Tried these three over the weekend:
1. Sandlands Trousseau SonomaCnty Wine (13.4%) StHelena 2014: Med.light color; light Pinotish/plummy/cherry rather earthy/dusty/bit mushroomy lightly perfumed nose; lightly tart/lean fairly earthy/dusty/root cellar/mushroomy light cranberry/cherry/Pinotish bit tangy/lean flavor w/ light tangy tannins; med.long tart/tangy earthy/dusty/root cellar some cherry/cranberry/Pinotish finish w/ light tannins; a pretty good replica of Jura Trousseau w/ more perfume than most; a pretty/earthy red for easy drinking. $30.00 (CB)
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2. LosPilares BPN Sparkling RW SanDiegoCnty (10.5%; "Black Pet Nat"; 100% CabSauvg; www.Vinavanti.com; www.LosPilaresWines.com) SanDiego NV: Med.light cherry/red color; quite fizzy/foamy; quite earthy/yeasty rather coarse some bretty/horsecollar slight cranberry unattractive nose; quite frizzante/foamy earthy/coarse/hybridy slight cranberry/juicy/beet juice rather bretty/unclean flavor w/ little tannins; long cranberry/cherry/beet juice rather earthy/coarse/bretty finish w/ light bity tannins and a very long unpleasant/mousey/hantavirus aftertaste that doesn't stop; definitely not very Lambrusco-like and definitely not very pleasant. $26.00
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3. MontinoreEstate Muller-Thurgau WillametteVlly/OR (OrganicGrapes; 10.0%; www.Montinore.com) ForestGrove 2011: Light gold color; fairly floral/spicy/honeyed bit piney/forest floor bit earthy attractive complex nose; slightly tart honeyed/pineapply/floral/spicy slightly sweet flavor; long honeyed/floral/pineapply rather piney/PineSol/forest floor bit sweet (1.5%?) lightly tart/tangy/citric finish; reminds a lot of a FingerLakes Riesling; a pleasant enough white but just that. $15.00 (CB)
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A wee BloodyPulpit:
1. LosPilares: I very much wanted to like this wine because I find PetNats rather attractive. But it was just too unclean for me to find any redeeming features. Fizzy wines pair well w/ salamis in general. This wine might have worked w/ an armadillo or iguana salami.
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2. WillametteVlly: This is the 2'nd wine this weekend from the WillametteVlly that had a distinct piney/resiny/PineSol/forest floor character to it. Maybe it's just...gasp...the WillametteVlly terroir??
Tom