Last night (4/23/14) we tried some More New Wines:
1. Ryme RibollaGialla VareVnyd/NapaVlly (13.4%; www.RymeCellars.com) 2011: Med.dark gold color; some phenolic/
cidery/savory/resiny light peppery/floral/honeyed/orangey mineral complex nose; very rich/lush/tangy/tart quite
phenolic/resiny/savory bit tannic/austere rather orangey/floral/peppery some honeyed bit austere/metallic flavor;
very long rather phenolic/savory/resiny bit tannic/metallic/hard rather rich/lush some orangey/floral/peppery/
spicy complex finish; a great combition of savory/phenolic character and ripe/lush/honeyed fruit; reminds me
a lot of the Simcic Ribolla; maybe the best Ryme Ribolla yet. $45.33
_______________
2. laViarte RibollaGialla DOC: Friuli ColliOrientali (12.5%; KermitLynch) Prepotto 2012: Light yellow near colorless;
lovely very floral/spicy/carnations/roses slight peppery/earthy/metallic very aromatic almost R-like nose; rather
tart/lean/mineral/steely/austere lightly floral/carnations/roses delicate/peppery/perfumed flavor; long quite
tart/tangy/metallic/grapefruity light peppery/floral/carnations finish; a lovely/delicate RG nose but doesn't
quite deliver on the palate what the nose promises. $24.25 (Enoteca)
_______________
3. Pogiobella RibollaGialla DOC: FriuliColliOrientali (13%; MontcalmWineImports) Genagricola/Manzano 2011: Med.
dark color; very attractive mineral/stony quite spicy/peppery/floral/carnations quite exotic/aromatic nose; softer/
richer/lusher some stony/mineral beautiful floral/peppery/orange blossom/spicy quite exotic flavor; very long/
lingering floral/carnations/grapefruity/orange blossom light stony/metallic/mineral finish; a beautiful RG
at a great price; one of the best Friuli RG's I can recall. $21.00 (WH)
_______________
4. Henry et Jean-Sebastien Marionnet Provignage VdF (Cepage Romarantin; Vigne pre-phylloxerique;
Planted in 1850; 13%) Soings/Loir-et-Cher 2011: Very pale/near colorless; rather citric/grapefruity/metallic/
steely/chalky slight mousey/cheesy quite mineral/chalky/stony bit CB-like/floral rather complex nose; very tart/
acid/lean/austere/bracing/wiry rather stony/mineral/chalky light appley/pear/CB-like complex flavor; very long
stony/mineral/chalky/metallic very grapefruity/tangy/citric/electric light floral/mango/pineapple/honey/CB-like
finish that goes on & on; has an electric feel on the palate much like biting down on a strip of Al foil;
almost screechy on the palate; absolutely fascinating wine; a taste of history; a bit on the pricey side for
what it is; would not play in Monktown. $90.00 (CB)
_______________
5. Ronci di Pietro Schioppettino DOC: FriuliColliOrientali (13%; L12) 2011: Med.dark color; quite spicy/peppery/
black cherry/licorice/minty light earthy/dusty/root cellar beautiful/complex nose; bit tart/lean very spicy/
peppery/black cherry bit licorice/minty some earthy/dusty/OV complex flavor w/ light bitey tannins; very long
tart/lean/bit austere very spicy/black pepper strong bing cherry/licorice some dusty/OV/earthy complex flavor;
a bit on the rough/rustic/austere side but one of the best Schioppettinos I've had at a great price. $22.00 (LM)
_______________
6. Holdredge Schioppettino OrsoVnyd/DCV (www.Holdredge.com; 13%) Healdsburg 2012: Med.color; strong raspberry/DCV/
Zin-like very spicy bit peppery light pencilly/toasty/oak slight pungent/reduced/funky rather perfumed
interesting nose; softer richer/lusher rather raspberry/Zin-like/DCV fairly spicy slight peppery/cherry light
pencilly/oak q[/b]uite interesting flavor w/ light/polished tannins; very long lightly tart fairly rich/lush/bright
quite spicy/raspberry/cherry/Zin-like finish w/ light/smooth/polished tannins; speaks quietly of Schio and more
resembles a DCV/bright/spicy Zin; quite a lovely red wine at a fair price. $36.00
_______________
7. DaVero Sagrantino HawkMtnEstateVnyd/DCV/SonomaCnty (12.5%; BioDynamic; 97 cs; www.DaVero.com) 2011: Med.light
color; quite attractive/pretty very spicy/cherry slight herbal/rosemary/thyme/lavender bit pickle juice rather
fragrant nose; soft light spicy/cherry/cherry pie bit herbal/thyme/lavender/pungent/musky light toasty/oak
flavor w/ light tannic bite; med.long light musky/pungent/lavender/pungent some cherry/cherry pie finish w/
light tannins; a somewhat pretty/interesting wine but stupidly priced. $65.00
_______________
8. Colpetrone DOCG: Montefalco Sagrantino (14%; www.SaiAgricola.It; EB) GualdoCattanco/Umbria 2008: Med.dark color;
much stronger black cherry/plummy/boysenberry/licorice light earthy somewhat rustic very interesting nose; some
tart/tannic/rough rather black cherry/black cherry cola/boysenberry/plummy bit earthy/dusty/rustic flavor w/
rather sharp tannic bite; long black cherry/licorice/boysenberry/cola fairly tart/hard/tight some earthy/rustic
finish w/ some hard/agressive tannins; needs 2-6 yrs; quite a good expressionof Sagrantino at a good price.
$35.00 (AV)
_______________
9. Ridge Zin BuchignaniRanch/SonomaCnty (20% Carignane; 14.6%; 36 brls; Bttld: Dec 2011; 60-75 yr old vines;
Drk: 9/11/9/16-9/18: JO) 2010: Med.dark color; strong very/very spicy raspberry/cinammon/Zin light vanilla/oak
beautiful perfumey nose; fairly tart very bright/vibrant/cherry/raspberry/Zin very light/vanilla/oak incredibly
spicy flavor w/ light/smooth/gentle tannins; very long/lingering cherry/raspberry/bright/vibrant very/very spicy
light vanilla/oak w/ light/smooth tannins; one of the best Ridge ATP Zins in yrs; more classic DCV Zin than any
of the other Ridge DCV Zins; beautiful Zin. $30.00 (ATP)
_______________
10. SandlerWineCo Zin BuckHillVnyd/SonomaCnty (13.2%) EdKurtzman/SanFrancisco 2012: Med.rather light color; slight
buttery/oak rather delicate/spicy/raspberry/Zin light pencilly very attractive almost Pinotish nose; rather
tart/lean quite spicy/raspberry/Zin light pencilly/oak very bright/zippy flavor w/ light/delicate tannins; very
long/lingering bright/very spicy/raspberry/Zin elegant/restrained/balanced finish w/ light/graceful tannins;
a very pretty bright/spicy Zin; tastes like a Zin made by a Pinot producer. $nc (KZ)/$25.00
_______________
11. Turley Zin SadieUptonVnyd/AmadorCnty (15.7%; Planted in 1922) 2012: Med.color; strong blackberry/Zin/spicy some
briary/Amador elegant/perfumed/very spicy bit alcoholic lovely nose; soft delicate/elegant quite spicy/briary/
Amador Zin light dusty/OV slight fumey/alcoholic flavor w/ light tannins; very long bright/blackberry/raspberry/
briary some dusty/OV finish w/ light/smooth tannins; a rather restrained Zin that speaks quietly of Amador briar;
quite a lovely atypical of Amador Zin. $47.50
_______________
12. Turley Zin CobbVnyd/AmadorCnty (15.8%) 2012: Med.dark color; deeper more intense blackberry/briary/boysenberry
bit licorice/RCCola rather classic Amador/briary nose; bit vanilla/oak fairly rich/lush strong blackberry/Zin/
boysenberry/briary quite spicy light vanilla/oak flavor w/ modest/ripe tannins; very long Amador briary/
blackberry/boysenberry bit alcoholic light vanilla/oak quite spicy finish w/ some ripe tannins; a fairly
classic Amador Zin but a bit more restraint than I expected. $32.50
___________________________________________________________________________
The usual bufoonery from TheBloodyPulpit:
1. Schioppettino: A very interesting variety indigenous to Friuli that can often make some very interesting reds.
Usually a bit more wiry & lean than the Refoscos. Also know as RibollaNera, though they share nothing in
common. This Pietro was one of the best Friulian Schioppettinos I've yet had.
JohnHoldredge used to make Calif's only Schioppettino from the MacBryde vnyd in the RRV. Alas, the vnyd was
lost to Pierce's disease several yrs ago. When I was out in Healdsburg several weeks ago, I decided, on a lark,
to stop into John's tasting room. Putting their best foot forward, John was not there pouring but some young
lady. I thought maybe I'd jerk her chain a bit so I asked "could I try the Schioppettino", knowing it was a
thing of the past. Without batting an eye, she pulled this cork & gave me a pour. "Whot?? You have Schioppettino
again??" Yup. So I told her I'd like 3 btls of it. She apologized profusely and explained they had none there
at the tasting room...it was all at the warehouse and suggested I come back the next day. "No can do" I said.
Sensing that I was crushed by not being able to get any, she offered me free shipping if I wanted it. So I
jumped at the chance to rip HoldredgeWnry off on the shipping.
So...this is the new OrsoVnyd Schioppettino from up in the DryCreekVlly. The wine had the bright spiciness
that you often get in DCV Zin. It didn't have the depth & the bass notes that I recall from the MacBride/RRV
Schioppettinos. It speaks less strongly of Schioppettino than the MacBryde. But damn fine Schioppettino
that would play well in Friuli, I think.
_______________
2. Romarantin: This is a variety that originated up in the French Alps and made its way downstream into the
Loire. It is a cross between GouaisBlanc and PinotTeinturier (Pinot w/ the black juice), which makes it
a sibling of Chard and Aligote. Once widely planted, it's holdings have since shrunk to only 73 ha. I have
had Loire whites that have had Romarantin blended in, but never a 100% Romarantin. This vnyd was purchased
from an old farmer in 1998 and contained a block of ungrafted/pre-phylloxera Romarantin planted in 1850 that
somehow managed to survive phylloxera. Provinage describes the old (pre-phylloxera) French technique of
propagating a vnyd by burying the canes into the adjacent ground.
This Romarantin was a positively fascinating wine to taste. It's definitely a taste of history (for which
you must pay a premium price). It reminded me a bit of the old-vine Chalone CheninBlanc '07 that Darrell
still sells. That old CheninBlanc has since been pulled. Alas..friggin' tiny/short-sighted minds.
________________
3. Sagrantino: Several weeks ago, I was driving down WestSide Rd after visiting w/ ChuckMansfield at HopKiln.
I saw the DaVero tasting room. I like their olive oil a lot, but never had their wines, but was not inclined
to stop. I noticed their signage in the vnyd identifying various grape varieties. Suddenly I noticed
"Sagrantino" and did an abrupt U-E and went in. The lady there acknowledged that it was their Sagrantino, but
it was for their club members only. As I started rambling on about Italian varieties in my customary
long/boring fashion, she realized this wasn't just your ordinary tasting room denizen. So she gave me a
small taste and agreed to sell me a btl.
The wine was pretty much about what I expected it would be. A sound/well-made/pretty wine that spoke
in a soft voice of Sagrantino. But if you're going to have the first commercial Sagrantino in Calif, you
know they're going to charge whatever the traffic will bear. But I suspect the traffic will not bear a $65
price tage for many yrs.
Actually, the first Calif Sagrantino I've had was PietroButtita's Roso d'Oro/LakeCnty. A much lighter wine,
but even more pretty, and at a reasonable price.
_________________
4. Buchignani Zin: Stan Buchignani's Ranch up on DutcherCreekRd is the the source of most of their Carignanes.
Meh...not a wine that stirs my soul. Like Ponzo/Carmichael/Mazzoni; they're great old-vine Zin vnyds that
could be making wines every bit as good as LS/Geyserville/Pagani. They don't, usually. So I cracked this
Buchignani w/ low expectations. I was totally blindsided by how good it was.
The Ridge ATP Zins are usually given the classic Ridge oak treatment. Lots of vanilla/Am.oak...the Draper
perfume you often get in Ridge Zins. This is one of te most un-Ridge ATP Zins I can recall in recent memory.
It recalls some of the incredibly spicy Zins that can come out of Jimsomare sometimes. The oak was pretty
low-key and the spiciness amazing.
I was rather puzzled at this Zin. When I went to the Ridge WebSite last week to look up the ATP price I paid,
it was not there and said "No Reorders". That's strange for an ATP Zin that just arrived the week before.
Later last week, the WebSite said "Sold Out". At 36 brls, that's definitely not a limited production Zin.
Mary related that they had sold thru that wine remarkably fast. Yet it was only shipped out 2 weeks ago.
My suspicion is that the Ridge folks realized what an exceptional Zin it was and squirreled away an unusually
large amount of this wine. Anyway, if you want to try this exceptional Zin, forget it. Unless you got a good
friend in the ATP. I've one more left.
_________________
5. Sandler: This is a wine that was gifted me by KenZinns, who occasionally works for EdKurtzman at his wnry
in SanFrancisco. I've heard a lot about Ed's wines (mostly from Ken), especially his Pinots, but had never
had the opportunity to try any. Not sure where the BuckHill vnyd is located, but would guess DCV from the
profile of the wine. I thought it might be a code-word for Bucklin OldHill Ranch, but Ken assures me it isn't.
Anyway...it's quite a pretty/vibrant/atypical rendition of Zin at a very good pprice.
_________________
6. Turley: These are the first Turley Zins from AmadorCnty to be released. Several yrs ago, they went up into
AmadorCnty and purchased BuckCobb's long-time Karly wnry. I was very excited what Tegan w/ make out of
Amador Zin grapes. I was expecting (of course) fairly alcoholic Zins w/ a lot of big/brash/Amador briary
character, some like the Montevina Zins of yore. These both were much more reigned in Amador Zins than I
expected. The Cobb was pretty classic Amador Zin, but not in a loud/bombastic voice. The SadieUpton was
much more elegant/restrained an Amador Zin that resembled BenZeitman's Zins of many yrs ago. Both very
fine additions to the Turley Zin lineup.
Tom