Loren Sonkin
Loren Sonkin
2007 Attems Pinot Grigio IGT
This was $20 Ohio and on display at the supermarket in the WS100 display. Golden in color with some slight straw hues. Clear and bright. Out of the bottle, this was disjointed but with an hour or so of air, and a bit warmer than cellar temp, it opened up. Nice aromas of pink grapefruits, orange peel and minerals. It is a bit fatter than I like my PG, but not bad. Mostly citrus flavors on the palate. Nice wine but there are better examples. 13% Alc.
2006 Estacas (Estremadura, Portugal)
A blend of 40% Tinta Ruiz, 40% Castelao, and 20% Touriga Nacional. 15% Alc. This is a $15 table wine from Portugal. Deep ruby in color, mostly opaque and bright. The nose shows plums, currants, raisins and oak. Full bodied. On the palate, this has very nice balance and no noticeable alcohol. Cherries, bitter cherries and plums. Some slight drying (oak?) tannins. Long finish. A nice wine, well worth the tariff. Modern in style.
2005 Avide Cerasuolo di Vittoria
$23. This is a Sicilian red; 60% Frappato/40% Nero DAvola. It took about an hour to open up and then was very good. Ruby/purple in color. The nose has cherries, red currants, and leather. Full bodied. On the palate, there is a bitter cherry quality that is very nice. It is especially pronounced on the finish and that worked well with food. There is a charcoal/mineral note on the palate which is interesting as I do not believe this wine see any time in oak. 13.5% Alc. It worked well on a -13F night in Cleveland.
This was $20 Ohio and on display at the supermarket in the WS100 display. Golden in color with some slight straw hues. Clear and bright. Out of the bottle, this was disjointed but with an hour or so of air, and a bit warmer than cellar temp, it opened up. Nice aromas of pink grapefruits, orange peel and minerals. It is a bit fatter than I like my PG, but not bad. Mostly citrus flavors on the palate. Nice wine but there are better examples. 13% Alc.
2006 Estacas (Estremadura, Portugal)
A blend of 40% Tinta Ruiz, 40% Castelao, and 20% Touriga Nacional. 15% Alc. This is a $15 table wine from Portugal. Deep ruby in color, mostly opaque and bright. The nose shows plums, currants, raisins and oak. Full bodied. On the palate, this has very nice balance and no noticeable alcohol. Cherries, bitter cherries and plums. Some slight drying (oak?) tannins. Long finish. A nice wine, well worth the tariff. Modern in style.
2005 Avide Cerasuolo di Vittoria
$23. This is a Sicilian red; 60% Frappato/40% Nero DAvola. It took about an hour to open up and then was very good. Ruby/purple in color. The nose has cherries, red currants, and leather. Full bodied. On the palate, there is a bitter cherry quality that is very nice. It is especially pronounced on the finish and that worked well with food. There is a charcoal/mineral note on the palate which is interesting as I do not believe this wine see any time in oak. 13.5% Alc. It worked well on a -13F night in Cleveland.