We tried last night (4/19/17) Some Unusual Wines:
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Kocjancic Rado Vitovska DOC: Carso-Kras (13%; www.RadoKocjancic.Eu) Kroglje/Dolina/Carso 2013: Med.light yellow
color; rather strange cat pee/kitty litter box/herbal/pungent/fume maybe slight phenolic rather stony/mineral/
chalky bit bizarre nose; rather tart/lean/metallic quite pungent/herbal/kitty litter box/smokey/fume rather
stony/mineral flavor; very long very tart/tangy/metallic pungent/cat litter box/smokey/fume/SauvBlanc rather
stony/mineral finish; lots of kitty litter box/SauvBlanc/herbal/cat pee/pungent character but a rather
interesting wine. $32.00 (WE)
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Skerk Vitovska IGP: VeneziaGiulia (12%; L1; OliverMcCrumWines) Prepotto 2012: Med.light gold color; some
phenolic/resiny/cider/earthy light honeyed/floral earthy/mineral quite complex nose; quite tart/tangy rather
tannic/bitter/astringent some honeyed/honeycomb earthy/mineral stony/little fruit rather phenolic/resiny complex
flavor w/ some hard tannins; very long strong phenolic/resiny quite tart/austere light honeycomb finish w/ some
astringent/bitey tannins; shows less fruit & more phenolic character than the '13; no signs of oxidation and
a classic skin-contact white. $33.00 (VintBerk)
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Skerk Vitovska IGP: VeneziaGiulia (12.5%; L1) 2013: Med.gold color; less phenolic/rasiny rather honeyed/graham
cracker/angel food cake light floral/smokey quite exotic complex nose; lightly tart/tangy light phenolic/resiny
rather honeyed/honeycomb/graham cracker some stony/earthy exotic flavor w/ light brisk tannins; very long
lightly phenolic/resiny/cider earthy/honeycomb/graham cracker finish w/ light tannins; less phenolic and more
exotic than the '12; a lovely skin-contact white at very good price. $33.00 (VintBerk)
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Skerk Malvazija IGP: VeneziaGiulia (12%; L1) 2013: Med.gold color; some fragrant/Malvasia rather phenolic/
resiny/skin-contact bit orangey/honeyed lovely complex nose; rather tart/austere light floral/Malvasia/muscatty
some phenolic/resiny bit honeyed/honeycomb/orangey light smokey/earthy very interesting complex flavor w/ light
bitey tannins; very long rather tart/austere fairly phenolic/scik-contact/resiny some floral/Malvasia/honeycomb/
orangey exotic finish w/ light bitey tannins; more fruit & perfume than the Vitovskas. $31.00 (VintBerk)
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Skerk Ograde Bianco IGP: VeneziaGiulia (25% Vitovska/Malvasia/Sauvignon/PinotGrigio; 13$; L1) 2013: Med.dark
gold/burnished bronze/orange color; very exotic floral/orangey/tangerine some skin-contact/phenolic/resiny
rather honeyed/honeycomb very exotic complex nose; fairly tart/austere/bit tannic rather orangey/tangerine/
honeyed/honeycomb some phenolic/resiny fairly rich very exotic complex flavor w/ light tannic bite; very long/
lingering honeycomb/orangey/tangerine some phenolic/resiny complex/exotic finish w/ light tannic bite; a
beautiful skin-contact exotic white. $37.50 (VintBerk)
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Palmina Arneis “Little Rascal” HoneaVnyd/SantaYnezVlly (13.5%; www. PalminaWines.com) Lompoc 2015: Light gold
color; quite perfumed/aromatic very floral/fennel/spicy bit apple blossom/mango light stony/mineral/flinty
quite attractive nose; quite tart/lean/austere light floral/apple blossom/fennel/spicy/pear/mango bit quiet/
low-key flavor; very long tart/austere fennel/spicy/floral rather stony/mineral/chalky lovely finish; the
stony/chalky speaks of Piemonte Arneis; a quiet/restrained lovely expression of Arneis. Great price at
$19.00 (WH)
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Arnot-Roberts OldVine WW HeinsteinVnyd/SonomaVlly (13.5%; 4 brls; Sylvaner/Riesling + other stuff;
63 yr old vnyd, dry-farmed; 3 brls) 2015: Light yellow color; rather fragrant floral/mango/pineapple/spicy/R
rather old-timey Calif R/piney quite interesting nose; quite tart/lean/acidic dry floral/mango/spicy bit tangy
fairly rich old-timey Calif R/piney flavor; very long/lingering quite tart/lean/austere bit metallic rather R/
floral/pineapple/mango old-timey/piney finish; quite an interesting old-timey Calif R/Sylvaner much like the
Sebastiani’s of old; bit pricey at $35.00
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Arnot-Roberts RibollaGialla VareVnyd/NapaVlly (12.2%; 3 brls; 17 yr old vines, cuttings from Gravner; 2 brls)
2015: Med.light yellow color; very spicy/peppery/orangey/RG bit SO2/pungent very light phenolic/resiny quite
aromatic nose; quite tart/lean/austere light spicy/RG/orangey light phenolic/skin-contact some stony/earthy
flavor; med. light phenolic/skin-contact/bitey/tannic very light orangey/RG/spicy some earthy/stony finish
w/ light tannins; a rather pleasant nose but pretty lean/tight/austere on palate and needs age; clearly a
modest amount of skin-contact. $40.00
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Ryme RibollaGialla VareVnyd/NapaVlly (12.8%; www.RymeCellars.com) Geyserville 2014: Med.gold color; beautiful
ripe mango/orange/floral/very spicy ripe peach very aromatic/perfumed nose; lightly tart very perfumed/mango/
orange/floral/ripe peach very light phenolic/resiny/tannic rather complex very spicy flavor w/ very light
tannins; very long/lingering ripe peach/mango/orange/floral/very spicy very slight phenolic/resiny complex
finish w/ very light tannic bite; very much like a Friuli RG, maybe even better; impressive rendition of RG.
$49.00
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Arnot-Roberts Trousseau NorthCoast (12.5%; 1 foudre/5 puncheons/6 brls; LuchsingerVnyd/ClearLake +
BartolomeiVnyd/GreenVlly; whole-cluster frmtd; U/U) 2016: Very light bit bricked cloudy color; quite earthy/
dusty/OV strong strawberry/cranberry/Kool-Aid/Trousseau quite perfumed/spicy nose; bit tart/tangy light rather
earthy/dusty/OV/Trousseau perfumed/strawberry/cranberry flaver w/ very light tannins; very long/lingering
dry light tart/tangy/metallic strong spicy/strawberry/cranberry/KoolAid/spicy finish w/ light brisk tannins;
very much the profile of a Jura Trousseau but more bright/lively fruit; quite a nice light-weight red. $30.00
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Skerk Teran/Teranno (15%; L1) 2011: Very dark/near black color; rather earthy/dusty/OV bit alcoholic strong
ripe/Refosco/blackberry/black cherry cola almost Syrah-like RCCola/DrPepper/spicy loads of ripe fruit beautiful
complex nose; bit soft very rich/lush black cherry cola/RCCola/Refosk/boysenberry/ripe some earthy/dusty/OV
slight pencilly/oak flavor w/ some hard/ripe tannins; very long/lingering rich/lush/ripe very strong Refosk/
black cherry cola/boysenberry/blackberry some earthy/dusty/OV finish w/ ample soft/ripe tannins; a big Terrano
that will go another 10 yrs; almost a Sforzato Teran; one of the best Terans I’ve had. $35.00 (VintBerk)
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Skerk Teran/Teranno (11.5%; L1) 2013: Very dark color; rather rustic/coarse some black cherry cola/Refosk slight
unclean/bretty/leathery some earthy/dusty slightly funky nose; quite tart/lean/austere slight funky/bretty/
unclean light black cherry cola/RCCola/Refosk rather earthy/dusty flavor w/ some hard/rough tannins; long some
bretty/unclean/rustic/rough some black cherry cola/Refosk fairly earthy/dusty finish w/ some hard/rough tannins;
a rather hard/austere/rustic wine than needs age but the brett may worsen. $35.00 (VintBerk)
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Stoka Izbrani Teran (11.9%; www.Stoka.Si; www.BlueDanube.com) Primoz & Tadej Stoka/Krajna/Slovenia 2013: Very
dark color; very classic Refosco/blackberry/black cherry cola/DrPepper rather earthy/dusty/OV bit funky/coarse/
earthy/rustic nose; quite sour some black cherry cola/blackberry/Refosco tart/tangy fairly earthy/dusty/OV
somewhat coarse/rustic/rough flavor w/ ample hard/coarse tannins; very long tart/tangy/tannic/metallic quite
sour rough/rustic some black cherry/black cherry cola/blackberry/Refosco finish w/ ample rough/coarse tannins;
speaks strongly of Teran/Refosco but rather on the coarse/rustic side and a sourness that spreads across the
palate; probably made by “natural” winemaking techniques; not a bad Teran but would like a bit more polish
to it. Fairly priced at $25.00 (BergA)
More alternative facts from TheBloodyPulpit:
- Skerk: The SandiSkerk wines are imported by OliverMcCrum on the WestCoast. Oliver suggested I try them some
3-4 yrs ago, I did, and I loved them. Since then, I’ve been a huge fan of them. Late last year, Oliver got in
the latest release of Sandi’s wines. He made arrangements w/ Dan to order them thru Vintage Berkeley,
which I did. These wines are those I ordered last December.
Oliver’s WebSite has a nice writeup on SandiSkerk (http://omwines.com/skerk/). There is also a particularly
good writeup on why Sandi does not characterize his whites as “orange” wines
(http://omwines.com/blog?tag=Orange%20Wine0) because they have no oxidative character like the Gravner/Radikon
paradigm.
When I was visiting Friuli in Oct’15, Oliver greased the skids for us to do w/ Sandi. One of the best visits
we did on that trip. He is located near Prepotto, about half a km from the Slovene border in what is called
the Carso/Kras/Karst region, just north of Trieste. The Karst is a large limestone plateau that extends far into
Slovenia. It is riddled w/ caves and rivers flowing underground into the Adriatica. Sandi’s cellar was dynamited
out of this limestone. During this excavation, they hit upon a deep whole (about 4’ in diameter) that has not
been fully explored and extends downwards to an unknown depth. The cool/cold air venting from this hole provides
natural cooling for the cellar. It’s an absolutely beautiful area.
The Skerks are some of the most skillfully-made skin-contact whites. They don’t show a lot of fruit, ample
skin-contact/phenolic character and can be a bit painful to taste on their own. They badly need food with them
to tone down the austere character they have. They’re not everyone’s cup o’ tea.
- Vitovska: This is a variety indigeneous to the Karst/Caarso of Friuli/Slovenia. It is a natural cross of
ProseccoTondo (a.k.a. Glera) X Malvasia Bianca Lunga. This latter grape is most common to Tuscany and originates
on the Dalmatian Coast of Croatia, where it is known as Marastina.
Most all the Vitovska’s I’ve tried have been made w/ skin-contact, so the varietal character tends to be
dominated by the skin-contact/phenolic/resiny character. So I don’t have good handle on what the varietal character
of Vitovska is. The Kocjancic, located in the Brda region of Slovenia, did not have the color or phenolic character
that suggested being made w/ skin-contact, so this may be what Vitovska varietal character is like. But it showed
a distince pungent (stale) kitty litter box character that was as unpleasant as it sounds. Some like the SauvBlancs
from Friuli/GoriskaBrda that I’ve tried. I need to take more data points.
- RibollaGialla: I’m a big fan of Friuli RibollaGialla and attend the RibollaFest at the Mathiasson’s every Summer.
Some are made in amphora/qvervi w/ heavy phenolic character like Gravner/Radikon. Some are made w/ no skin-contact,
which allows the (not too distinctive) RG fruit to shine. And some are made w/ light skin-contact, which I find
to be the most interesting expression of RG.
Both of these appear to have a modest degree of skin-contact, the phenolic character is not very dominant.
The A-R was obviously harvested earlier and was pretty tart/austere on the palate. I much preferred the Ryme,
which showed a nice balance between phenolics and RG fruit. It is, I feel, a world-class RG. That is, I’ve been
scolded, the equivalent of being the World Hopscotch Champion. Pffffttt…in my best Bill-the-Cat disdain, I say.
- Teran: Teran or Terrano is an indigeous varity to the Karst/Carso/Kras Plateau of Italy/Slovenia. It is also
found a bit on the Istrian Peninsula of Croatia. It is regarded as a member of the Refosco family, but a
distinct variety from Refosco dal Peduncola Rosso. Some label Terrano as a bio-type of Refosco. All the Italian
Terans I’ve tried, as did these two Skerks, remind me a lot of Friulian RdPR.
When we visited Sandi in Oct’15, he related that they were no longer permitted to use the varietal name of
Terrano in Italy. The Slovenes had managed to get the EU to rule that only Teran wines from the terra rosso
of the Kras in Slovenia could bear that label. Understandably, the Italians didn’t much like that EU ruling.
How that ruling has unfolded, I’ve not yet found out from Sandi.
It seems strange that you can only use the name of a grape variety when it’s grown in a certain region of
a single country. It’s not too unlike the power grab the folks in the Veneto did w/ Prosecco. Originally,
sparkling wine made from the Glera grape near the village of Prosecco was called Prosecco. The folks in
the Veneto had the Italian authorities rename the Glera grape as Prosecco, and only from their area. Thus
anyone from the village of Prosecco near Trieste can only label the sparkler as Sparkling Glera, but not
call it Prosecco. Doesn’t seem right.
These two Skerk Terans were quite a contrast. I loved the '11 for its ripeness and huge fruit. The brett
in the '13 was definitely there but not bad enough to ruin the wine for me. But it just seemed somewhat rough
and coarse on the palate and could have benefited from more ripeness. Don’t know if the difference in the
two was a winemaking choice or simple due to the weather.
- Malvasia: The Malvasia grown in Friuli/Kras/Croatia is the Malvasia Istarka or Malvasia d’Istriana. Malvasia
originated in Greece and made its way across the Adriatic to the Istrian peninsula, where it adapted well.
The most prevalent Malvasia is Malvasia Bianca, which has a rather strong muscatty character. Malvasia
Istriana has a much more subtle Muscat character and shows more minerality. It’s one of the best whites
from Kras/Friuli/Croatia. It’s a variety they should be planting all up& down the coast of Calif.
Tom