Interesting "Sherryesque" Fortified Wine

Tried at Starmont Winery, on Stanley Ranch south of Napa proper. Starmont is located right at one end of the Stanley Ranch bicycle route. I cannot remember the name of the wine but it was made with Muscat grapes in a solera approach (several vintages-at least seven). This was quite intriguing. Not anywhere nearly as cloyingly sweet as many Muscat-based desert wines, this had a savory edge to it that was quite appealing! A nice discovery.

The Stanley Ranch Estate Syrah also showed very well-quite floral and enjoyable!

[David M. Bueker]

Does their website list the wine?

Two things, Brian:

1. You move further up the coast from Jerez and you get to the area around Malaga, where there is more attention paid to the moscato family, but in terms of solera aging, or sometimes just single-barrel maturation/oxidation.

2. Keep going all the way up to the Roussillon, and even the Languedoc, and you have well deeloped traditions of naturally barrel/oxidized aged and solera style vin doux naturels, looking for that essence of "rancio" that might taste bizarre to a newcomer but is the prize to be pursued for devotees. (We're talking Maury, Banyuls, Rivesaltes, etc.) Most people know about the sweet/sticky versions; but there are dry versions---what you might call 'amontillado-ish or oloroso-ish---of rancio wines that are stupendous (although close in spirit and taste to some of the more extreme 'orange wines', the Radikons and Movia and such.

But if that's your bag....

Does their website list the wine?

No. As hip as they are trying to be (you should see the terrible, terrible tasting notes), their website is not very up-to-date.

Hoke:

I do like orange wines (we actually had one last night with chicken pot pie), even the "cidery" ones that don't really taste like the varietal, but then I think my palate really looks for glutamates? I love funky cider. I am sometimes obsessive about Thai fish sauce. So, there is a family of flavor profiles I really like!