Tried these last night w/ dinner:
1. Harrington MuscatCanelli FratelliVnyd/SantaClaraVlly (12.7%) 2012: Med.yellow color; very strong floral/classic Muscat/hair oil/spicy/orange blossom/peach blossom quite perfumey slight earthy/mineral bit subtle nose; very strong Muscatty/floral/hair oil/spicy fairly tart off-dry (.4%-.6%?) quite perfumed rather Alsatian-like flavor w/ no trace of bitterness; very long strong floral/Muscatty/hair oil/spicy rather tart/balanced slight earthy finish; quite an attractive perfumey Muscat. $25.00
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2. BodegaRancho Syrah ThierotVnyd/SonomaCoast (13.5%; http://www.BodegaRancho.com)D&KWines/Rutherford Kurt/Derek Beiler/Occidental 2007: Very dark color w/ no bricking; very strong blackberry/boysenberry/Syrah very spicy/cracked black pepper/pungent some NRhonish/roasted beautiful/complex nose; fairly tart very strong cracked black pepper/cold-climate Syrah/blackberry/boysenberry/spicy light toasty/oak flavor w/ light/smooth/polished tannins; very long cold-climate Syrah/cracked pepper strong spicy/blackberry/boysenberry/Syrah balanced/structured complex finish w/ smooth/graceful tannins; starting to show some secondary characteristics and a bit of NorthRhone character; really lovely drinkable Syrah that should go another 4-8 yrs. $35.00
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A wee BloodyPulpit:
1. Harrington: Muscat is not an easy wine to make...into something really good. It tends towards bitterness, which is why so many are finished slightly sweet...or w/ bubbles. The Alsatians probably do it best of all. I've had some (non-Canelli) Muscats from Germany and the AltoAdige/Sudtirol that I've liked quite a lot. I find dry Muscat a bit hard to taste as the strong/characteristic Muscat nose conditions my palate for a sweet wine..and when it's dry it seems a bit dissonant on the palate. Sometimes Muscats can be just a bit too much of a good thing...the intensity of the tutti-frutti fruit can be a bit overwhelming...a bit like a Concord or a Catawba.
This is BryanHarrington's first stab at MuscatCanelli (I believe). He got it right..first time out of the gate. It's got good acidity that keeps it from being tiring on the palate. It's distinctive Muscat but on the subtle side so it's not overpowering. Quite a nice Muscat to accompany springtime apps or just drinking on its own. I'd love to see what Bryan can do w/ orange muscat.
The FratelliVnyd is down in SantaClaraCnty. Bryan gets some really interesting stuff (Teroldego/Charbono/Lagrein) from here and does, across the board, a very good job w/ that vnyd.
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2. BodegoRanche: This is the operation of Kurt & Derek Beitler for their Rhone program. Formerly known as LaBoheme. Kurt farms AlRago's famed QueSyrah vnyd, one of the coldest Syrah vnyds in Calif. This Syrah was one of the best Calif Syrahs I've had this year..simply terrific.
perfumey slight earthy/mineral bit subtle nose; very strong Muscatty/floral/hair oil/spicy fairly tart off-dry (.4%-.6%?) quite perfumed rather Alsatian-like flavor w/ no trace of bitterness; very long strong floral/Muscatty/hair oil/spicy rather tart/balanced slight earthy finish; quite an attractive perfumey Muscat. $25.00
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2. BodegaRancho Syrah ThierotVnyd/SonomaCoast (13.5%; www.BodegaRancho.com)D&KWines/Rutherford Kurt/Derek Beiler/Occidental 2007: Very dark color w/ no bricking; very strong blackberry/boysenberry/Syrah very spicy/cracked black pepper/pungent some NRhonish/roasted beautiful/complex nose; fairly tart very strong cracked black pepper/cold-climate Syrah/blackberry/boysenberry/spicy light toasty/oak flavor w/ light/smooth/polished tannins; very long cold-climate Syrah/cracked pepper strong spicy/blackberry/boysenberry/Syrah balanced/structured complex finish w/ smooth/graceful tannins; starting to show some secondary characteristics and a bit of NorthRhone character; really lovely drinkable Syrah that should go another 4-8 yrs. $35.00
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A wee BloodyPulpit:
1. Harrington: Muscat is not an easy wine to make...into something really good. It tends towards bitterness, which is why so many are finished slightly sweet...or w/ bubbles. The Alsatians probably do it best of all. I've had some (non-Canelli) Muscats from Germany and the AltoAdige/Sudtirol that I've liked quite a lot. I find dry Muscat a bit hard to taste as the strong/characteristic Muscat nose conditions my palate for a sweet wine..and when it's dry it seems a bit dissonant on the palate. Sometimes Muscats can be just a bit too much of a good thing...the intensity of the tutti-frutti fruit can be a bit overwhelming...a bit like a Concord or a Catawba.
This is BryanHarrington's first stab at MuscatCanelli (I believe). He got it right..first time out of the gate. It's got good acidity that keeps it from being tiring on the palate. It's distinctive Muscat but on the subtle side so it's not overpowering. Quite a nice Muscat to accompany springtime apps or just drinking on its own. I'd love to see what Bryan can do w/ orange muscat.
The FratelliVnyd is down in SantaClaraCnty. Bryan gets some really interesting stuff (Teroldego/Charbono/Lagrein) from here and does, across the board, a very good job w/ that vnyd.
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2. BodegaRanche: This is the operation of Kurt & Derek Beitler for their Rhone program. Formerly known as LaBoheme. Kurt farms AlRago's famed QueSyrah vnyd, one of the coldest Syrah vnyds in Calif. This Syrah was one of the best Calif Syrahs I've had this year..simply terrific.
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3. QueSyrahVnyd: It is now available for public consumption. AlRago's Syrah vnyd and property has been up for sale for several yrs now. This winter he was making plans to pull the Syrah vines and replant with PinotNoir. BooHoo. But victory was grasped from the jaws of defeat. The Syrah stays and now will be going to Arnot-Roberts. ThankYou/ThankYou/ThankYou, Duncan & Nathan. This should be a great match. 400 old/diseased Clone 877 vines have been pulled and rootstock planted for grafting to Syrah this Fall. Exciting times at QueSyrah.
Tom