Oswaldo Costa
Oswaldo Costa
Notes on the Brazilian wines are for the record only; they are even harder to find than Overnoy.
Last week I wrote about a Brazilian winery called Tormentas. This week we tasted, over another series of creative dishes prepared by our in-house chef, a few bottles from the other Brazilian producer we respect. Vilmar Bett is an eccentric and gruff high school physics teacher who supplements his income by making wine in a very artisanal manner from over a dozen varieties planted on a small farm outside the town of Garibaldi. Prices start at around US$40 the year the wines are made, and gradually rise as stock dwindles. When he is down to his last dozen bottles of anything, the price can be as high as US$300.
2008 Vilmar Bett Merlot Ros Garibaldi 12.6%
Bottle 37/100. Bronze salmon orange. Apricot, chalk, dishrag, floral and grapefruit. Savory, with good acid/sweet balance and slightly bitter finish. Not interested in air kissing. Excellent.
2005 Vilmar Bett Touriga Nacional Garibaldi 13.9%
Attractive aromas of plum, mint, eucalyptus and cloves. The sweetness pushes towards super mature, but its not too hot. Fine texture, body and tannins. At the end of the day, a bit too modern.
2003 Vilmar Bett Cabernet Franc Garibaldi 13.7%
Nose a bit closed, showing some plum and herbs. Good acid/sweet balance, fine texture, grippy tannins and satisfying body. Slightly hot, but not super mature. Delicious, actually, and, overall, my favorite of the three reds, though a bit lacking in cab franc specificity.
2001/2/3/4 Vilmar Bett Exacorte Garibaldi 13.7%
Bottle 396/1600. A mongrel mash-up of remainders from four vintages. Plums, toffee, herbs and whiff of glazed armpit, but in a good way. Tannic, with full body and appealing texture, correct acid/sweet balance. Slightly peppery from the heat and the sweetness has a slightly burnt edge. Odd bird, but an interesting experiment.
2001 Clsserath-Weiler Riesling Auslese Trittenheimer Apotheke Fass 29 MSR 7.0%
500ml. Gift from PappaDoc. Complex aromas of paraffin, jasmine, starch, petrol, and passion fruit. More sweet than acid, but the lovely fruit is not cloying. Young. As it warms, the paraffin becomes predominant. Marcia started sneezing repeatedly right after this, so may be heavily sulfited.
Last week I wrote about a Brazilian winery called Tormentas. This week we tasted, over another series of creative dishes prepared by our in-house chef, a few bottles from the other Brazilian producer we respect. Vilmar Bett is an eccentric and gruff high school physics teacher who supplements his income by making wine in a very artisanal manner from over a dozen varieties planted on a small farm outside the town of Garibaldi. Prices start at around US$40 the year the wines are made, and gradually rise as stock dwindles. When he is down to his last dozen bottles of anything, the price can be as high as US$300.
2008 Vilmar Bett Merlot Ros Garibaldi 12.6%
Bottle 37/100. Bronze salmon orange. Apricot, chalk, dishrag, floral and grapefruit. Savory, with good acid/sweet balance and slightly bitter finish. Not interested in air kissing. Excellent.
2005 Vilmar Bett Touriga Nacional Garibaldi 13.9%
Attractive aromas of plum, mint, eucalyptus and cloves. The sweetness pushes towards super mature, but its not too hot. Fine texture, body and tannins. At the end of the day, a bit too modern.
2003 Vilmar Bett Cabernet Franc Garibaldi 13.7%
Nose a bit closed, showing some plum and herbs. Good acid/sweet balance, fine texture, grippy tannins and satisfying body. Slightly hot, but not super mature. Delicious, actually, and, overall, my favorite of the three reds, though a bit lacking in cab franc specificity.
2001/2/3/4 Vilmar Bett Exacorte Garibaldi 13.7%
Bottle 396/1600. A mongrel mash-up of remainders from four vintages. Plums, toffee, herbs and whiff of glazed armpit, but in a good way. Tannic, with full body and appealing texture, correct acid/sweet balance. Slightly peppery from the heat and the sweetness has a slightly burnt edge. Odd bird, but an interesting experiment.
2001 Clsserath-Weiler Riesling Auslese Trittenheimer Apotheke Fass 29 MSR 7.0%
500ml. Gift from PappaDoc. Complex aromas of paraffin, jasmine, starch, petrol, and passion fruit. More sweet than acid, but the lovely fruit is not cloying. Young. As it warms, the paraffin becomes predominant. Marcia started sneezing repeatedly right after this, so may be heavily sulfited.