Tried this oddity last night:
1. Pyror Rancio (U/U; 14%; 34% Maccabeo/33% GrenacheBlanc/33% GrenacheGris; www.Alpenz.com; CantileverSlctns; U/U) Georges Puig/
Parahy/Roussillon NV: Med.dark copper/amber/burnished bronze color; rather oxidized/rancio/amontillado sherry-like slight earthy bit orangey/dried orange peel quite saline/savory complex/interesting sherry-like nose w/o the flor; tart quite dry/austere rancio/oxidized/amontillado-like very savory/saling no fruit slight earthy/orangey quite complex flavor; very long/lingering quite savory/saline oxidized/rancio/amontillado-like bit earthy/dusty/orangey no fruit slightly bitter complex finish; lots of Amontillado-like oxidation but not the adelhydic character
$33.00/500 ml (DiVino)
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A wee BloodyPulpit:
1. This is a genre of wine that you seldom see anymore. Most people don't like this kind of wine because it's...gasp..oxidized...a sure sign of bad winemaking. Well...doh!!
Rancios are a vanishing breed...alas. It is a wine characteristic of the Catalan region of Spain & France. It is an unfortified dry wine that is often exposed to the sun in glass demi-johns and then transfered to partially-filled barrels for a minimum of 5 yrs. I have never seen a Roussillon Rancio before...so knew I must try it.
I was first exposed to Rancios back in the late '70's, when DarrellCorti brought in a bunch of deMuller Rancios from the Priorat. Back in those days, rancio wine was primarly what you found in Priorat, mostly from Carignan & Grenache grapes. Alas, all those very old vnyds were discovered by Palacios & Pastrana, they started making dry reds w/ huge extraction, tons of new Fr.oak, high alcohols, etc....the wines (of course) started getting huge scores out of Monktown...and that's all she wrote. Rancio wines have become virtually extinct in the Priorat. On the up-side, the farmers there now drive Mercedes & Ferraris, rather than the old ox-carts they used to drive. That is, of course, progress.
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2. Haus Alpenz (www.Alpenz.com) was a new one for me. They have a very/very interesting selection of wines & spirits...lots of Vermouths & the like. Wish they were more widely available...I'd like to try a lot of them.
Tom