After our Champagne tasting we had two stickies:
1. Boutari VinoSanto AoO: Santorini (14.5%; 90% Assyrtiko/10% Aidani) NV: Deep mahogony color of an old Oloroso; very intense raisened/pruney/grapey rather alcoholic/fumey complex slight earthy nose; quite sweet some alcoholic/fumey clean/bright bit tart quite raisened/pruney/grapey complex flavor; very long/lingering intense raisened/pruney/grapey lightly tart finish; no signs of oxidation and rather bright/clean for a VinSanto.
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2. HarborWnry Mission del Sol (22.7%) 1986: Dark brown/mahogony color; very intense vanilla/caramel/smokey/butterscotchy intense raisened/grapey some alcoholic fairly oxidized quite EA/aldehydic complex nose; soft some oxidized/Madeira-like very volatile/EA/aldehydic some hot/alcoholic intense grapey/raisened bit earthy slightly sweet flavor; very long rather fumey/EA/aldehydic intense grapey/raisened/pruney soft off-dry finish; some very interesting things therein but very aldehydic in character. $40.00
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A wee BloodyPulpit:
1. VinSanto: According to DarrellCorti, the original VinSanto was made by Greeks on Santorini and the Tuscan's, who are most closely associated w/ VinSanto, are johnny-come-latelys.
JeremyParzen weighs in on the subject:
VinSanto
The Greek versions are usually made from Assyrtiko + others and from grapes that are simply left on the vine to dehydrate to the proper level desired. The Tuscan versions, made mostly from Trebbiano and Malvasia, are harvested late and then laid on mats to dry in the attics thru the winter and then customarily vinified during HolyWeek.
I usually/often find oxidative notes in Tuscan VinSanto not unlike those in sherry. I seldom find those oxidative notes in the Greek renditions. I typically prefer the Greek versions.
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2. Harbor: This 1986 is described in Darrell's Newsletter:
CortiNewsletterFall2014
First made by CharlieMyers (who died almost a yr ago) in his WestSacramento bottoms wnry (right behind Wingo&Sons Upholstery) in 1972 from very old Mission vines on the DeaverRanch. The wine is more akin to Angelica than anything. This wine, produced in 1986, is Charlie's last MdS. It was not bttld until July 2014. The elevated alcohol is simply from concentration due to evaporation in barrel.
Charley didn't btl his MdS until he needed to have some to sell. The prolonged time in barrel of this 1986, especially not being given much attention by Charlie in his later yrs when he was institutionalized because of dementia, probably caused the wine to suffer. I loved the 1972. This one was a bit too aldehydic for me.
Tom