We had friends over for heavy-duty apps on Sat and tried:
1. Forlorn-Hope PinotGris KirschenmannVnyd/Lodi (11.97%; www.ForlornHopeWines.com) Fairfield 2012: Light ruby red slight burnished bronce/salmon color; quite perfumed/fragrant melony/spicy/ruhbarb slight phenolic/resiny/earthy slight mushroomy very attractive nose; quite tart/bit metallic/austere very spicy/ruhbarb compote slight peppery/melong bit phenolic/resiny rather complex lovely interesting flavor w/ light tannic bite; very long/lingering light phenolic/resiny/cidery very spicy/ruhbarb compote/peppery beautiful finish w/ light tannins; a lovely/exotic PG w/ light phenolic character.
_________________
2. CowanCllrs ISA Lake Cnty (skin-frmtd SauvBlanc; 12.5%; www.CowanCellars.com) 2011: Med.gold/burnished bronze color; strong phenolic/resiny/cidery rather orangey/orange peel/fig compote/spicy/cinammon quite aromatic/lovely nose; tart/tangy/metallic some phenolic/resiny very exotic fig compote/orangey earthy flavor w/ light tannic bite; very long some resiny/phenolic exotic fig compote/orange peel/floral light earthy finish w/ light tannic bite; developing some really exotic character and dropping some of its tannic austerity.
_________________
3. Aphros Vinhao Super-Reserva Bruto DOC: Espumante de VinhoVerde (Vinhao grape; 12.0%; 1925 gfs; www.Aphros-Wine.com; Jan 0430662 2PD5) Casal do Paco Padreiro NV: Very dark/black color w/ bubbles that fizz away rapidly; has lots of sediment suspended; very shy earthy/dusty/loamy slight blackberry/plummy almost old-vine Zin-like rather interesting if low-key nose; slight frizzante very dry/austere very light some blackberry/black cherry/cola/OVZin-like flavor w/ hard/austere/brutal tannins; long rather shy/restrained/light very dry/austere light blackberry/OVZin-like/plummy finish w/ austere/hard/rugged tannins. Not a lot of power and the frizzante makes the tannins pretty tough on the palate, but some rather interesting things therein.
$29.50 (CB)
___________________________________
A wee BloodyPulpit:
1. Vinhao: This is a dark-skinned tenturier grape used in the VinhoVerde area. Also used in Port under the name of Sausao. Aphros is a new company making a new, more serious, style of VinoVerde wines, wines that can age. This wine was pretty brutal on the palate because the CO2 accenuates the tannin content, but it actually worked pretty well w/ the bread cheese and the sweet condiments.
_________________
2. One of the appetizers I like to do is the Busto bread cheese on the grill. This is a "bread" cheese, low-fat/low-moisture, that you can grill and it remains a solid cheese even when quite warm. I usually do it on a cedar plank and rest it on some twigs of rosemary for added aromatics. It is then served hot & spongy. Similar to the Greek Houlomi cheese. It doesn't have a whole lot of flavor, so you serve it w/ a variety of condiments. I used chipotle/raspberry jam, a Mostardo di Uva, a coffee-scented honey, and a very spicy chutney. Obviously, not a very wine-friendly course.
The skin-frmtd white wines, usually quite phenolic & tannic in character, are often very austere and not very much fun to taste on their own. They are wines that badly need food to tame their austere/tannic character. These two skin-contact whites went surprisingly well w/ this dish.
I was particularly impressed w/ JimCowan's ISA. It is starting tone down on some of its phenolic character and developing some really exotic secondary characteristics. A very/very interesting wine.
Tom