Another mix of wines from the past month or so that I hadn't already posted on.
2010 Azienda Vinicola Rivera S.p.A. Rosè Castel del Monte DOC
100% Bombino Nero; a new grape to me. Light to medium-bodied, smooth, moderately acidic, with rose, plum, and melon notes. Good/very good.
2009 Emmerich Knoll Riesling Federspiel Loibner
Medium-bodied, dry, surprisingly somewhat juicy; more mineral, with lime, floral and mint notes. The palate is somewhat disjointed at this stage, and I’m not quite sure where this one is ultimately headed.
2009 Clark-Claudon Vineyards Sauvignon Blanc “Wild Iris” Napa Valley
100% Sauvignon Blanc, with 8% being the Sauvignon Musque clone. With a name like Wild Iris, I was hoping for an attractively floral Sauvignon. Actually, the florality here is more delicate rather than dramatic. What I liked most was the minerality here, which was reminiscent of a better Sancerre. This is medium-bodied, crisp, bone dry, and well balanced, with good underlying acidity. Very mineral, floral and lightly grassy, with citrus, apricot, and tropical fruit notes. Great for a hot summer day.
2009 Azienda Agricola Alberto Graci Etna DOC Rosso
100% Nerello Mascalese. Herbal nose. Medium-bodied, fruity and modern, with moderate acidity/rather light tannins. Tastes of cherries and red currants, with some underlying mineral notes. Good, but not special.
2006 Château Maris Old Vine Grenache Minervois La Livinière
Full, high in alcohol, round, with aromas/flavors of dark fruits, currants, spices, and cocoa. Pass – there are much better Minervois/ La Livinière to choose from.
2006 Maison Joseph Drouhin Chorey-les-Beaune
Floral/slightly gamy/red berry nose. Light in weight, smooth, well balanced, with good underlying acidity, and just a bit of unresolved tannin. Shows red berry, plum, game, baking spice, and wildflower notes. A little more resolved and seamless on day 2; also meatier and less floral. On sale for $13, down from $19 – even at the regular price, this would have been one of the best bargains in red Burgundy that I have had recently.
2002 Királyudvar Tokaji Aszú Muskotály
As the name suggests, this Tokaji is made entirely from Yellow Muscat grapes; a not unique, but nevertheless uncommon style of Tokaji. From 500 ml bottle. Although the various Muscats don’t usually lend themselves to the levels of acidity needed to balance out the sweetness of botrytized wines – there is more than enough acidity here, resulting in an impeccably balanced sweet wine. Compared to the color of your typical Furmint-based Tokaji, this wine has more of a yellowish tint. The nose is a vivid bouquet of fresh flowers, thyme, chives, leafy greens, pine sap, honey, and botrytis. Quite viscous, yet precise and silky smooth; not oxidative, with flavors of honey, caramel, golden raisins, pears, and apricots; good length on the finish. Excellent; the distinctive Muscat aromas and flavors really show through nicely.
1978 Freemark Abbey Winery Sweet Johannisberg Riesling Edelwein Napa Valley
According to the label, 10.2% alcohol/15.5% residual sugar. The bottle had a good fill level, and no signs of leakage. There were many tartrate crystals on the bottom of the cork. Dark amber color. Nose of coffee and oranges. Full, quite viscous, well balanced, with the weight and sweetness of a BA. Quite complex, with cherry, orange, plum, caramel, brown sugar, chocolate, licorice, and floral notes. Excellent/outstanding.