Vare Ribolla Gialla 2005

[SFJoe]

I thought this had some connection or another with Scholium, but if there is, I can't seem to figure it out.

Anyhow, this is $25/500 ml, not cheap.

It's pretty nice stuff hidden behind a veil of new wood. Some pretty, ever so slightly oxidative and mineral aromatics, plus the wood. Moderate intensity of similar flavors, but the wood takes over on the finish and the 14.5% shows too.

I wouldn't buy it again, but it could be an interesting grape someday in CA.

 

[Jack Everitt]

I've known about this wine for quite some time. Apparently the cuttings of the ribolla came from Gravner, and Gravner has visited and provided some guidance.

A shame that you say there's too much oak.

No vintage?

 

[SFJoe]

originally posted by Jack Everitt:

No vintage?

Sloppy of me, thanks.

 

[gregory dal piaz]

It's a gauzy veil. The bianco sulle bucce is also very interesting, if rendered a touch anonymous by the oxidation. Very savory wine. $25/500ml is pushing it but obviously still fell inside the envelope for both of us. I have two additional bottles to see what may happen with a bit of time. A very interesting project working naturally in the vineyards, native yeasts. They are trying hard to do something unique in California

 

[Florida Jim]

Pretty rare to find it; Vare is not widely distributed.
No connection to Scholium but Abe is well aware of Vare's efforts and thinks highly of them.
Best, Jim

 

[SFJoe]

Now Scholium should probably be bottling in 500 ml. I picked up my first bottle of their wine ("School of the Plains"), and it's 16.6%. You know that's going to get the job done.

 

[Florida Jim]

originally posted by SFJoe:
Now Scholium should probably be bottling in 500 ml. I picked up my first bottle of their wine ("School of the Plains"), and it's 16.6%. You know that's going to get the job done.

What variety?
Best, Jim

 

[SFJoe]

Turns out to be Pinot Grigio.

 But it also seems that I should have taken counsel.

 

[SFJoe]

Moreabout School of the Plains. I have it in the fridge, but I don't think I'll be able to try it for a week or so.

 

[Florida Jim]

I have a bottle of the 2006 San Floriano del Collio, Rocky Hill Vnyd. in my cellar. It is pinot grigio, 16.9% abv on the label, pours the color of dark rose and is in 750 ml. I've had it once before and found it beyond extreme.

This 500 ml you have; did you buy this recently?
I ask because when I was at the winery, we tasted the reserve bottling of the pinot grigio that was in 30 gal. barrel and it was so much better than the regular, I was actually considering buying some. But I assumed the price would be more than what you quote here.
So I assume that Reserve bottling, when it is released, will bear the 2006 vintage and be a lot more money.

But I've been wrong before.
Best, Jim

 

[SFJoe]

I picked up the Vare over the weekend on the occasion of my first visit to the new CSW location.

 

[Florida Jim]

Ooops, I meant the School of Plains.
Best, Jim

 

[SFJoe]

originally posted by Florida Jim:
Ooops, I meant the School of Plains.
Best, Jim

Same source, but 750 ml. The 500 ml format was just my suggestion for 17% abv wines.

 

[Levi Dalton]

I have had the Vare 2004 Ribolla several times. I didn't think that that vintage showed too much oak. I thought it was pretty decent, myself. Although it is expensive for what it is.

 

[Robert Dentice]

originally posted by Florida Jim:
Pretty rare to find it; Vare is not widely distributed.
No connection to Scholium but Abe is well aware of Vare's efforts and thinks highly of them.
Best, Jim

Abe was the winemaker for the 2004 vintage.

 

[Florida Jim]

originally posted by Robert Dentice:

originally posted by Florida Jim:
Pretty rare to find it; Vare is not widely distributed.
No connection to Scholium but Abe is well aware of Vare's efforts and thinks highly of them.
Best, Jim

Abe was the winemaker for the 2004 vintage.

Shows you what I know.
Best, Jim

 

[SFJoe]

originally posted by SFJoe:
Moreabout School of the Plains. I have it in the fridge, but I don't think I'll be able to try it for a week or so.

Holy cow, this thing is a martini. It has the bite of one, half the kick of one, and it is otherwise a monster. It's an interesting monster, once you burn off the alcohol, but it's hard to swallow and the alcohol lingers like lighter fluid.

OTOH, a strange calmness overtakes me after a few sips....

 

[Robert Dentice]

originally posted by SFJoe:

originally posted by SFJoe:
Moreabout School of the Plains. I have it in the fridge, but I don't think I'll be able to try it for a week or so.

Holy cow, this thing is a martini. It has the bite of one, half the kick of one, and it is otherwise a monster. It's an interesting monster, once you burn off the alcohol, but it's hard to swallow and the alcohol lingers like lighter fluid.

OTOH, a strange calmness overtakes me after a few sips....

Please keep in mind the School of the Plains is one of the most radical experiments of The Scholium Project. Only 40 cases were made and most of it was sold to the mailing list. I find that all of Abe's wine need a significant amount of decanting. Had one the other day that was open for two weeks that was amazing. I also had his first Chardonnay (Les Tenebres) from the 2000 vintage on Saturday and it was sensational.

I like the "interesting monster" description!

 

[SFJoe]

originally posted by Robert Dentice:

Please keep in mind the School of the Plains is one of the most radical experiments of The Scholium Project.

In what sense radical? It's my first of his wines, so I have no comparison.

 

[Robert Dentice]

originally posted by SFJoe:

originally posted by Robert Dentice:

Please keep in mind the School of the Plains is one of the most radical experiments of The Scholium Project.

In what sense radical? It's my first of his wines, so I have no comparison.

For one the alcohol content is off the charts. This is not 100% intentional.
I think this is due to Abe's non-intervionist philosphy. It went through a 12-month fermentation and whole cluster press. He makes some of his whites more like reds in terms of the winemaking.

Try his Sauvignon Blancs which are closer to 13.5 - 06 FARINA VINEYARDS LA SEVERIT DI BRUTO or 06 FARINA VINEYARDS THE PRINCE IN HIS CAVES (Skin Fermented).

His description of the School of the Plains is below:

This wine is large and dense. Its 12-month fermentation has some responsibility for this, but much more is the role of the vineyard itself. The wine is from a very special cool-climate Pinot Grigio vineyard, tended like a garden by its owner and full-time vineyard manager. Each vine is like a child to them; each cluster not only ripens at the their hands but gets something like an education. The result is an astonishing density of flavor and the ability to preserve excellent structure even at intense ripeness. The grapes were whole-cluster pressed, but the wine seems to show some tannic richness nonetheless, a quinine salinity sometimes found in serious cool-climate grigio and pinot gris, and a beautiful floral nose, full of lilac, wisteria, lavender. It is not a strange wine; strong but beautiful.
The name comes from an observation of mine about winemaking in the Collio, source of great inspiration and teaching for me. There is a school of the plains that favors minerality, florality, and bright acidity and despises skin contact, oxidation, and excesses of malolactic fermentation. And then opposed to them are the growers who live and work in the hills, especially around San Floriano del Collio. They harvest very ripe, macerate the juice with the skins and seeds, expose the juice and wine to all kinds of oxygen, and tend not to interfere with any aspect of the fermentations, including the malo-lactic. This wine in no way resembles the wines from the plains, but is named in homage to them. The School of the Plains would reject this wine, but it still embodies what I learned there.