In Pursuit of Balance: Tara Bella and Wind Gap

2013 Wind Gap Trousseau Gris. More of an "Orange" than a "Gris". Not a full-bore orange wine, this had some phenolic character but not overwhelmingly so. Lemon, salt, herbs. Always quite delicious!

2010 Tara Bella Russian River Valley Cabernet Sauvignon (Clone 4 and Clone 7). A fantastic new discovery for me, this tiny winery is located near the end of a gravel road (Viking Lane) off Olivet Lane west of Santa Rosa a bit. Saw their sign while cycling by on Sunday. This was a big surprise to me. Imagine if Pax Mahle was making cabernet for his WindGap label and you might get Tara Bella. Six acres of cabernet in the heart of Russian River! Wonderful fresh cabernets-hint of herbal notes, but not the astringency or sharpness some wines have when they introduce those bell pepper pyrazines (like Clos Du Val when drank too young!) Tannins are there but not obtrusive-instead we have an elegant, old school cabernet. Exactly up my alley! The "Latour Clone" is more fruit forward, but in a red fruit way. Maybe could be described as more plush than the "Argentine clone" that is their other wine. 13% abv!

For those dismissive of California Cabernet, check this tiny winery out!

2013 Wind Gap Trousseau Gris. More of an "Orange" than a "Gris". Not a full-bore orange wine, this had some phenolic character but not overwhelmingly so. Lemon, salt, herbs. Always quite delicious!

Yipee, Brian ...."phenolic character".....yes!!

I take full credit for introducing the term "DollyParton Viognier" into the wine lexicon. And now I see my
term "phenolic" that, AFIK, is starting to creep into the wine lexicon as well.

White wines made w/ skin-contact, either raised in a reductive manner, or in an oxidative manner (a la Radikon/
Gravner/Georgia qvervi), have a very distinctive smell to them. I (and you, obviously) refer to it as "phenolic". With
extensive skin-contact, it can completely obliterate the varietal character of the wine. Does it smell/taste like the
chemical phenol. Definitely....not!! It, to me, has the smell/taste of resin, as in a freshly rosined violin bow. Sometimes,
it segues into the character of (bad) apple cider, a bit volatile. But, to me, it is a very distinctive character in a
skin-contact whites that I call "phenolic".

One person in my group scorns my usage of "phenolic". If it doesn't smell/taste like phenol, how can a rational person
use that term as a descriptor. He knows exactly what that smell/taste is in a skin-contact white, but he cannot offer up
any other descriptor to describe that character. And rejects the usage of "phenolic". Yet when I use the term "botrytis" to
describe a botrytized wine, a Sauternes or a Calif botrytized Riesling, he knows exactly what I'm referring to. Go figure!!
And as for "minerality"...forget it.

Anyway, Brian....let's keep on using "phenolic" on skin-contact whites and someday we'll conquer the World. When we
see it on a descriptor coming out of Monktown...then we've won the battle!!
Tom