My Prima IlConsorzio shipment arrived ystrday, so tried these two for dinner:
1. Alysian SauvBlanc FloodgateVnyd/NorthFace/RRV (14.0%; www.AlysianWines.com) GaryFarrell/Healdsburg 2012: Med.light yellow color; slightly herbal/SB/cat pee rather ripe/melony/mango/spicy slight chalky/mineral lovely SB nose; slightly tart slight pungent/cat pee/skunky some herbal/SB/grassy ripe/melony/mango bit stony/flinty flavor; med.long slight flinty/steely/mineral ripe/mango/melony bit herbal/cat pee/SB lightly tart/tangy finish; a really attractive SB that melds Calif ripeness and Loire/chalky at a great price. $18.00 (PrimaIlC)
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2. DomaineGirard Ad'OP: Malepere (Merlot/CabFranc; Frmtd&Aged in SS) Alaigne 2011: Very dark color; intense grapey/Merlot/plummy/ripe/boysenberry/black cherry cola/chocolaty slight herbal/Cab/earthy huge fruit almost LateHrvsty/very ripe nose; very soft/lush/mouthfilling intensely fruity/boysenberry/plummy/chocolaty/black cherry cola slight herbal/CabFranc/earthy flavor w/ lght/soft/ripe tannins; very long very ripe/LateHrvsty intense/chocolaty/boysenberry/plummy/huge fruit slight herbal/CabFranc finish w/ light/very ripe tannins; like some of the old overripe Jeckel Monterey Cabs or some of the very ripe Paso Cabs; lacks structure & interest; very international in style but good for the price for short term drinking; a Merlot I actually liked...begawd & begorrah!! $12.00 (PrimaIlC)
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A wee BloodyPulpit:
1. Prima/WalnutCreek IlConsorzio is a wine club I belong to & receive a shipment of 3 wines every other month. The wines are selected by FrankRothstein, who does a very good job of scouting out some real values.
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2. Alysian is a winery I'd never heard of. Belongs to BillHambrecht, a long-timer in the wine biz. GaryFarrell, another lifer, no longer is their winemaker.
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3. Malapere: Not an AOC I'd heard of before. Located in the Western Languedoc, it is characterized by it's heavy usage of CabFranc.
Malepere
I liked the wine quite a lot...for the first two glasses. Then it got rather tiring.
Tom