SteveTimko
Steve Timko
2007 Curran Grenache Blanc - USA, California, Central Coast, Santa Ynez Valley (2/7/2010)
Tasty. This had quite a bit going on, especially for $22 bottle of wine ($20 with with six-bottle discount at Albertson's in Paso Robles). Overall it's a pure, focused wine. A good match for food. The nose was white fruit and citrus. Some minerality. A nice acid tartness to the palate but not overwhelming. On the palate, honey and honey dew melon and some other tropiical flavors, but some nice spiciness. Glenn felt it was like tarragon. I get more generic southern Asian spices. Nice finish. Definitely punches above its weight, but a personal plea to Kris Curran: Please don't raise the price.
2004 Avanguardia Sangineto - USA, California, Sierra Foothills, Nevada County (2/7/2010)
This seems to be going downhill. When I first pulled the cork I got a lot of VA. By the time that blew off it was replaced with an overwhelming oakiness. I tasted this a few years ago at the winery and got none of this. It was a bit rustic when I had it before but that was gone as a Super Bowl Sunday wine. iI was tart so it accomplished its task of matching a spaghetti sauce. It's a blend of three clones of sangiovese and a cabernet sauvignon-merlot cross called carmine. Nothing tasted like sangiovese. It was a generic red. This was made at the nearby Burch Hall in Grass Valley before the winemaker had his own winemaking facilities set up I believe the oak regimen changed when he started making it.
Tasty. This had quite a bit going on, especially for $22 bottle of wine ($20 with with six-bottle discount at Albertson's in Paso Robles). Overall it's a pure, focused wine. A good match for food. The nose was white fruit and citrus. Some minerality. A nice acid tartness to the palate but not overwhelming. On the palate, honey and honey dew melon and some other tropiical flavors, but some nice spiciness. Glenn felt it was like tarragon. I get more generic southern Asian spices. Nice finish. Definitely punches above its weight, but a personal plea to Kris Curran: Please don't raise the price.
2004 Avanguardia Sangineto - USA, California, Sierra Foothills, Nevada County (2/7/2010)
This seems to be going downhill. When I first pulled the cork I got a lot of VA. By the time that blew off it was replaced with an overwhelming oakiness. I tasted this a few years ago at the winery and got none of this. It was a bit rustic when I had it before but that was gone as a Super Bowl Sunday wine. iI was tart so it accomplished its task of matching a spaghetti sauce. It's a blend of three clones of sangiovese and a cabernet sauvignon-merlot cross called carmine. Nothing tasted like sangiovese. It was a generic red. This was made at the nearby Burch Hall in Grass Valley before the winemaker had his own winemaking facilities set up I believe the oak regimen changed when he started making it.