Had these two last night w/ dinner:
1. Idlewild Flora&Fauna FoxHill&LostHills Ranch WW MendoCnty (11.4%; www.IdlewildWines.com; 40% Arneis/40% Muscat Canelli /10% Cortese/10% Erbaluce/10% Favorita) 2020: Med.light yellow color; quite fragrant floral/carnations/alpine white flowers somewhat muscatty/floral very slight chalky/earthy quite pretty nose; quite tart/tangy/bit metallic very pretty floral/carnations/some muscatty bright/spicy/bit rich slight chalky quite pleasant flavor; med.long fairly tart/tangy/bit lean very pretty floral/carnations/alpine flowers/some muscatty bright/spicy slight chalky finish; a quite pretty light-weight rather floral/muscatty white that reminds some of a Malvasia d'Istriana but not quite the minerality those usually show; a flavor & depth that belies the 11.4% alcohol; what some call a "porch-pounder"; very fairly priced at $25.00
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2. CedarvilleVnyd {Syrah} Estate/ElDorado (14.9%; 100 cs; www.CedarvilleVineyard.com) FairPlay 2018: Very dark color; very strong blackberry/blueberry/Syrah/rather cracked black pepper fairly earthy/mushroomy/root cellar/truffly pungent/ElD some Rhonish/St.Joseph fairly complex nose; lightly tart/tangy strong earthy/mushroomy/ElD/pungent some blackberry/blueberry/Syrah/black pepper some rich/St.Joseph/Rhonish/rustic some complex flavor w/ modest ripe tannins; very long some tart/tangy fairly earthy/mushroomy/ElD/rustic some St.Joseph/Rhonish some blackberry/Syrah/black pepper complex finish w/ modest tannins; can benefit from a few yrs of age; speaks strong of ElDCnty that gives it a somewhat Rhonish/rustic character; a rather terroir-driven at a very good price. $26.00
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A wee BloodyPulpit:
1. I have, of course, followed Cedarville from the very start when Jonathan & Susan first showed their Syrah at an early HdR in Paso. I took an instant liking to the couple and have consistently bought their wines over the yrs, which, on the pre-release pricing, are quite good values. Alas, Susan died over a yr ago, but Jonathan continues along. A lot of us miss her warm personality & bright smile.
Tom