Had these two whites ystrday:
1. Ridge AlderSpringsVnyd/MendoCnty (13.0%; 82% Falanghina/18% Vermentino; bttld 2/24; Drk: 6/24-8/31/24: SR) 2023: Med.light gold color; light pencilly/oak strong floral/gardenias/dandelions/spicy/cardamon very attractive very fragrant nose; fairly tart/tangy strong floral/gardenias/dandelions/cardamon/spicy ripe/rich/lush/balanced slight chalky/stony/bit metallic slight citrusy/almost R-like fairly lush slight Kansas wet hayquite attractive flavor; very long/lingering quite spicy/flral finish that tracks the flavor; a really lovely expressin of Falanghina that reminds some of Ligurian Pigato but a bit richer/lusher; this is a World-class expression of Falanghina from an exceptional vnyd. $31.50 (ATP)/$33.00
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2. Dom.Blardes et Fils Altesse AOC: Roussette de Savoie (12%; 100% Altesse; 30 yr old vines; 9 mo. in SS tank; StorkWineCo/Topanga/CA 2022: Light gold color; somewhat mineral/stony/chalky fairly fragrant/floral/carnations rather Alpine/white-flowers quite lovely Alpine White nose; quite tart/tangy some mineral/metallic some stony/chalky rather Alpine white flowers floral/carnations light bodied brisk/lithe some mineral quite attractive flavor; very long mineral/Alpine white flwers/edelweiss lovely finish that follows the flavor; a quite pretty Alpine/white flower WW and classic Savoie Altesse. $31.00 (SFW&S)
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more dikkaspurt from TheBloodyPulpit:
1. Ridge: This is the new AlderSprings that arrived a few days ago & was dying to try it. Shared the rest of the btl w/ Laura who had bought a couple of btls from this order of 6 for Quadrant C-6 of her living room. This is the 2'nd one Shauna has made after the lovely '22. It may be slightly better than that inaugural vintage. Generally, I'm not very thrilled by Falanghina (Arnot-Roberts makes a good one), but this Ridge is exceptional.
One thing puzzles me: Shauna's rec that this will be very good drinking thru the Summer, the same rec she made for the '22. In point of fact, I see no reason that this won't get better over the next 3-5 yrs because of its richness & texture. Shauna may just be wrong in her rec.
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2. Altesse and Roussette are the same grape. The flagship white wine in the Savoie. It was a textbook Savoie Altesse & when you put your ear down to the glass, you could hear Julies Andrews off on the distant peak: "The hills are alive.....". But what a surprise this wine was the next morning after sitting on the counter (stoppered) overnight. It had changed dramatically. It had considerable darkened to a deeper golden color; it was much richer/lusher in texture, not as vibrant/lithe as before. And you could no longer hear JulieAndrews off in the distance. Not a bad wine but much different in character than the night before (at a colder temperatre). I haven't a clue what this all means, though. But changed it had. Maybe just at a warmer temperature, perhaps.
Tom