We tried last week (4/20/16) Some New Whites:
1. Stirm Riesling Eolian Kick-OnVnyd (12.7%; www.StirmWine.com; botrytis affected) Lompoc 2014: Light
gold color; light pineapple/R/floral slight mineral/stony bit valve-oil/metallic rather attractive
low-key nose; quite tart/lean light pineapple/R/floral light mineral/stony some tangy/metallic flavor;
rather long light/pineapple/R bit stony/mineral finish; a rather tart/lean/bit eviscerated low-key/
quiet pleasant expression of R. $26.00 (Ord)
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2. Solminer DryRiesling Kick-OnRanch/SBC (92 cs; 12.2%; www.Solminer.com) Lompoc 2014: Light yellow color;
more floral/aromatic/R/pineapple bit simple nose; fairly tart/lean/metallic very slight pineapple/R/
floral rather quiet/simple flavor; med.long light floral/pineapple/R tart/metallic finish; pleasant
enough R but a bit on the simple side. $30.00
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3. Syncline GrunerVeltliner ColumbiaGorge (13.1%; CeliloVnyds; www.SynclineWine.com; 550 cs) Lyle/Wash
2014: Light gold color; light SO2/reductive light peppery/GV/spicy/floral rather simple/grapey nose;
lightly tart bit earthy light peppery/GV/floral/grapey simple flavor; med. lightly tart earthy light
GV/peppery/grapey finish; speaks in hushed tones of GV; rather dull/simple like a Zocker; overpriced
at $27.00 (BWM)
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4. IngridGroiss GrunerVeltliner DAC: Weinviertel (12.5%) 2014: Light yellow color w/ slight bubbles (CO2
refreshed?); very strong GV/white pepper/floral slight metallic/steely very perfumed/fragrant beautiful
classic GV nose; slight spritz very strong GV/white pepper/floral/apple blossom rather tart/tangy
metallic/steely very spicy lovely flavor; very long/lingering very spicy/white pepper/GV/floral somewhat
tart/tangy/metallic balanced finish; a really lovely expression of GV at a stupid/silly price.
$17.00 (BB)
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5. Forlorn-Hope GemischterSatz MokelumneGlenVnyd/Lodi (12.95%; 61 cs; 30 different German varieties) 2014:
Med.gold color; very floral/perfumed/spicy/GWT-like slight earthy lovely nose; bit soft/underacid very
floral/perfumed/spicy/GWT-like slight tangy/earthy flavor; very long rather soft strong floral/GWT-lke/
spicy/perfumed slight earthy finish; speaks more of GWT than anything; a bit on the soft side but really
lovely aromatics. $30.00
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6. Mayer DAC GemischterSatz Wiener (12.5%; K1427/14L140) Mayer Am Pfarrplatz/Vienna 2014: Light gold color;
quite attractive fragrant/perfumed slight H2S/SO2 rather floral/pineapple/R-like nose; bit tart rather
floral/pineapply/R/spicy bit simple flavor; long light floral/R-like/pineapple lightly tart finish;
a pleasant enough GS but rather undistinguished and on the simple side.$25.00 (BWM)
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7. Wieninger Wiener DAC GemischterSatz Nussberg (14%; www.Winebow.com) Wien 2013: Dark gold color; rich/ripe
intense floral rather honeyed/ripe/botrytis almost Auslese-like beautiful complex nose; lightly tart
slightly off-dry beautiful honeyed/light botrytis very floral/perfumed quite spicy rich/lush complex
flavor; very long/lingering rich/lush honeyed/ripe/light botrytis very spicy/floral complex off-dry
finish; lack the usual lithe minerality of most GS's, but a beautiful honeyed richness to it that
resembles a German Auslese in character; amazing wine but atypical of any GS I've tried. $61.00 (BWM)
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8. Ingrid Groiss RoterVeltliner Reserve Niederosterreich (13.55; LR 2348/13; www.Ingrid-Groiss.At;
CircoVino/Tuscon) Breitenwaida 2012: Light gold color; very aromatic floral/perfumed/spicy slight metallic/
steely/valve oil lovely perfumed nose; slight spritz very perfumed/floral/spicy/bit R-like slight tangy/
metallic/valve oil slight earthy lovely flavor; very long/lingering perfumed/floral/R-like/very spicy slight
pungent/metallic/valve-oil finish; a lovely perfumey wine and best RV I've had. $36.00 (BWM)
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9. VillaLocatelli Friulano DOC: Isonzo del Friuli (12.5%; L.107A3; www.Angoris.com) Angoris/Cormons
2013: Light gold color; quite attractive floral/fragrant/TF/spicy light metallic/earthy/stony quite pretty
nose; bit tart lightish spicy/floral/TF slight metallic/earthy some bitter flavor; med.short tart/lean/stony
bit bitter lightly floral/TF finish; quite a pretty nose but doesn't deliver on the palate; a pleasant TF
but just that. $14.50 (BB)
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10. Marziano Abbona Favorita DOC: Langhe Valle dell'Olmo (12%) Abbona/Dogliani 2013: Light gold color; quite
floral/Vermen/spicy some metallic/Mosel valve oil very aromatic nose; very long metallic/tangy/valve oil
quite floral/spicy/Vermen light pungent somewhat complex flavor; very long metallic/tangy/Mosel valve oil
quite floral/spicy finish; the intensity of Vermen fruit that you get in the Ryme "Hers" but a lot more
interesting things as well; loads of Mosel valve oil/gout de petrol character; best Langhe Vermentino I've
yet had at a great price. $17.50 (BB)
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11. PiedraSassi SauvBlanc DohmeyerVnyd/BallardCnyn (12.5%; 40 cs; www.piedrasassi.com; Frmtd: whole-berry in a
puncheon; 1 yr of skin-contact) Lompoc 2013: Dark golden/copper/bronze color; intense honeyed/graham cracker
slight herbal/SB/earthy/haymow/burlap bag/apricotty some phenolic/resiny/cidery very exotic/strange nose;
rather tannic/austere quite honeyed/apricotty/graham cracker/orangey fairly phenolic/resiny exotic flavor
w/ some tannic bite; very long/lingering honeyed/apricotty/orangey somewhat tannic/austere graham cracker/
herbal/haymow finish; a very unusual/exotic wine w/ ample phenolic character; quite an interesting wine
that I found rather attractive. $33.00
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12. ScholiumProject ThePrince in his Caves FarinaVnyds Calif WW (15.49; 100% SauvBlanc/SonomaMtn;
skin-contact) Fairfield 2014: Med.gold quite cloudy/murky color w/ some slimey/flocculant/ropey
material; rather bannana oil/aromatic/hair oil/muscatty perfumey bit toasty/oak very exotic nose w/
no evident SB character; very tart/austere phenolic/resiny rich/lush/ripe honeyed/bannana oil/muscatty
apricotty/rotted bannanas rather bizarre/exotic/strange very ripe fruit flavor w/ light bitey tannins;
very long/lingering tart/rich/lush/overripe apricotty/rotted bannanas honeyed/muscatty/perfumed almost
apricotty/botrytis finish; a pretty weird/exotic/bizarre enology experiment. $36.00 (BB)
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The usual stuff from TheBloodyPulpit:
1. Wienger: I was rather taken aback by the price on this wine. Generally, GS wines are not very expensive.
This is grown on the BioDynamic Ulm vnyd in Nussberg. It is made from 9 grape varieties: Weissburgunder/
Neuburger/Welschriesling/Grüner Veltliner/Sylvaner/Zierfandler/Rotgipfler/Traminer/Riesling. The WebSite
(http://www.wieninger.at/en/wines/wiener ... /index.php) indicates any botrytis berries were
deslected and the RS < 0.2%. The wine seemed much richer & sweeter than that, though. But an amazing, if
atypical, expression of GS.
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2. IngridGroiss: I am very/very much impressed by the wines she is making. I first stumbled upon them about
a yr ago when her GS showed up here in NM. FiascoDist brought in 1 cs of it. I managed to round up 10 btls
of it once I tasted it. I hope those other 2 btls went to a deserving home.
The GV is one terrific classic expression of GV. Went back to order a case, but had to take the '15.
The RoterVeltliner was probably the best expression of that grape I've had. The 8-10 RoterVeltliners I've
tried before always seemed a bit dull & simple. This one was not. Wish her wines were more widely available.
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3. Rieslings: The two Calif R were pleasant enough in a rather quiet/simple way. They just sorta lacked that
laser-sharp/precise character I like in really good R. They, however, may age into something pretty good.
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4. Favorita: This is the Langhe name for Vermentino. Vermentino/Pigato makes lovely perfumed wines in Liguria,
pleasant enough but just that in Langhe, dull as dishwater in Tuscany, coarse/earthy in Corsica, and
very attractive wines in Calif. This Abbona was the best yet I've had from Langhe.
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5. SauvBlancs: The PiedraSassi is made by SashiMoorman. The Scholium made by AbeSchoener. Both displayed
considerable skin-contact/phenolic character. With a yr of skin contact, I expected a lot of austere/
tannic character in Sashi's wine...but it was not a strong as I expected. Both wines were pretty exotic/
bizarre and would be much more interesting w/ food I suspect. The PiedraSassi was pretty well liked for
this genre. The Scholium was very polarizing....most people hated it. I sorta liked it in the same way
I find Quasimodo rather endearing.
Tom
