Tried these three over the weekend w/ Susan:
1. IngridGroiss GemischterSatz Braitenpuechtorff (12.5%; www.Ingrid-Groiss.At; CircoVino/Tuscon/AZ) Breitenwaida/Niederosterreich 2017: Med.light gold color w/ lots of tiny bubbles; beautiful floral/gardenias/carnations some pungent/petrol sight GV/white pepper quite complex lovely nose; no signs of dissolved CO2; lightly tart fairly rich/lush quite floral/mango/gardenias some GV/white pepper slight stony/mineral/metallicbit pungent/petrol rather complex flavor; very long/lingering finish mimics flavor; lost a bit of intensity of the fruit, as put on some weight, but is really hitting its stride right now; a beautiful expression of Austrian GS at a great price. $21.00 (KK)
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2. Cavallotto Freisa Dd'OC: Langhe (13.5%; Bricco Boschis Estate; www.Cavallotto.com; GiulianaImprts/Boulder; 3853 btls) Castiglione Falletto 2021: Very dark color; lovely intense strawberry/Freisa bit floral/violets slight pungent/licorice some ripe/boysenberry rather Nebb-like, some Dolcetto-like bit earthy/loamy quite interesting nose; lightly tart very ripe/Dolcetto-like very rich/structured rather grapey/strawberry/Freisa/blackberry very ripe slight toasty/oak flavor w/ ample chewey tannins; very long very rich/lush finish that mimics flavor; speaks some of Freisa but not the high-toned/perfumed character of Freisa & more of a Dolcetto expression of Freisa in texture & intensity; an atypical big/rich/structured for Freisa; needs 3-8 yrs yet. $33.50 (KK)
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3. Gaffino Cardinale Cesanese Id'OP: Lazio (13.5%; www.CantinaGaffino.It; EnotecImprts/GreenwoodVillage/CO) Gabriele Gaffino/Roma 2020: Dark red color; strong grapey some black cherry/Sangio-like some earthy/loamy/bit rustic slight pencilly/oak rather complex flavor w/ modest rough/grippy tannins; very long some high-toned/Sangio-like/cherry finish that mimics the flavor; a somewhat Italianate/rustic Sangio-like wine w/ more richness/lushness than Tuscan Sangio; a quite pleasant if rustic Italian red at a great price. $12.00 (SFW&S)
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More kivvelgorp from TheBloodyPulpit:
1. This IngridGroiss GS showed up on the shelf at Kokomans this weekend. They had carried it before but they stumbled upon one more case in the back storage. It has really developed into a lovely GS. Unfortunately, this is probably all she wote in NM. It is distributed by Fiasco Wines and they have not brought in any from Circo Vino since this 2017 vintage. Bummer. I'm going back for the rest.
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2. I'm a big fan of Freisa because of its strawberry/high-toned perfume. But I was a bit surprised at this Cavallotto because of its intensity & structure. It showed a bit of Nebb-like character but not the fierce acidity & the tannins that take your head off. Almost like a Valtelline Nebb.
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3. Gaffino: This was a wine that caught my attention at Susan's FW&S on Sat. First, it was a producer I'd not heard of before. Secondly, wines from Lazio are not very common in the US. And, thirdly, the Cesanese variety is fairly rare. Cesanese is a variety that's indigenous to Lazio. There are several sub-varieties of Cesanese in Lazio, so it doesn't speak w/ a single voice.
Because of its low price, I was not expecting a whole lot from this wine. When I tried it, I was shocked by how good it was for the $$'s. Very much like a Sangio, but much richer & textured in character.
Looking at their WebSite, Gaffino makes a very interesting range of wines. I plan to try to track down some of the other wines, but probably will be difficult to find in NM. But it's an interesting portfolio I'd like to explore more of.
Tom