After a disappointing '15, I thought I'd turn back the clock & try:
1. Forlorn-Hope QueSaudade Verdelho Calif (13.80%; 337 cs) Fairfield 2013: Light gold color; very attractive fragrant quite floral/almost muscatty/carnations/gardenia slight spicy/Moroccan herbs light stony/mineral lovely nose; rather tart/crisp/zesty/citric some floral/carnations/gardenia bit spicy/Eastern herbs flavor; very long crisp/tart/zesty some stony/mineral/tangy floral/gardenias finish; an absolutely delicious zesty/mineral/floral white; quite a pretty wine. $24.00
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A wee BloodyPulpit:
1. I had the '15 rendition of this wine last week and pretty much trashed it in my review. The '15 had a lot of dissolved CO2 and the highest praise I could find in the wine was the beautiful fractal patterns the CO2 bubbles formed on the surface. My guess is that Matt was trying to make a VinhoVerde-style of white. I'm not sure that's a style worth emulating.
OTOH, this '13 version was absolutely delicious drinking and made a great pre-wine afore our Chinato-braised duck breast. In fact, so good that Susan drained most of the btl afore I could go back to it.
Verdelho is, of course, the variety grown on Madeira, the Azores, and other parts of Portugal. Not at all related to the Spanish Verdejo.
Tom