Christian Miller (CMM)
Christian Miller
I haven't posted any TNs for a long time, not being sure they are of use to anyone but myself. But here are some wines from the past few months that might be of interest, because they are off the beaten path or illustrate some point.
Red blend from Secano Interior “Aupa Pipeno” (Chile) 2020, Vina Maitia - med-light young purple; fresh young strawbish whole berry aroma/flavor, hint of white pepper; med-light body, dry but very fruity, good acid, very light dried herbal tannin. A bit short and simple but very quaffable. Pais (Mission) and Carignan. My first taste of the “new wave” old vine non-obvious varieties Chile (can someone think of a name for these?) A jolly & good value drink at $10, but not worthy of some of the recent hoopla around this segment. Is this typical?
Utiel-Requena Reserva 2016, Marquis de Colbert - med crimson-garnet; bright nose, strawbish dusty cherries, light woody oak, med weight, decent acid, dry mild tannins. A sweetly woody-savory med length finish with a tarragon-roast berry tone. Not excessively ripe and somehow quite Spanish in character. 50-50 Bobal/Tempranillo. Higher altitude, old vine wines from Utiel were tweet-touted as an undiscovered value by a couple of credible vintners in Spain. Indeed, ridiculously cheap. ($5.99 at TJs)
Tempranillo Lodi Clement Hills Lewis vineyard 2013, Urbano Cellars- ripe plum pudding-black cherry fruit with a touch of cigar wrap and sweet spice; soft, baked raisins and cherry fruit, adequate acid, melting tannins with a savory soft dry finish. Mature, mellow and satisfying if only moderately complex. GREAT synergy with whole wheat couscous & mushroom cream sauce, creating new herbal woodsy flavors. 14.3% ABV. When farmed well, Tempranillo seems quite appropriate for Lodi (see also wines from Bokisch). Very sorry this winery (in Berkeley) closed down, the wines were interesting and good value, the owners friendly and totally unpretentious.
Barraida Reserva Tinto 2015, Sidonio di Sousa - intriguing aroma with fresh and dried cherry, hint of Vermut-ish herbs-spices; med body, vigorous but not intense or heavy, good acid, med tannin, finishes dry with similar flavors, some wood. A nice change of pace. Whole cluster, old casks, 90 yr old vines, mostly (all?) Baga.
Rosé of Nebbiolo Piemonte IGT (Gattinara) Rosato "Briccol Lorella" 2019, Antoniolo - dried cherry and fresh apricot, light mild cherry-floral flavor, v dry, expands on finish with light herbal tannins. A gastronomic rosé, as Liz Gabay puts it, and a good one.
Touraine Sauvignon 2019, Francois Chidaine - pale white gold; med strength complex nose with smoky citrus, rain on gravel, a touch bready/yeasty. Medium-light weight, rather round but OK acid, white raisins & meyers lemon, lightly grassy; soft dry med-short finish. 14.1% ABV yet it only shows in the ripe roundness. Interesting, well done and quite different from my Touraine Sauvignon experiences in the past or SB from most upper Loire appellations. Jamie Goode and Decanter have both touted recent Touraine Sauvignon; does anyone here have a take?
Rioja Alavesa "Aistear" 2015, Bodega 202 - Very dark purple, packed to the rim; young nose with very deep black cherry-blackberry-plum fruit, some French oak incense, touches of iron and cigar-wrap; med-full body, vigorous acidity, closed and densely-packed fruit with very fine-grained tannin, everything is clenched and grippy; tannins shut down the finish. Modern in winemaking but classical (Bordeaux) in style. Needs a lot of time; left 8 days+ in a half bottle, the nose opens up with cigarbox, french oak, cherry-pomegranate coulis; the already fine tannins soften, coddling a savory fruit-sage-bay middle, then slowly cover the finish. This is a small garagiste operation with vineyards in the coolest, most eastern section of Rioja Alavesa, run by the charming Luis Guemes and Marta Ortiz Vizcarro.
Rioja Crianza “Lealtanza“, Bodegas Altanza - fairly deep aroma with ripe roast black cherry, oak, a touch of cigar; smooth, medium bodied yet mouth-coating with fine silky tannins, good acid; similar flavors in fairly long finish, slightly tart. This estate was unknown to me, but it’s very Rioja, like Reserva quality with a bit less oak. And impressive for $15.
Petit Manseng Paso Robles estate 2017, Tablas Creek - light golden brassy color; soft entry, but the acid builds throughout. It’s hard to describe the aroma - sweet corn, broccoli, a note somewhere between sage, straw and a meadow? There's peachy-peachskin fruit with a touch of guava or pineapple, and maybe buckwheat? It’s medium bodied with a long and persistent savory-sweet finish. Similar in weight/sweetness to a ripe Vouvray demisec or off-dry Alsatian VT. Very interesting wine. Their first bottling of this variety; everyone likes it but no one is quite sure what to “do” with it in terms of marketing or recommended drinking occasion. It's a useful wine in their tasting room for less enthusiastic visitors dragged along by their red Rhone-obsessed friends.
Cotes de Gascogne "Haut Marin les Fossiles" 2019, Elizabeth Prataviera - forthright aroma with grassy-lemon fruit, leafy-guava-pineapple hints; juicy med-light body, strong tangy acid, succulent ripe grapefruit-lemon, slightly pithy bitterness punctuates med-long herbal fruity finish. Very fresh, zippy in the mouth but with plenty of flavor. Broken record department - another Gascon white blend delivers amazing value - $12! 60% Colombard, 20% SB, 20% Gros Manseng.
Cotes de Gascogne "le Labyrinthe" 2020, Domaine de Cassaigne (Plaimont). A pale brass with green tinge; aromatic with leafy tarragon-straw Jurancon-like tone over lemony fruit; tangy with grapefruit pith, meyers lemon, straw; med length, med-lite body, almost harshly tart and pithy. 60% Colombard, 40% Gros Manseng. Nice but a bit coarser and more obvious than Prataviera’s. $6 at GO!
Touriga Amador 2014, St. Amant - has ripe sweet plum-marionberry-fig fruit plus hints of allspice; similar flavors with a bay rum hint, med-full body. It’s slightly Zinnish but with distinct smooth plumskin-pudding tannins. Has decent acid and good length. Good with both smoked gouda and Occelli al Barolo cheese. For many years, St. Amant has steadily and quietly done good work. The port is probably CA's best, the Tempranillo, Barbera, Zins and Verdelho all good, plus a remarkable "Tawny Port" that is actually Bastardo made like Madeira (which TTB won't recognize for labeling purposes).
Coro Mendocino Red Blend 2015, Golden Cellars - lively aroma combines jolly raspberry Zin fruit with dried cherry Sangiovese & a bit of woody oak, a hint of earthy maturity; similar flavors, sappy, slightly herbal, good acidity; med length, mild but dry tannins; charming and dangerously quaffable for 14.9% ABV. 55% Zin, 20% Sangiovese, 15% PS, 10% Syrah. The Coro Mendocino designation does not get the press it deserves IMHO; the wines are consistently good and interesting, from a variety of producers.
Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley Bosche 1982, Freemark Abbey - old ashy nose opens to dried jam, cedar/cigarbox, and decayed Bordelaise fruit with a touch of soy emerging; medium bodied, soft, tannins almost melted but still some substance/density, and length remain. Still alive with some class. A survivor from the era of the "food wine" hype and backlash.
Red blend from Secano Interior “Aupa Pipeno” (Chile) 2020, Vina Maitia - med-light young purple; fresh young strawbish whole berry aroma/flavor, hint of white pepper; med-light body, dry but very fruity, good acid, very light dried herbal tannin. A bit short and simple but very quaffable. Pais (Mission) and Carignan. My first taste of the “new wave” old vine non-obvious varieties Chile (can someone think of a name for these?) A jolly & good value drink at $10, but not worthy of some of the recent hoopla around this segment. Is this typical?
Utiel-Requena Reserva 2016, Marquis de Colbert - med crimson-garnet; bright nose, strawbish dusty cherries, light woody oak, med weight, decent acid, dry mild tannins. A sweetly woody-savory med length finish with a tarragon-roast berry tone. Not excessively ripe and somehow quite Spanish in character. 50-50 Bobal/Tempranillo. Higher altitude, old vine wines from Utiel were tweet-touted as an undiscovered value by a couple of credible vintners in Spain. Indeed, ridiculously cheap. ($5.99 at TJs)
Tempranillo Lodi Clement Hills Lewis vineyard 2013, Urbano Cellars- ripe plum pudding-black cherry fruit with a touch of cigar wrap and sweet spice; soft, baked raisins and cherry fruit, adequate acid, melting tannins with a savory soft dry finish. Mature, mellow and satisfying if only moderately complex. GREAT synergy with whole wheat couscous & mushroom cream sauce, creating new herbal woodsy flavors. 14.3% ABV. When farmed well, Tempranillo seems quite appropriate for Lodi (see also wines from Bokisch). Very sorry this winery (in Berkeley) closed down, the wines were interesting and good value, the owners friendly and totally unpretentious.
Barraida Reserva Tinto 2015, Sidonio di Sousa - intriguing aroma with fresh and dried cherry, hint of Vermut-ish herbs-spices; med body, vigorous but not intense or heavy, good acid, med tannin, finishes dry with similar flavors, some wood. A nice change of pace. Whole cluster, old casks, 90 yr old vines, mostly (all?) Baga.
Rosé of Nebbiolo Piemonte IGT (Gattinara) Rosato "Briccol Lorella" 2019, Antoniolo - dried cherry and fresh apricot, light mild cherry-floral flavor, v dry, expands on finish with light herbal tannins. A gastronomic rosé, as Liz Gabay puts it, and a good one.
Touraine Sauvignon 2019, Francois Chidaine - pale white gold; med strength complex nose with smoky citrus, rain on gravel, a touch bready/yeasty. Medium-light weight, rather round but OK acid, white raisins & meyers lemon, lightly grassy; soft dry med-short finish. 14.1% ABV yet it only shows in the ripe roundness. Interesting, well done and quite different from my Touraine Sauvignon experiences in the past or SB from most upper Loire appellations. Jamie Goode and Decanter have both touted recent Touraine Sauvignon; does anyone here have a take?
Rioja Alavesa "Aistear" 2015, Bodega 202 - Very dark purple, packed to the rim; young nose with very deep black cherry-blackberry-plum fruit, some French oak incense, touches of iron and cigar-wrap; med-full body, vigorous acidity, closed and densely-packed fruit with very fine-grained tannin, everything is clenched and grippy; tannins shut down the finish. Modern in winemaking but classical (Bordeaux) in style. Needs a lot of time; left 8 days+ in a half bottle, the nose opens up with cigarbox, french oak, cherry-pomegranate coulis; the already fine tannins soften, coddling a savory fruit-sage-bay middle, then slowly cover the finish. This is a small garagiste operation with vineyards in the coolest, most eastern section of Rioja Alavesa, run by the charming Luis Guemes and Marta Ortiz Vizcarro.
Rioja Crianza “Lealtanza“, Bodegas Altanza - fairly deep aroma with ripe roast black cherry, oak, a touch of cigar; smooth, medium bodied yet mouth-coating with fine silky tannins, good acid; similar flavors in fairly long finish, slightly tart. This estate was unknown to me, but it’s very Rioja, like Reserva quality with a bit less oak. And impressive for $15.
Petit Manseng Paso Robles estate 2017, Tablas Creek - light golden brassy color; soft entry, but the acid builds throughout. It’s hard to describe the aroma - sweet corn, broccoli, a note somewhere between sage, straw and a meadow? There's peachy-peachskin fruit with a touch of guava or pineapple, and maybe buckwheat? It’s medium bodied with a long and persistent savory-sweet finish. Similar in weight/sweetness to a ripe Vouvray demisec or off-dry Alsatian VT. Very interesting wine. Their first bottling of this variety; everyone likes it but no one is quite sure what to “do” with it in terms of marketing or recommended drinking occasion. It's a useful wine in their tasting room for less enthusiastic visitors dragged along by their red Rhone-obsessed friends.
Cotes de Gascogne "Haut Marin les Fossiles" 2019, Elizabeth Prataviera - forthright aroma with grassy-lemon fruit, leafy-guava-pineapple hints; juicy med-light body, strong tangy acid, succulent ripe grapefruit-lemon, slightly pithy bitterness punctuates med-long herbal fruity finish. Very fresh, zippy in the mouth but with plenty of flavor. Broken record department - another Gascon white blend delivers amazing value - $12! 60% Colombard, 20% SB, 20% Gros Manseng.
Cotes de Gascogne "le Labyrinthe" 2020, Domaine de Cassaigne (Plaimont). A pale brass with green tinge; aromatic with leafy tarragon-straw Jurancon-like tone over lemony fruit; tangy with grapefruit pith, meyers lemon, straw; med length, med-lite body, almost harshly tart and pithy. 60% Colombard, 40% Gros Manseng. Nice but a bit coarser and more obvious than Prataviera’s. $6 at GO!
Touriga Amador 2014, St. Amant - has ripe sweet plum-marionberry-fig fruit plus hints of allspice; similar flavors with a bay rum hint, med-full body. It’s slightly Zinnish but with distinct smooth plumskin-pudding tannins. Has decent acid and good length. Good with both smoked gouda and Occelli al Barolo cheese. For many years, St. Amant has steadily and quietly done good work. The port is probably CA's best, the Tempranillo, Barbera, Zins and Verdelho all good, plus a remarkable "Tawny Port" that is actually Bastardo made like Madeira (which TTB won't recognize for labeling purposes).
Coro Mendocino Red Blend 2015, Golden Cellars - lively aroma combines jolly raspberry Zin fruit with dried cherry Sangiovese & a bit of woody oak, a hint of earthy maturity; similar flavors, sappy, slightly herbal, good acidity; med length, mild but dry tannins; charming and dangerously quaffable for 14.9% ABV. 55% Zin, 20% Sangiovese, 15% PS, 10% Syrah. The Coro Mendocino designation does not get the press it deserves IMHO; the wines are consistently good and interesting, from a variety of producers.
Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley Bosche 1982, Freemark Abbey - old ashy nose opens to dried jam, cedar/cigarbox, and decayed Bordelaise fruit with a touch of soy emerging; medium bodied, soft, tannins almost melted but still some substance/density, and length remain. Still alive with some class. A survivor from the era of the "food wine" hype and backlash.
