Had these three over the last two nights w/ DinDin:
1. Cedarville {Viognier} Estate/ElDorado (13.8%; 80 cs) FairPlay 2020: Med.light yellow color; some chalky/mineral quite attractive pear/Viog/ripe peach/floral light pencilly/oak lemony lightweight/elegant quite pretty nose; lightly tart slight citric/lemony elegant/restrained pear/Viog/peach/floral/gardenias very light pencilly/oak slightly spicy/cardamon quite pretty flavor; long light chalky/mineral/ElDorado rather pear/Viog/peach/floral/gardenias light pencilly/oak quite fragrant finish; way far away from DollyParton territory; a quiet/restrained/elegant expression of ElD Viognier at a very good price. $26.00
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2. LaColombiere Negrette de Soif (11%; www.ChateauLaColombiere.com; 100% Negrette; MFW Wines/NY) SiVisPacem Para Vinum/Villaudrid 2020: Med.color; some earthy/loamy rather spicy/peppery/black pepper slight licorice/pungent/blackberry quite interesting lightweight nose; lightly tart some peppery/spicy/Negrette light earthy/loamy/bit rustic somewhat light/fruity/bit Bojo-like flavor w/ light gentle tannins; med.long bit soft light earthy/loamy bit rustic/metallic rather spicy/peppery/black pepper finish w/ light tangy tannins; shows the peppery/spicy character of Negrette but in a vin de soif style; a rather interesting rendition of Negrette but pretty atypical of the rough/rustic character of most French Negrettes. $20.00 (AV)
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3. Dom.Nicolas Gonin Persan IGP: Isere-Balmes-Dauphinoises (14.3%; www.Vins-Nicolas-Gonin.com; MFW Wines/NY) St.Chef 2019: Very dark/near black color; strong ripe/licorice/boysenberry/blackberry/bit Syrah-like some earthy/dusty/OV some spicy/peppery slight floral/violets slight pencilly fairly rugged some complex nose; fairly tart/tangy/tannic strong peppery/blackberry/spicy/licorice some dusty/OV bit earthy/loamy some complex flavor w/ ample rugged tannins; very long/lingering some dusty/earthy/OV strong licorice/blackberry/spicy/peppery light pencilly/oak some complex finish w/ ample chewey tannins; reminds a lot of Savoie Mondeuse but more structure and harder, maybe a bit of Calif Syrah; a terrific red that needs another 4-8 yrs yet; very well-priced at $31.00 (SFW&S)
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A wee BloodyPulpit:
1. The Cedarville Viognier has always been one of my favorite Calif Viogniers. It shows a sensible restraint & elegance that I find quite attractive. Reminds a lot of the recent Ridge and the TablasCreek Viogniers. Their are times you want to go out for dinner w/ DollyParton. But sometimes you'd just like to sit down at dinner w/ Julia Roberts and talk about the Impact of the Higg's Bosun on Western Civilization.
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2. Negrette is a variety that is found mostly in SW France in the CoteFrontannais. There, it makes a rather rough/rustic wine w/ lots of peppery character. Rendering it as a vin de soif is something I've never done did see'd before.
Negrette is found in Calif mostly in the CienegaVlly. There was at one time a fair amount of planting there at the behest of Almaden where it was labeled as PinotStGeorges under the Charles LeFranc label. KennyVolk, whilst winemaker at WildHorse, started poking around those old Almaden vnyds and is credited for its revival in Calif.
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3. Persan is a very rare grape grown almost exclusively in the Savoie. Where it probably originated, rather than in Persia as the name might imply. There is a small planting in Switzerland and also in Piemonte's SusaVlly where it is known as Pinerolo (never have ever seen one of those).
I've only had some 5-6 Persans in my life. But this Nicolas Gonin was easily the best one I've ever had. It reminds me a bit of Savoie Mondeuse. Clearly it's a grape they should be planting all up&down the Coast of Calif.
This is my 2'nd experience w/ Nicolas Gonin. I recently had his Altesse & was mightly impressed by it...a beautiful Alpine white. I was even more impressed by this Persan. He is supposedly a natural wine producer. But these two are as clean as a whistle & show no natty character whatsoever. It can be done, obviously.
Tom