Impressions August 2020, Part I

[VLM]

2018 Girolamo Russo Etna Nerina - Italy, Sicily, Etna DOC (8/1/2020)
Consistent with previous notes. I think this wine will become an annual purchase for us. (91 points)

2018 Tiberio Trebbiano d'Abruzzo - Italy, Abruzzi, Trebbiano d'Abruzzo (8/1/2020)
Another great bottle of this. If anything, this one showed a bit more density than previous bottles. A bit more sinew and less fruit. Fennel and minerals. (91 points)

2016 CantinArte Pecorino Colori - Italy, Abruzzi, Abruzzo (8/1/2020)
Potable and worth considering in a pinch. Both the color and flavor are a bit brassy for what I'm looking for in Pecorino. Not sure if this was an intentional skin contact regime or whether the wine is oxidizing. A new wine for me. (86 points)

2016 Domaine des Roches Neuves Saumur-Champigny Clos de L'Echelier - France, Loire Valley, Anjou-Saumur, Saumur-Champigny (8/2/2020)
Ripe berries, stones, violets, some earth and savory notes that add a little wildness. Really nice shape on the palate. There is a sense of density as well as freshness. The firm tannin are pretty suave and don't obstruct the fruit which has a juicy, mineral quality. Just a few years since release have really helped these wines. I'm becoming a believer. This is good now if you need the structure to offset a meal but will probably be a smoother experience in 4-5 years. (93 points)

2015 Weingut O. Trarbacher Ungsberg Riesling feinherb - Germany, Mosel Saar Ruwer (8/3/2020)
This doesn't have the sheer mouthwatering drive of the Falkenstein Spätlese feinherb, it sorts of sits as a rounder version of that. Something that comes to mind that almost work for that mélange of green fruit and herbs that I think I'm going to call aloe. Does that work? Anyway, some more traditional notes of apple and lime-scented minerals. I'm enjoying my introduction to these wines. (91 points)

2016 Monteraponi Chianti Classico - Italy, Tuscany, Chianti, Chianti Classico DOCG (8/3/2020)
This is the LN.04.18 lot but showing consistently with my last bottle. This is such a lovely, snappy wine. The mineral, herbal, dark fruit melange with that snap of leathery type notes is really satisfying. My stash is starting to run low and I'm going to be sad when it's gone. I missed the 2017 vintage but I can't forget to grab some 2018. (92 points)

2017 Istine Chianti Classico - Italy, Tuscany, Chianti, Chianti Classico DOCG (8/4/2020)
Consistent with my previous bottle. A nice version of Chianti Classico but not in the league of the wines I've been drinking from Monteraponi or Caparsa. (88 points)

2015 Weingut O. Trarbacher Ungsberg Riesling - Germany, Mosel Saar Ruwer (8/5/2020)
I guess that this is the "big" wine from this producer and it certainly fits the bill. It has almost a Chenin oily density but with Riesling flavors. I had come up with aloe the other day as an imperfect descriptor of the green insides of Concord grapes that show an herbal nuance and that really applies here. This seems like more stone than mineral but it does have a bit of zest. A long salty, alkaline finish with stones and minerals driving the fruit off the palate. I really like this and may be underrating it due to my inexperience with the wine. (92 points)

2015 Domaine Bernard Baudry Chinon La Croix Boissée - France, Loire Valley, Touraine, Chinon (8/6/2020)
I decided to take this for an early test drive because why the hell not? Really intense and densely packed. Doesn't show any blowsyness from the warm vintage but does show a lot of structure and intensity. There was enough fruit hanging off the structure to fill out a juicy mid-palate while that driving Croix-Boissée chalkiness and tannin drive over the palate like a freight train. Started to clench up after an hour and a half or so. Tried the remains of the bottle over several days and it never really opened back up. Hands off for 4-5 years. Will be another excellent vintage of this wine. (92 points)

2015 Henri Prudhon & Fils Saint-Aubin 1er Cru En Remilly - France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Saint-Aubin 1er Cru (8/7/2020)
Consistent with previous bottles, I think I've decided on the differentiating quality of the En Remilly which is a muskiness to the fruit. Think a ripe melon type of note but framed with flint and a bit more minerally citrus and that's kind of it. I wonder if that's a fruit that I just don't know the name of. Anyway, loving these wines. (91 points)

2015 Domaine Santa Duc Gigondas Clos Derrière Vieille - France, Rhône, Southern Rhône, Gigondas (8/7/2020)
We had a great bottle of Vacqueyras so I decided to take this for a spin hoping for similar results. Well, that didn't happen. Very liqueur-like notes for fruit and some typical garrigue but it was all esters and muted. It never really moved in an interesting way so into the fridge it went. A couple of weeks later when I went to throw it out I had a more interesting taste. I have no idea what to make of that. I probably won't buy this again but I'd be interested to try one with a little age. (88 points)

2008 Guy Larmandier Champagne Signé François Vieilles Vignes Blanc de Blancs - France, Champagne (8/8/2020)
Consistent with my last bottle in the chalkiness but also maybe a bit more generous than that one. This wine seems to be subtly moving around within a band of flavors. (93 points)

2016 Marietta Cellars Angeli - USA, California, Sonoma County, Alexander Valley (8/8/2020)
This wine was a regular rotation wine for me back in the late 90s, early 00s so I took a flyer on a bottle. I'd like to have a richish Zinfandel based red around for when I get the urge for something like that. This was much richer than my memory of it and less structured. I get why folks would like it, but it isn't for me. For now, I'll stick to my Hobo, Broc and Briceland Zinfandels. If you don't mind the shape and texture, this has tons of fruit if all that is your thing. I'm no Jay Miller, but this is too much for me. (88 points)

2018 Ch“teau Thivin Brouilly Reverdon - France, Burgundy, Beaujolais, Brouilly (8/10/2020)
I haven't had this wine in a while. There is a brett/reduction thing going on here that I can't quite get past. It's a fairly large scaled wine but I'm not sure if that is style or vintage. Didn't actually finish the bottle. Folks who don't mind the brett/reduction may like it more than I did. (88 points)

2018 Tatomer Grüner Veltliner Meeresboden - USA, California, Central Coast, Santa Barbara County (8/10/2020)
This was interesting. A very svelte and approachable Grüner Veltliner. More on the pretty floral and fruited side than the green pea, white pepper thing (although there is some of the pea thing, just not the white pepper). Fun to drink and enjoyable although I'm not sure I would pick it blind as Grüner Veltliner but the expression of that grape in CA is still to be defined. A wine I'll keep an eye on. It's good to see all the experimentation going on in CA. This is just the beginning for a lot of these wines from more "obscure" grapes. (89 points)

 

[Jonathan Loesberg]

I haven't had Santa Duc for a long time. Its oak program and jamminess drove me away. I take it you didn't find that with this one. There website does show new oak foudre, which is better than barrique, but still leaves a mark for my taste. Still, as I said, I haven't tasted a Santa Duc since probably 05 or so.

 

[MLipton]

Agree completely about the Tatomer GV. We ordered one off a wine list at some place in Santa Barbara County back in the days when we’d get on a plane. Pleasant enough wine, but not much to make me think of GV. The examples I’ve had from OR have left me feeling much the same. Is GV the white equivalent of Nebbiolo in the sense of being strongly tied to one location?

Mark Lipton

 

[mark e]

originally posted by MLipton:
Is GV the white equivalent of Nebbiolo in the sense of being strongly tied to one location?

Mark Lipton

I think so. Never had one outside of Austria that resembled the Austrian ones in any way, including wines from Germany and Alto Adige. Even other areas of Austria outside of the Kremstal, Kamptal, and Wachau leave me fairly indifferent. But I would put Chenin Blanc in the same category, as well.

 

[robert ames]

originally posted by Jonathan Loesberg:
I haven't had Santa Duc for a long time. Its oak program and jamminess drove me away. I take it you didn't find that with this one. There website does show new oak foudre, which is better than barrique, but still leaves a mark for my taste. Still, as I said, I haven't tasted a Santa Duc since probably 05 or so.

jll speaks of a significant stylistic u-turn at santa duc starting in 2010, from extraction and heft, to freshness and balance.

 

[VLM]

originally posted by robert ames:

originally posted by Jonathan Loesberg:
I haven't had Santa Duc for a long time. Its oak program and jamminess drove me away. I take it you didn't find that with this one. There website does show new oak foudre, which is better than barrique, but still leaves a mark for my taste. Still, as I said, I haven't tasted a Santa Duc since probably 05 or so.

jll speaks of a significant stylistic u-turn at santa duc starting in 2010, from extraction and heft, to freshness and balance.

That's what I had heard and we had a great experience with the Vacqueras so I gave this a shot. This Gigondas wasn't jammy so much as estery and diffuse. We've served the CDR BTG at Rue Cler with great success.

 

[VLM]

originally posted by mark e:

originally posted by MLipton:
Is GV the white equivalent of Nebbiolo in the sense of being strongly tied to one location?

Mark Lipton

I think so. Never had one outside of Austria that resembled the Austrian ones in any way, including wines from Germany and Alto Adige. Even other areas of Austria outside of the Kremstal, Kamptal, and Wachau leave me fairly indifferent. But I would put Chenin Blanc in the same category, as well.

Seems like it. I wonder if it is vegetal material or terroir or some combination. I have had one interesting Chenin from SA. It was really expensive for the level of interest, however. US Chenin have been similar to this GV. Very nice and enjoyable, but not characterful in the same way.

 

[Jayson Cohen]

originally posted by VLM:

originally posted by mark e:

originally posted by MLipton:
Is GV the white equivalent of Nebbiolo in the sense of being strongly tied to one location?

Mark Lipton

I think so. Never had one outside of Austria that resembled the Austrian ones in any way, including wines from Germany and Alto Adige. Even other areas of Austria outside of the Kremstal, Kamptal, and Wachau leave me fairly indifferent. But I would put Chenin Blanc in the same category, as well.

Seems like it. I wonder if it is vegetal material or terroir or some combination. I have had one interesting Chenin from SA. It was really expensive for the level of interest, however. US Chenin have been similar to this GV. Very nice and enjoyable, but not characterful in the same way.

Yeah. Not clear to me why either. Dirty & Rowdy makes a Chenin I may give one last shot at in the fall offer, but it doesn’t move me (unlike Hardy’s fabulous Mourvedres).

 

[Christian Miller (CMM)]

originally posted by VLM:

originally posted by mark e:

originally posted by MLipton:
Is GV the white equivalent of Nebbiolo in the sense of being strongly tied to one location?

Mark Lipton

I think so. Never had one outside of Austria that resembled the Austrian ones in any way, including wines from Germany and Alto Adige. Even other areas of Austria outside of the Kremstal, Kamptal, and Wachau leave me fairly indifferent. But I would put Chenin Blanc in the same category, as well.

Seems like it. I wonder if it is vegetal material or terroir or some combination. I have had one interesting Chenin from SA. It was really expensive for the level of interest, however. US Chenin have been similar to this GV. Very nice and enjoyable, but not characterful in the same way.

I've had Oregon and Edna Valley GVs that replicated the fresh and snappy style pretty well, but nothing remotely like the riper, old vine stuff from top vineyards. Of course, there isn't any old vine GV in the U.S.

I have had multiple excellent Chenin Blancs from South Africa, but they aren't at all like the middle Loire, nor like Californian for that matter. And that's fine. I'd like to learn more about SA terroirs. The Swartland and Stellenbosch versions I've had were quite distinct from each other.

 

[VLM]

originally posted by Christian Miller (CMM):

originally posted by VLM:

originally posted by mark e:

originally posted by MLipton:
Is GV the white equivalent of Nebbiolo in the sense of being strongly tied to one location?

Mark Lipton

I think so. Never had one outside of Austria that resembled the Austrian ones in any way, including wines from Germany and Alto Adige. Even other areas of Austria outside of the Kremstal, Kamptal, and Wachau leave me fairly indifferent. But I would put Chenin Blanc in the same category, as well.

Seems like it. I wonder if it is vegetal material or terroir or some combination. I have had one interesting Chenin from SA. It was really expensive for the level of interest, however. US Chenin have been similar to this GV. Very nice and enjoyable, but not characterful in the same way.

I've had Oregon and Edna Valley GVs that replicated the fresh and snappy style pretty well, but nothing remotely like the riper, old vine stuff from top vineyards. Of course, there isn't any old vine GV in the U.S.

I have had multiple excellent Chenin Blancs from South Africa, but they aren't at all like the middle Loire, nor like Californian for that matter. And that's fine. I'd like to learn more about SA terroirs. The Swartland and Stellenbosch versions I've had were quite distinct from each other.

Of course you're correct that there are no old vines and it would be unfair to compare US GV to Honigvogl, for example. I just wonder if the clones planted are the best match to site, that sort of thing.

As for SA, the particular Chenin Blancs that I liked were Alheit Cartology which is from the Western Cape and Sadie Skurfberg from Olifants River, wherever that is. I'm not sure how that translates to Swartland and Stellenbosch frankly.

 

[Christian Miller (CMM)]

originally posted by Christian Miller (CMM):

originally posted by VLM:

originally posted by mark e:

originally posted by MLipton:

Seems like it. I wonder if it is vegetal material or terroir or some combination. I have had one interesting Chenin from SA. It was really expensive for the level of interest, however. US Chenin have been similar to this GV. Very nice and enjoyable, but not characterful in the same way.

I have had multiple excellent Chenin Blancs from South Africa, but they aren't at all like the middle Loire, nor like Californian for that matter. And that's fine. I'd like to learn more about SA terroirs. The Swartland and Stellenbosch versions I've had were quite distinct from each other.

As for SA, the particular Chenin Blancs that I liked were Alheit Cartology which is from the Western Cape and Sadie Skurfberg from Olifants River, wherever that is. I'm not sure how that translates to Swartland and Stellenbosch frankly.

I would add Jardin, Graham Beck Paarl Game Reserve, Dorrance Swartland, Ken Forrester's old vine and FMC bottlings (his Petit Chenin is great value, but playing in a lower tier) and Mullineux Swartland and Kloof Street bottlings. Joostenberg and the regular Ken Forrester bottling are solid mid-teen$ Chenin.

 

[Christian Miller (CMM)]

P.S. Olifants River is in the Northeast, not far from Kruger National Park. Not normally wine country; maybe it's at some altitude or maybe it's a fanciful name for a particular lot. Regardless, it's a fun and memorable name.

 

[Dan McQ]

Thanks for the update on La Croix Boissée - I've been eyeing that but it's now hidden in the back.

 

[Pavel Tchichikov]

originally posted by VLM:

2018 Tiberio Trebbiano d'Abruzzo - Italy, Abruzzi, Trebbiano d'Abruzzo (8/1/2020)
Another great bottle of this. If anything, this one showed a bit more density than previous bottles. A bit more sinew and less fruit. Fennel and minerals. (91 points)

I pulled one of these last night without knowing the vintage since there was only one bottle accessible without digging. I was hoping for the 2018, but ended up with a great showing from the 2019. I continue to find that several of my favorite Italian whites (yeah, lame broad category, sorry), while delightful and energetic on release, fall into the Rule of 1 (if BJ would care to register my official entry) - not necessarily to age, but rather to calm the f--k down and attain superior balance in the process. The note for the '18 above is a good general description of what I find if I have the discipline to hold on to a stock of the previous vintage. The '19 last night had more bass tones, a slightly oily and generally a better texture compared to last year, and definitely a new level of depth and length. That it did well with a seared tuna salad (normally a light red dish for me, but we were forced into a white), speaks for itself.

 

[Jeff Grossman]

originally posted by Pavel Tchichikov:

originally posted by VLM:
2018 Tiberio Trebbiano d'Abruzzo - Italy, Abruzzi, Trebbiano d'Abruzzo (8/1/2020)
Another great bottle of this. If anything, this one showed a bit more density than previous bottles. A bit more sinew and less fruit. Fennel and minerals. (91 points)

I pulled one of these last night without knowing the vintage since there was only one bottle accessible without digging. I was hoping for the 2018, but ended up with a great showing from the 2019. I continue to find that several of my favorite Italian whites (yeah, lame broad category, sorry), while delightful and energetic on release, fall into the Rule of 1 (if BJ would care to register my official entry) - not necessarily to age, but rather to calm the f--k down and attain superior balance in the process. The note for the '18 above is a good general description of what I find if I have the discipline to hold on to a stock of the previous vintage. The '19 last night had more bass tones, a slightly oily and generally a better texture compared to last year, and definitely a new level of depth and length. That it did well with a seared tuna salad (normally a light red dish for me, but we were forced into a white), speaks for itself.

And, the evening after the Albanian food, I also had a tuna dinner and also pulled a Tiberio Trebbiano d'Abruzzo but of 2020. I would have called the green/vegetal thing 'beany' rather than fennel but it has the same minerally finish and somewhat heavy body.

 

[Jayson Cohen]

I have a bottle of the 2019 Tiberio Trebbiano here that has satisfied the Rule. Maybe it will get elevated to on-deck status for after I finish up the 2019 Croix Boissée Blanc I have been happily nursing for a few days.

 

[MarkS]

originally posted by Pavel Tchichikov:
... several of my favorite Italian whites ... while delightful and energetic on release, fall into the Rule of 1 ... not necessarily to age, but rather to calm the f--k down and attain superior balance in the process.

Makes sense to me. But you could say the same about Sandlands wines too, so maybe a broader category than simply 'Italian whites'.

 

[Pavel Tchichikov]

wouldn't it be easier to classify sandlands as italian?
worked out nicely with niagara peninsula and swabia

 

[MarkS]

originally posted by Pavel Tchichikov:
wouldn't it be easier to classify sandlands as italian?
worked out nicely with niagara peninsula and swabia

You sound like Putin now. Ukraine is Russia, right?

 

[Pavel Tchichikov]

originally posted by MarkS:

originally posted by Pavel Tchichikov:
wouldn't it be easier to classify sandlands as italian?
worked out nicely with niagara peninsula and swabia

You sound like Putin now. Ukraine is Russia, right?

i had no idea he was involved with selection massale