We tasted these three Harringtons last night:
1. Terrane Fiano LunaMattaVnyd/PasoRobles (13.9%) HarringtonWines/SanFrancisco 2012: Some dissolved CO2 that dissapates rapidly; med.gold slightly darker color; rather herbal/waxy/Fiano/bit earthy almost Semillon-like some floral/marigolds/zennias/bit musky quite perfumed rather complex quite interesting nose; lightly tart rather pungent/floral/marigolds/zennias some herbal/waxy/Fiano/earthy slight metallic quite interesting flavor; very long/lingering musky/marigolds/zennias/pungent/floral slight herbal/Fiano/earthy/some Semillon-like complex very interesting finish; much more pungent/complex/interesting rather exotic/atypical expression of Fiano; a beautiful/exotic wine & much better than the regular/SO2 Fiano.
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2. Harrington Fiano LunaMattaVnyd/PasoRobles (13.6%) 2012: Some dissolved CO2 w/ tiny/mesmerizing bubbles that makes the wine look cloudy; much quieter fairly waxy/very Semillon-like/bit Fiano light earthy less complex/interesting nose; lightly tart some herbal/Kansas hay mow/very waxy/Semillon/some fruity bit simpler flavor; very long/lingering herbal/Fiano/Kansas hay mow rather Semillon/waxy/bit figgy/somewhat fruity not nearly as complex/interesting flavor; very long rather earthy/Fiano/waxy/Semillon-like bit more fruity/grapey less complex finish; speaks more of varietal Fiano but somewhat simpler; reminds a lot of a middle-aged Semillon; still quite an attractive Fiano & a bit more Italian/earthy in character; a bit of a prickle on the palate the next day from the dissolved CO2; both ar two of the best Calif Fianos and not as lightweight as most.
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3. Terrane Teroldego FratelliVnyd/SantaClaraVlly (14.2%) 2012: Very dark color; very strong licorice/chocolaty/Tero/blackberry/black pepper/very spicy light toasty/oak/smokey bit alcoholic/very ripe quite complex nose; bit soft very strong licorice/plummy/Tero/blackberry/quite peppery/spicy light toasty/oak bit earthy/rustic slight drying out flavor w/ light bitey tannins; very long/lingering bit hard/tannic strong Tero/licorice/plummy/black peppery/blackberry light earthy finish w/ some hard tannins; right up there w/ Elisabetta's basic Tero at this age but not as perfumed/fragrant/high-toned; lovely expression of Calif Tero but starting to show its age.
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A wee BloodyPulpit:
1. Terrane is the label Bryan uses for wines he makes with no added SO2. In them, he uses a grape-derived Swiss product that acts as an anti-oxidant in the wine, much like SO2. Over the yrs, I've done several Terrane/Harrington comparisons. When young, the differences are pretty minimal, with a slight preferance for the Terrane. With these 3 wines from my Harrington Library purchase, I got the chance to try some w/ some age on them.
The two Fianos were markedly different in character. I much preferred the Terrano for its greater complexity, almost exotic character. The regular spoke more of Fiano as I recognize it.
The Teroldego was quite impressive, one that could go mana a mano w/ Elisabetta's basic Teroldego. When we visited ElisabettaForadori, we took along one of Bryan's for her to try. She cocked her head and acknowledged that it was pretty good Teroldego... "but not as good as mine"!!
It is a crying shame that BryanHarrington had to shut down his wnry operation because of a drastic increase in rent. He was doing some of the most interesting/innovative winemaking in all Calif. He will be greatly missed and Calif wine is much the poorer for it.
Tom