Todd Abrams
Todd Abrams
Since I'm stuck in the wine mines all day while everyone else is out drinking rose here are some tasting notes on a recent few standout wines:
Albert Boxler Riesling Reserve 2014 If you could turn lemon and pineapple into hard stone, grind it into a fine powder, and snort it through a 100 Euro bill, it might be a similar experience to this wine. Great concentration and lift throughout a sip with an epic, bedrock finish. Should have a long and glorious life ahead.
Tiberio Pecorino 2015 Lemonheads, melon rinds, ocean mist, sun-warmed meadows, both weighty and bracing with an everlasting stony finish. This was Gambero Rosso's value wine of the year for 2017 if that matters to anyone. A budget-friendly candidate for mid-term cellaring (I tasted the 2006 Tiberio Pecorino last year at the farm and it was clearly a much more integrated drink than the current vintage at the time).
Tiberio Cerasuolo d'Abruzzo 2016 I rarely comment on color but this wine is always a stunning translucent ruby that especially glows in the late evening sun. Wiry flesh with aromatics of mountain flowers and orange peels, ripe raspberry flavors, lip-smacking acidity, noticeable structure for being such a light-colored wine, and a lengthy finish. Front porch party go-to all summer long.
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Gallois Bourgogne Rouge 2014 Best Bourgogne Rouge I've tasted from the 2014 vintage. Exceeded all expectations. The origins of the fruit are Fixin but the extraordinary perfume on this wine reminds me of a maturing Gevrey-Chambertin even if it lacks the weight.
Fento Xabre 2013 Declassified Ribeira Sacra mainly made from Mencia. Lovely perfume of citrus peel, green tea, violets, fresh berries and sun-warmed terra cotta. The cool Atlantic climate shows in a sip as lively, graceful, fresh, dancing across the palate before velvety tannins linger on the close.
Belondrade y Lurton Rueda 2011 Lemon curd, fennel fronds, honey and meadow grass greet the nose before a sip reveals lush mid-palate yellow orchard fruits and beeswax. The lengthy finish is well integrated with subtle notes of mineral and oolong tea. A textbook expression of a high level white wine drinking near or at peak maturity.
De Conciliis Latoscuro 2009 Crazy blend of Aglianico fermented on Fiano skins. Campania's Cote Rotie? Texture abounds. The ripe red fruit of the Aglianico is fully expressed yet superbly integrated through a sip. Above all that texture, lavish aromatics exude from the glass with red berries, blood orange, savory herbs, fennel seed, cola, and hot stone.
Albert Boxler Riesling Reserve 2014 If you could turn lemon and pineapple into hard stone, grind it into a fine powder, and snort it through a 100 Euro bill, it might be a similar experience to this wine. Great concentration and lift throughout a sip with an epic, bedrock finish. Should have a long and glorious life ahead.
Tiberio Pecorino 2015 Lemonheads, melon rinds, ocean mist, sun-warmed meadows, both weighty and bracing with an everlasting stony finish. This was Gambero Rosso's value wine of the year for 2017 if that matters to anyone. A budget-friendly candidate for mid-term cellaring (I tasted the 2006 Tiberio Pecorino last year at the farm and it was clearly a much more integrated drink than the current vintage at the time).
Tiberio Cerasuolo d'Abruzzo 2016 I rarely comment on color but this wine is always a stunning translucent ruby that especially glows in the late evening sun. Wiry flesh with aromatics of mountain flowers and orange peels, ripe raspberry flavors, lip-smacking acidity, noticeable structure for being such a light-colored wine, and a lengthy finish. Front porch party go-to all summer long.
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Gallois Bourgogne Rouge 2014 Best Bourgogne Rouge I've tasted from the 2014 vintage. Exceeded all expectations. The origins of the fruit are Fixin but the extraordinary perfume on this wine reminds me of a maturing Gevrey-Chambertin even if it lacks the weight.
Fento Xabre 2013 Declassified Ribeira Sacra mainly made from Mencia. Lovely perfume of citrus peel, green tea, violets, fresh berries and sun-warmed terra cotta. The cool Atlantic climate shows in a sip as lively, graceful, fresh, dancing across the palate before velvety tannins linger on the close.
Belondrade y Lurton Rueda 2011 Lemon curd, fennel fronds, honey and meadow grass greet the nose before a sip reveals lush mid-palate yellow orchard fruits and beeswax. The lengthy finish is well integrated with subtle notes of mineral and oolong tea. A textbook expression of a high level white wine drinking near or at peak maturity.
De Conciliis Latoscuro 2009 Crazy blend of Aglianico fermented on Fiano skins. Campania's Cote Rotie? Texture abounds. The ripe red fruit of the Aglianico is fully expressed yet superbly integrated through a sip. Above all that texture, lavish aromatics exude from the glass with red berries, blood orange, savory herbs, fennel seed, cola, and hot stone.