Tried these three last night w/ dinner:
1. ClaraMarcelli Raffa DOC: Passerina/leMarche (Da Uve da Agricoltura Biologica; 12.5%; www.VinityWineCompany.com) Castorano 2010: Med.gold color; slight dusty/earthy/piney/resiny/paint thinner some mango/pineapple/apple/mineral/stoney interesting attractive nose; quite tart/lean/stoney/mineral some earthy/dusty attractive pineapple/mango slight pungent/smokey/gopher cremains rather pleasant/clean flavor; med.long stoney/mineral/lean/austere light mango/pineapple slight piney/resiny/metallic finish; maybe made w/ some skin contact; a rather pleasant/interesting white at a fair price. $14.00 (PMW)
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2. Golden Vevi 1954 Vino de Mesa (15%) AntonioSanz/Valladolid NV (Solera 1954): Med.brown color; quite oxidized/tangy/salty slight fruity/floral fairly complex PaloCortado-like/aged bit alcoholic nose; soft bit alcoholic rather dry oxidized/sherry-like slight pungent/smokey some tangy/salty complex interesting flavor; soft long tangy/salty slight floral/fruity rather oxidized/rancio-like finish w/ very long/lingering unpleasant/oxidized/wet dog fur/mousey aftertaste; doesn't have the bracing saline character of a PaloCortado sherry; some very interesting old/oxidized character but that aftertaste is a show-stopper.$20.00/hlf (PMW)
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3. EcoleBuissonniere LaMaison de Rose (12%) Vigneron: DominiqueGrand/StLothain/Jura NV: Med.gold color; very strong/intense grapey/mango very ripe/passito-like slight pungent/resiny/raisened somewhat orangey/OrangeMuscat-like/Muscat-like beautiful/exotic complex very perfumed nose; fairly tart rather sweet (3%-5%?) very intense/grapey/passito-like quite clean orangey/OrangeMuscat-like complex rich/lush flavor; very long/lingering intense grapey/orangey sweet pineapple/mango beautiful sweet finish; does not seem to be a Vin de Paille; more like a Muscat de Pantelleria passito w/o the intense Muscat; whatever it is, it's quite a lovely dessert wine at a great price. $18.00/500 ml (PMW)
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A wee BloodyPulpit:
1. Golden 1954: Always a sucker for of-beat wines. This iis apparently a Verdelho made in the Ribera del Douro. The solera was laid down in 1954. The barrels are not kept topped up but it's not clear or not whether flor yeast develops on it or not. It didn't taste to me like it did.
This is a genre of Spanish white that was much more common in days gone by, but you seldom see anymore. In fact, when I started tasting wines from the Priorat in the '70's, this style of "rancio" wine was the only thing you'd find (deMuller was a favorite producer). Now with bg $$'s coming in and these beautiful old Grenache/Carignane vnyds being used to make modern/international/Fr.oak aged/big Parker-scoring wines, that genre of "rancio" wine is apparently now extinct. So sad. But at least those farmers of those old vnyds are no longer driving ox-carts, but BMWs and Mercedes. That is progress...I guess.
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2. La Maison de Rose: Was not able to find out anything about this wine. It does not have the character of a Vin de Paille from the Jura. Presumably from the Trosseau grape. Definitely a late-harvest or half-way passito wine. Whatever the heck it is...it's pretty darned good.
Tom