $40/btl. Though I've not tasted it, that seems
like a pretty steep price compared to Austrian versions. I suspect the price is based on the scarcity/
rarity factor rather than the actual quility. Don&Lindsay are to be complimented on pricing their
(equally rare) GV at a sensible price. MikeOfficer, a huge GV fan, got some Gruner planted for him up on
SonomaMtn and should make his first one this year. Exciting thought, his first white wine.
___________________
4. Chien: This is a wine made by Don & Lindsay Schroeder at the Ampelos wnry. Don is BeckyWork's son,
and is also the winemaker at SeaSmoke. The focus is mostly on Alsatian-style whites, but obviously
including other aromatic whites. With the Edelzwickers and the Gruner, they obviously have that style
nailed. And the prices are very reasonable. It will be interesting to see how the Gruner evolves.
Of the Edelzwickers, I slightly preferred the '07 version. The '08 spoke more strongly of GWT, maybe
a bit simpler in character, not the minerality & interesting thing of the '07. That maay be just
because it's a younger wine. But they're two of the best Alsatian-style whites I've had from Calif.
___________________
5. Alsace in SantaBarbara: Years ago, when BrianBabcock first started making wine at Babcock; his passion/
desire was to make classic/dry Alsatian-style JR & GWT. And he did for some 5-6 yrs. Not only were they
quite good, but they aged amazingly well. I suspect some of those original ones are still alive. Alas,
the realities of the marketplace soon beat the holy heck of that idea out of Brian's head and that
passion was abandoned. Maybe it's time for him to revisit that place.
I'm excited by some of the Alsatian-style wines that are starting to appear out of SBC. These Chien
are some of the best. Tercero, Ojai are others. I really liked the ones Claibourne&Churchill are
producing these days. Fortunately, the quantities are small, so I don't think the marketing is a big
issue yet.
Tom