We tried tonight (2/22/12) some NewWines:
1. Vina Zanate Marmajnelo Ycoden Daute Isora/Tenerife WW (Marmezuelo grape?; 12.5%; www.JosePastorSelections.com)
Bodegas Vina La Guancha 2009: Med.light gold color; quite minerally/earthy slight floral/appley rather interesting
attractive nose; soft/supple rather minerally/earthy light floral/apple blossom/mango some mushy/porky/lush pleasant
flavor; light fairly rich/lush/soft/porky slight appley/mango fairly mineral/earthy med.short finish; a bit light
Corsican Vermentino w/o the acidity zing; an interesting & pleasant white but just that. $22.00 (K&L)
________________________
2. Tiberini Maturato IGT: ToscanaBianco (14.5%; Pulcinello grape/Grechetto) Luca e Fabio Tiberini/Montepulciano
2007: Med.dark gold color; slightly oxidized/sherry lush/ripe/very ripe rather piney/resiny/PineSol quite perfumed nose;
bit tannic/bitter slight oxidative lush/ripe/pineapply/grapey/spicy rather unusual very attractive flavor; very long lush/
ripe/pineapply/mango slightly oxidative finish; on the ripe side but very exotic & interesting. $30.00 (WE)
________________________
3. RedTailRidge Lemberger MartiniFamilyVnyd/FingerLakes/NewYork (14%; www.RedTailRidgeWinery.com; 425 cs)
PennYan/NY 2008: Very light color; rather earthy/dusty quite fragrant/perfmed slight plastic/vinyl spicy/cinammon/rather
Pinot-like attractive nose; tart/lean delicate very spicy/cinammon/Pinotish some earthy/dusty flavor; elegant/delicate
rather spicy/cinammon/Pinot-like some earthy/dusty slight vinyl/plastic finish w/ very light tannins; much like an
AltoAdige Pinot but much lighter; quite interesting & attractive Lemberger. $17.00 (K&L)
________________________
4. GiovanniBlason franconia/blaufrankisch IGT: delle Venezia (13%) Gradisca d'Isonzo 2008: Dark color; rather earthy/dusty
some grapey simple nose; soft bit tannic/bitey earthy/dusty/grapey coarse/rustic simple flavor; med.short coarse/rough/
rustic earthy/dusty some grapey/plummy flavor w/ some bitey tannins; somewhat coarse/rustic/simple red. $5.00 (K&L)
________________________
5. VidSur Dd'O: LaPalma Tinto Negramoll (13%; 50% whole clusters; U) Bodegas Juan Matias Torres Perez 2009: Very light
slightly bricked color; some earthy/BeaujGC some spicy/peppery/herbal/tapenade slight funky complex rather interesting
nose; tart rather bright/cherry/spicy/peppery some earthy/BeaujGC quite spicy interesting flavor; long some bright/
cherry earthy/BeaujGC light bit tannic finish; much like a light BeaujGrandCru; interesting red at a fair price.
$16.00 (K&L)
________________________
6. Bodega Tajinaste 4 Meses Barrica Dd'O: Valle de la Orotava/Tenerife/IslesCanarias (13 %; JosePastorSlctn;
Listán Negro/Mission) 2008: Med.dark color; strong cracked black pepper/Rhonish/Syrah-like silght earthy/dusty lovely
complex nose; tart very spicy/Rhonish/cracked black pepper/olive tapenade light earthy/dusty quite complex flavor;
very long earthy/dusty cracked black pepper/Rhonish/olive tapenade tart complex finish w/ some tannins; needs several
yrs age; very terroir-driven wine; very interesting at a fair price. $30.00 (K&L)
________________________
7. CortiBros Refosco/Mondeuse AtlasPeak/NapaVlly (TW) HarborWnry/WestSacramento 1993: Med.light color w/ some bricking;
some pencilly/oak slight old Zin/spicy slight bretty some plummy/black cherry slight licorice/pungent rather complex
nose; bit tart some bretty/barnyardy old Zin/pencilly some plummy/licorice/black cherry slight tannic/dried out complex
flavor; med.long rather bretty/barnyardy some plummy/black cherry/licorice old Zin/pencilly complex; some old Zin
character but still speaks of Mondeuse; starting to dry out a bit and creeping over the hill but still very much alive
and a real pleasure to drink. $12.00 (CB)
________________________
8. CortiBros Mondeuse AtlasPeak/NapaVlly (TW) 2009: Dark color; very strong herbal/rosemary/pungent/spicy beautiful aromatic/
licirico/linseed oil/latex paint/perfumed strong plummy/black cherry/licorice really beautiful perfumed nose; soft/lush/
smooth some tannic/structured very spicy/herbal/rosemary/pungent/latex paint fairly strong licorice/plummy/black cherry
perfumed flavor; very long some tannic/rough strong herbal/rosemary/spicy rather plummy/black cherry/floral/licorice/
pungent/earthy finish; some like a Savoie Mondeuse but strong herbal/rosemary/pungent character; still can use a yr or
three; very interesting wine at a great price; will be interesting to see how this ages. $10.00 (CB)
________________________
9. AuBonClimat Mondeuse Selection BienNacidoVnyd/SantaMariaVlly (13.5%) 2000: Med.color; strong floral/classic BienNacido/
black cherry very perfumed/fragrant rather toasty/pencilly/oak lovely/aromatic classic BN nose w/ only a little Mondeuse
character; fairly tart strong toasty/smoky/pencilly/oak slight earthy/dusty classic BN/black cherry slight tired/dried-
out flavor; fairly long bit tired/dried out/tannic strong pencilly/toasty/oak light black cherry/classic BN finish;
tastes mostly of BN/black cherry; starting to dry out & a bit tired and some like an old Clendenan Pinot than Mondeuse;
still some life left and rather interesting. $18.00
________________________
10. Carlisle Mondeuse RRV (14.3%; from vines planted in 1910; 25 cs) 1999: Med.color w/ slight bricking; slight funky/earthy
(that clears) strong licorice/black cherry/spicy/pungent quite perfumed/fragrant some smokey/toasty/charred/oak very
aromatic/very complex nose; tart bit tannic some earthy/dusty rather Savoie-like/black cherry/licorice/earthy some tannic/
hard some toasty/smokey/oak/pungent bit tannic/dried out complex flavor; very long some licorice/pungent/black cherry
bit tannic/rough/rustic/Savoie-like bit toasty/smokey/oak/pungent slight tannic/dried out finish w/ good complexity;
seems a bit on the downside but still plenty of life and strong Savoie-like/black cherry/licorice character; very
aromatic & complex; a wonderful expression of Mondeuse in Calif. $30.00
________________________
11. Lagier-Meredith Mondeuse MtVeeder/NapaVlly (45 cs; 14.5%) 2009: Very dark/black color; some toasty/oak very
strong licorice/black cherry/boysenberry bit herbal/rosemary/chocolaty very Savoie-like/some earthy/dusty beautiful/
fragrant nose; soft/lush/rich rather tannic/hard very strong black cherry/boysenberry/licorice/pungent quite Savoie-like/
light earthy very light toasty/oak perfumed flavor; very long/lingering strong black cherry/boysenberry/licorice/pungent
slight herbal/rosemary light toasty/oak bit earthy/Savoie-like/dusty some tannic/hard perfumed/aromatic finish; starting
to show the wild/rustic/sauvage side of Mondeuse now; amazing wine, maybe world's best Mondeuse. $42.00
________________________
12. Rinali ReDream Brachetto Filterato Dolce Sweet RW (7%) Ricaldone NV: Light red color; very strong fragrant/perfumed/
floral/lilacs/roses Brachetto nose; fairly sweet frizzante very floral/lilacs/roses/cherry/Nehi cherry soda pop/black
cherry flavor; med.short frizzante very floral/lilacs/Brachetto Nehi cherry soda pop finish; quite a pretty frivolous
Lambrusco-like high-toned/cherry wine; very tasty. $28.00 (CR/KC)
________________________________________________________________________
The usual BloodyPulpit:
1. Marmezuelo: I gather from the K&L literature, this is the variety used in this wine. Cannot find anything out
there about this grape. ListanBlanco & Malvasia are the traditional white grapes on Tenerife.
________________________
2. Blaufrankish: Also known in WashState as Lemberger (whatta marketable name that is). This variety is a cross
between GouaisBlanc X unknown Frankish variety. GouaisBlanc was not highly regarded and, therefore, a grape for
the peasants. But Gouais Blanc must have been quite a philanderer and spread his wild oats far & wide, as he's
the ancestor of a great many modern grapes. Hardly any, if any, exists today.
________________________
3. Mondeuse: SteveLagier likes to refer to Mondeuse (Noire) as Syrah's bastard uncle. Syrah is Mondeuse Blanche X
Dureza. The "uncle" may be a stretch because Wikipedia (source of all knowledge) claims that Mondeuse Noire and
Mondeuse Blanche are not related, except by name.
The '93 Corti, one of several vintages Darrell made at Charlie's HarborWnry from grapes grown in the Antinori's
AtlasPeak vnyd was labeled Refosco/Mondeuse; with the Mondeuse upside down on the label right under the Refosco.
Back in those days, it was thought that Refosco and Mondeuse were the identical grape. DNA testing since then as shown
that the Refosco being planted in Calif was, in fact, Mondeuse. The only true Refosco (dal PeduncolaRosso) planting
in Calif is by the Matthiasson's. Those AtlasPeak Mondeuse plantings have since been pulled (so sad) and the '09
was the last crop from those vines. The wine was made at Trinchero. Bottled under screw cap. When I first tasted it
on release; I described it as "fiercely tannic". Darrell took umbrage at that characterization. Over the yr's time,
it has seemed to shed a lot of those tannins. Or my original taste was dead-wrong...it happens.
The Carlisle Mondeuse comes from the TwoAcres vnyd. Mike only makes this Mondeuse in infrequent yrs. In its youth,
it tends to be a pretty rough/tannic wine; much like Savoie Mondeuse. Mostly the Mondeuse will go into the TwoAcres
wine he makes; one of the great old-vine vnyds of Calif.
I first had the L-M Mondeuse as an under-the-table pour at RR or FamilyWinemakers last year. Tiny planting, about
1/3'rd acre as I recall just below the L-M manse up on MtVeeder. When I first tasted their Mondeuse, it reminded me
a lot of the L-M Syrah. This btl, a year later, now speaks much more than that, more like a Savoie Mondeuse w/ a bit
of rustic/earthy character. Amazing wine I thought. Wisht I'd bought more.
This was probably the biggest tasting of Calif Mondeuse ever held in the USofA. When I fiirst had Mike's Mondeuse
fram barrel back around '96, I was most impressed by it and thought Mondeuse had a real potential in Calif. There was
nothing in this tasting to make me change my mind. Hope they start planting more of it. Maybe even Poulsard. Maybe we
can even start a SAP group (Savoie Advocates & Producers).
________________________
4. Maturato: This is the second time I've tried this wine. The previous one seemed somewhat more oxidized than this btl.
Not sure how this wine is made, but it seems to be made as an orange wine w/ skin contact and in a slightly oxidative
style. A bit on the ripe side, but quite interesting and rather exotic.
________________________
5. ListanNegro: This wine is genetically identical to the Mission grape of Calif. But this wine is totally different
from any Calif Mission red wine I've had, which tend to be light in color and dull as dishwater. Despite the
genetic identity, ListanNegro and Mission are classified as two distinct grape varieties. The Calif Mission is
so far removed in time from ListanNegro that they bear very little similarity. The Calif Mission was brought from
Spain by the Spanish padres and may have been propagated from seeds, which could explain the great differences.
________________________
6. Brachetto: Like most of this genre, this is such a frivolous/wonderful/good-drinking/non-serious wine to have
around. It's amazing the anti-alcohol forces have not jumped all over wines such as this. This is a "gateway" drug that
leads teen-agers raised on Nehi soda pop to go onto more serious drugs...like ScreamingEagle and SQN. Maybe wines
this delicious should be banned before things get really bad.
Tom