Tried these two the other weekend w/ Susan:
1. Due del Monte DOC: Collio Malvasia (13.5%; BenvenUSA/Sausalito) Cormons 2020: Med.gold color; fairly strong Malvasia bit floral/muscatty some stony/mineral rather quiet complex bit spicy rather understated/pleasant nose; rather tart/tangy/bit metallic light Malvasia/muscatty/floral/spicy some stony/chalky slight hair-oil bit complex flavor; med.long light floral/Malvasia finish that tracks flavor; a rather stony/mineral Malvasia w/ not a really strong Malvasia character; a rather quiet/understated Malvasia but not that distinctive. $36.50 (KK)
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2. LaMiraja Dd'OCeG: Ruche di Castagnole Monferrato (14%; ThePiedmonteGuy/Shafer/MN) Eugenio Gatti/Castagnole Monferrato/Piemonte 2022: Very dark color; very strong very fragrant/perfumed/Ruche strawberry/black cherry some earthy/dusty/OV quite complex lovely perfumed nose; rather tart/tangy fairly rich/lush very strong Ruche/strawberry/cherry fairly dusty/OV slight earthy/dusty quite structured very intense Ruche flavor w/ ample/chewey tannins; very long/lingering Ruche finish that tracks the flavor; a beautiful intense strawberry/Ruche w/ great depth & structure; one of the best & most serious Ruches I can recall; needs 3-8 yrs yet; a serious expression of Ruche at a great price. $26.00 (KK)
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More ristercost from TheBloodyPulpit:
1. The Due del Monte showed up here in NM a couple of weeks ago. The Friuliano was exceptional and the SauvBlanc quite good. I was expecting a lot of this Malvasia (one of my favorite varieties) but found it a bit too quiet & underperforming.
Ruche is one of my facorite Piemontese varieties. Generally they are fairly light but quite aromatic. This is one of the best/serious rendition of Ruche I can recall.
The PiedmontGuy is an importer that specializes in Piemonte wines. Everything I've had from him has been quite good. He has a very interesting portfolio & really knows what he's doing. An outstanding importer.
Tom