In the mood to try some wines last night, so I cracked:
1. Weingut Reuscher-Haart Piesporter Goldtropfchen Uber Schwang Riesling (Pradikatswein; Spatlese Feinherb; EB; A.P.Nr. 2 596 470 08 12; www.Weingut-Reuscher-Haart.De; 11.5%; TerryTheiseSlctn) Piesport 2011: Light gold color; very strong mineral/slatey/steely/classic Mosel some floral/R/slight pineapple/mango spicy beautiful nose; bit off-dry quite mineral/slatey/metallic/steely light floral/R/slight mango/spicy quite tart flavor; very long strong slatey/steely/mineral/metallic some floral/mango/R/spicy near dry/austere finish; a quintessential Mosel that is a 10-15 yr wine at a stupid/silly price. $20.00 (AV)
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2. DryCreekVnyd Chard DCV10/RRV/SonomaCnty (13.0%; www.DryCreekVineyard.com; 298 cs) 2011: Med.gold color; very attractive melony/lemony/Chard/spicy/nutmeg light smokey/pencilly/Fr.oak svelte/restrained lovely nose; fairly tart rich/bright/zippy strong lemony/melony/Chard/spicy light toasty/pencilly/smokey/Fr.oak balanced/restrained flavor; very long/lingering balanced/bright/svelte/sculpted light smokey/Fr.oak/nutmeg rather strong melony/lemony/mango/Chard fairly tart/tangy finish; an absolutely lovely Chard w/ just the right balance of acid and richness; should age fairly well for 3-8 yrs. $34.00
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3. Terre di SanLeonardo IGT: Vigneti delle Dolomiti RW (13%; www.SanLeonardo.It; ViasImports; Bdx blend of CabSauv/CabFranc/Merlot/Carmenere) Marchese Carlo Guerrieri Gonzaga/Borghetto All'Adige 2008: Dark color w/ slight bricking; quite earthy/dusty/loamy slight smokey/mineral bit plummy/blackcurranty/Bdx-like/herbal light toasty/oak/smokey quite complex/interesting nose; rather tart/lean/austere quite earthy/loamy/dusty/mineral bit blackcurranty/Cab/plummy flavor w/ soft/smooth tannins; med.long strong earthy/loamy/dusty slight blackcurranty/Cab/plummy light toasty/oak bit old-timey Bdx-like finish w/ fairly smooth tannins; speaks strongly of Trentino earthy/granite terroir w/ a bit of resemblance to old-timey Bdx and some to Argentine Cab; interesting red at a good price. $20.00 (AV)
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A wee BloodyPulpit:
1. DryCreek: It's easy to dump on Calif Chards. I get so tired of hearing the label "alcoholic/fat/over-oaked/under-acid/buttery Calif Chards" used to tar&feather all Calif Chards. To tell the truth, I just don't encounter many of those anymore..though maybe I should try a Rombauer & recalibrate. But this DCV Chard was one of those lovely Calif Chards that I find more & more of these days. It actually reminded me of the early JosephSwan Chards, which always had a dynamic balance between acidity and richness, but w/ a less oak influence.
The current lineup of wines coming out of DCV these days is pretty impressive, as witnessed by this Chard and the recent HeritageClone Zin '11. The wines are starting to reflect more & more the winemaking of TimBell. The guy seems to know a thing or two about making wine I'd have to say.
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2. SanLeonardo: This producer from the Trentino, near the border of the Veneto, is not one I've had any experience with. They (ArroyoVino) had his high-end Bdx-blend ($60-ish) wich I had no interest in. But this low-end blend and the fact I seldom see Bdx-style reds from NorthernItaly picqued my interest; so I sprung for a btl. It's not a profound red and I'd not bother to buy another btl, but it was an interesting/off-norm red to try. They appear to have a fair amount of Carmenere in their vnyds, but don't see they make a varietal version.
Tom