Tried these w/ Susan Fri night:
1. Gruet PinotMeunier Blanc TamayaVnyd/SantaAnaPueblo (Grown in NM; 12.5%) LaurentGruet/GruetWnry/Albq/NM 2019: Med.light gold color; pleasant slightly earthy/herbal some pear/floral lightly spicy rather pretty nose; soft/fat/low acid bit bland slight tangy/metallic bit vapid slight earthy/herbal/pear flavor; short soft/underacid rather bland/dull light pear/herbal finish; a pleasant enough nose but pretty vapid/dull on the palate; overpriced at $13.50 (KK)
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2. Jaramillo Norton MiddleRioGrandeVlly/NM (12.5%; www.JaramilloVineyards.com) Belen/NM 2017: Very dark/near black color; very earthy/loamy some blackberry/boysenberry grapey slight hybridy/plummy bit coarse/rustic nose; very soft/underacid quite grapey/bit hybridy rather earthy/loamy/coarse rustic flavor w/ a bit of tannic bite; med.long rough/coarse/earthy/rustic/loamy bit tannic finish; a fairly classic expression of Norton in all its rough/rustic glory; not a particularly attractive wine. $23.00 (KK)
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A wee BloodyPulpit:
1. I was attracted to this Gruet because is was labeled Grown & Produced in NM. I've generally avoided the Gruet wines since they were bought out by PreceptBrands. The Sparkling Wines are labeled "Proudly Produced in NM", which is a bit of dishonest advertising. The wines are now made from WashState grapes & made in WashState, then the wine is shipped to Albq for the bubbles to be put in it. They sold their vnyds over in Engle NM several yrs ago (to NoisyWaters...yet another story) and now grow no NM anymore.
A few yrs ago, afore Precept takeover, they convinced the SantaAna Pueblo, just North of Albq, to put in a vnyd. They have farmed that vnyd under contract with the tribe. This is their first wine I've seen from the TamayaVnyd, so was interested to take it for a test drive. Shouldn't have bothered.
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2. Norton: A grape that was developed in Virginia in the early 1800's as a seedling cross of the Bland grape(who dat??) and an unknown Vitis Aestivalis grapevine. It is grown mostly in VA & MO, is the state grape of MO. It has the highest anthocyanin content of any grape variety, hence its typical dark color.
There are better Nortons out there, particularly from VA.
Tom