Steve brought this as a mystery wine Wed night:
1. Unti LaCrima DryCreekVlly (14.2%; 50 cs) Healdsburg 2017: Very dark color; slight herbal very fragrant/perfumed black cherry/black cherry cola/LaCrima some pencilly/toasty/oak slight earthy/rustic/Italianate lovely aromatic nose; bit soft very strong LaCrima/black cherry/black cherry cola/bit root beer slight earthy/rustic some smokey/pencilly/oak bit complex flavor w/ modest rough tannins; very long/lingering strong black cherry/black cherry cola/slight licorice/pungent bit earthy/rustic finish w/ modest tannins; speaks strongly of LaCrima character w/ a slight rustic/Italianate character; would like a bit more high-toned DCV character; as good as any LaCrima from LaMarche I can recall.
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A wee BloodyPulpit:
1. LaCrima is the grape known in LeMarche as LaCrima di Morro d'Alba. GeorgeUnti planted a few rows at Unti and their first LaCrima release was a blend of three vintages and a bit on the late-hrvsty side. Turns out that their LaCrima vines were badly virus-infected and I believe they have since been pulled. Too bad, because this is a first-rate expression of LaCrima. Reminds a bit of Refosco, a bit of Schioppettino.
In LeMarche, they make a fabulous dessert wine called Visciola, from Visciola cherries and LaCrima grapes. This wine is a no-brainer for a Calif dessert wine but nobody listens to TomHill, so no Calif Visciola yet. Over in the SuisunVlly, where they grow a lot of cherries, a PetiteSirah/cherry Visciola would be a natural.
Tom