Tried this throw-away wine last night:
1. Santino OrangeMuscat AmadorCnty (14.8%; "Elegant Dessert Wine") 1987: Deep golden/burnished bronze color; very intense muscatty/orange blossom/orangey/GrandMarnier bit dusty slight Muscat de Setubal beautiful very Italian passito quite complex nose; soft quite sweet very intense orangey/orange liquer/GrandMarnier/some muscatty slight Muscat de Setubal very complex incredible flavor; very long/lingering quite sweet soft very intense orangey/orange blossom/GransMarnier/muscatty slight Muscat de Setubal w/o oxidation caramel/butterscotch complex beautiful finish; an absolutely stunning complex passito dessert wine that will go on another 10-20 yrs.
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A wee BloodyPulpit:
1. This was a throw-away wine that I opened after dinner w/ zero expectations. Not having a dessert around, I salvaged a small bowl of lemon curd/chevre frosting left over from my last Oreos. Sorta like standing over the sink and spooning ice cream straight out of the container...not that any of us have ever stooped that low.
About a month ago, I discovered, back in the further reaches of my garage a stack of 6-7 cases of wines from early-mid '80's. I now recall stacking them there w/ the intent of stashing them in the wine cellar in a day or two. Totally uncontrolled wine storage; upper 80's-90's for a month or so in the summer, low 30's in the winter. Btls standing upright, not on their sides. Dreadful conditions.
I've been working thru those cases over the last few days. Mostly reds. Most have been pretty miserable, brown & rather oxidized. Most go down the sink. A few Cabs have given glimpses of their former glory (MountEden CS '84), but just that. The Zins, save one LateHrvst, have been totally shot.
Thank me for not posting TN's on them.
However, despite their upright storage, the corks have been solid and come out intact (with an AhSo). We, of course, know that this cannot be. Wine must be stored on its side to keep the cork moist. The experts tell us that, anyway.
This was a wine made at Santino (before Renwood) by ScottHarvey. His first OrangeMuscat, I believe. I recall this wine being rather delicate and having an ethereal orange blossom scent upon release. So I was certain it would be totally shot. It was not...it was magnificent...as good an example of an aged passito wine as you can find.
Because of the high alcohol and considerable RS, this is an example of a passito wine. I'm sure Scott just left the grapes on the vine to raisen and then harvested in the low 30'sBrix. This is a genre of dessert wine they should be pursuing with a vengance in Calif. Harbor Mission del Sol and StonyHill Semillon de Soliel are two other great examples of this genre that age well. Some people just let them raisen on the vine. Some people harvest in the upper 20'sBrix and lay them out on trays to raisen for several weeks. One technique is to let the grapes fully ripen and then come along and severe the canes right at the first bunch of grapes; and then harvest a few weeks later. Seems a lot easier. But, at any rate, I wish they were making more passito wines in Calif. Imagine...a Compagni-Portis dessert passito by Mike or Morgan. It boggles the mind.
Tom