Susan & I tried Sat night:
1. Donkey&Goat StoneCrusher Roussanne ElDorado (13%; U; 195 cs) 2010: Dark gold/orange/burnished bronze color; very strange old ladies perfume/graham cracker very ripe/appley/apple cider/cinammon/apple pie slight brett/horsecollar very exotic nose; very tart green apple/ripe/apple cider phenolic/bitter/tannic slight earthy strange/exotic flavor; long tart/lean phenolic/bitter/tannic strong apple pie/cinammon/green apple some earthy/mineral slight oxidized very exotic/strange finish; no Roussanne character apparent; lots of tart green apple character w/ lots of phenolics; very strange/unusual rendition of Roussanne. $30.00
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2. Failla Syrah PhoenixRanch/NapaVlly (14.9%; www.FaillaWines.com) 2007: Very dark color w/ no bricking; lovely blackberry/Syrah/licorice slight roasted/espresso/coffee/pungent/smokey light toasty/oak complex nose; soft/smooth light tannic strong blackberry/licorice/Syrah/pungent light roasted/coffee/espresso complex flavor; very long soft/smooth/velvety light pungent/roasted/espresso/smokey strong licorice/blackberry/Syrah light toasty/oak slight tannic complex finish; a beautiful/complex slight roasted/Rhonish fully mature Syrah.
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A wee BP:
1. D&G Roussanne: This comes from the 12-yr old EllenRidge vnyd. 100% skin-contact fermentation for 15 days. This was a classic orange wine. As soon as I poured it and noticed the color; I realized I'd screwed up and served it too cool. When it eventually warmed up to room temperature, it had a whole lot less phenolic character and was much more attractive on the palate. It's a very strange wine that will not appeal to many lovers of Roussanne. You have to think outside the box to appreciate this wine.
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2. Orange wines: This is a genre of wine that continues to perplex me. White wine made w/ some/lots skin contact; sometimes in an oxidative style. Wines made in this style seldom have much/any varietal character...at least, varietal character like we're accustomed to recognizing. The skin contact can/often give a tannic/phenolic character on the palate that can be unattractive. It's important to serve these orange wines at room temperature so the tannic/phenolic character is less pronounced n the palate. The winemaker is negligent if this fact is not mentioned on the label.
There seems to be a small/growing interest in skin-contact whites in Calif. The wave of the future?? I strongly doubt it. Some of the orange wines are downright weird..certainly not a kind that would appeal to the mass audience, or even a lot of wine geeks..unless they follow Parker's admonition to think outside the box. Many of them I find very interesting to drink; genuinely interesting...not using the term as damning w/ faint praise. It will be interesting to see how these orange wines unfold in Calif. I'll be there to follow it...from the very start.
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3. Failla: Danged...every time I try an older Failla...I kick myself for not buying more. Whatta doofus. This is Ehren's PhoenixRanch Syrah, one that I find much less interesting then hiis SonomaCoast Estate. They're usually pleasant/simple blackberry Syrahs that don't much excite me. But this '07 has evolved into a very beautiful Syrah.
Tom