Picked up this oddity at Roberto's/WineExpo & tried that night:
1. SolmsHegewisch Koloni WO: WesternCape (15%; 73% RhineRiesling/14% Muscat d'Alexandrie/13% Muscat de Frontignan; Dessicated on the vine; 11 mo. in new Fr.oak; www.Solms-Delta.com) 2007: Deep gold color; very strong honeyed/raisened bit overripe/phenolic/resiny almost botrytis-like almost German Auslese-like ripe figgy very complex nose; rather tart/dry/austere raisened/overripe some phenolic/resiny very honeyed/figgy rather old Australian-R-like tangy quite complex flavor; very dry/austere/tart/tangy rich/mouthfilling slight phenolic/resiny very ripe/figgy/honeyed quite complex finish much like an old Australian R or Semillon; a very complex/exotic very interesting wine; great stuff.
$10.00 (WE)
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A wee BloodyPulpit:
1. Stopped into Roberto's to pick up a btl or two to have w/ friends in Venice that night & would up ordering a case to be shipped home. I needed a white, the price was right, the label sounded interesting, so I went for it.
This is what would be called in Italy a passito wine. But, unlike most, this was passitoized on the vine. When the grapes are sufficiently ripened (but not late harvest), they go into the vnyd w/ needle-nosed pliers and crimp the rachis (the stem connecting the grape bunch to the cane) hard. The next day, they repeat the process at a 90 degree angle. This stops the flow of nutrients to the bunch. The grapes are then left there for 4-6 weeks to dessicate/raisen. They're then harvested carefully and frmtd, w/ pumpovers. This technique has been used once in Calif, but the canes w/ the multiple grape bunches on them were simply hacked off.
They label this as a dessert wine but I found it totally dry to my taste, though quite rich & textured. Reminded me mostly of a very old Oz R or Semillon, more than anything.
They have a very interesting WebSite (www.Solms-Delta.com) that has a lot of interesting wines I'd like to try. Not sure who the importer is (Roberto?). Anyway...quite an interesting/exotic apertif white.
Tom