We tried tonight (10/10/18) some More New Wines:
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TablasCreekVnyds Picardan AdelaidaDist/PasoRobles (12.5%; EB) 2017: Light gold color; quite fragrant
pear/floral/apple blossom/appley light spicy/nutmeg very attractive nose; fairly tart/tangy quite spicy/
pear/floral light stony/chalky quite lovely flavor; very long/lingering spicy/floral/pear/appley light
stony/chalky fairly tart finish; nothing particularly distinctive about the variety that you can hang
your hat on but quite a pretty floral white and a very nice addition to the TCV white lineup. $26.35 (VIN)
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TablasCreekVnyds Cotes de TablasBlanc AdelaidaDist/PasoRobles (EG, EB; 13.0%; 44% Viog/24% Marsanne/
20% GrenacheBlanc/12% Roussanne; 1800 cs) 2017: Light gold color; quite fragrant/perfumed Viog/peach/
pear/spicy/floral attractive nose; lightly tart some Viog/pear/peach/spicy/floral light nutmeg attractive
flavor; very long/lingering mostly Viog/pear/peach/light nutmeg very slight chalky finish; speaks mostly
of Viog but in a quiet more interesting voice; quite an attractive white at a great price.
$30.00/$24.00 (VIN)
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TablasCreekVnyds GrenacheBlanc AdelaidaDist/PasoRobles (EG, EB; 13.4%; 1325 cs) 2017: Med.light gold color;
very fragrant/floral/GB/carnations/ripe pear slight honeysuckle lovely nose; bit soft strong floral/GB/
ripe pear/carnations very spicy lovely flavor; very long/lingering strong floral/GB/honeysuckle/ripe pear
bit soft/rich/lush slight graham cracker finish; one of the best TCV GB’s yet w/ beautiful aromatics;
very good price at $30.00/$24.00 (VIN)
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TablasCreekVnyds Esprit Blanc de Tablas AdelaidaDist/PasoRobles (EG, EB; 13.0%; 75% Roussanne/
18% GrenacheBlanc/7% PicpoulBlanc; 2070 cs) 2016: Med.gold color; very strong Rouss/floral/honeysuckle/
hazelnuts very aromatic/spicy slight pencilly bit complex beautiful nose; fairly tart/tangy very strong
Rouss/floral/honeysuckle/spicy/nutmeg slight toasted hazelnuts/honeycomb slight chalky rather structured
bit complex flavor; very long/lingering very strong Rouss/honeysuckle/floral/spicy slight chalky/perfumed
talc slight toasted hazelnuts/honeycomb/waxy very structured bit complex finish; doesn’t have the stony/
minerality of CdPBlanc but this is a serious whiteRhone blend that’ll go out 10-15 yrs; beautiful white.
$45.00/$36.00 (VIN)
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Negro Angelo e Figli Serra Lupini DOCG: Roero Arneis (13.5%; ThePiedmontGuy/Shafer/MN;
www.ThePiedmontGuy.com) Monteau Roero 2016: Med.light gold color; bit funky/toe jam quite fragrant pineapple/
floral/spicy/peach/peach blossom/ripe bit earthy/pungent slight anise/biscochito rather strange nose; bit
soft light funky/toe jam maybe off-dry (0.5%?) interesting pineapple/floral/ripe/peachy very light stony
rather exotic/bit bizarre flavor; very long slight funky/toe jam/dirty sweat sox ripe/pineapple/peach
blossom very slight stony finish; a rather unusual/bizarre Arneis not altogether likable.
$19.00/$nc(SamBilbro)
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Ryme Vermentino “His” LasBrisasVnyd/Carneros/SonomaCnty (12.4%) Geyserville 2017: Med.gold slightly burnished
bronze color; light skin-contact/phenolic/resiny very aromatic light tobaccoy/tobacco spitoon some Verm/floral
very spicy/nutmeg quite complex rather exotic nose; quite atrt/tangy/bit metallic rather skin-contact/
phenolic/resiny/bit piney some Verm/floral complex flavor w/ light tangy tannins; very long/lingering strong
phenolic/resiny/skin-contact some tobaccoy/bit honeyed light Verm/floral very complex finish w/ light tangy
tannins; a great balance between phenolic and Verm fruit character; a very exotic “His” and maybe the best
“His” yet; should age very well. $38.00
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Ryme Vermentino “His” LasBrisasVnyd/Carneros/SonomaCnty (11.6%) Geyserville 2016: Med.gold/burnished bronze
color; strong resiny/phenolic/skin-contact light Verm/floral/slight orangey bit simpler slight complex nose;
bit softer light tangy/metallic light phenolic/resiny very light Verm/floral/orangey bit weaker/lighter
flavor w/ light tannins; med.short light phenolic/resiny/skin-contact light Verm/floral finish w/ light
tannins; seems like a weaker & less complex expression of the “His”. $32.00
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Ryme Vermentino “His” LasBrisasVnyd/Carneros (12.4%; www.RymeCellars.com) Geyserville 2015: Med.gold
burnished bronze color; very light toabccoy/smokey/tobacco spitoon strong phenolic/resiny/skin-contact
some orangey/honeyed light floral/Verm slightly complex nose; lightly tart bit tobaccoy/smokey some
phenolic/resiny/skin-contact light Verm/floral bit complex flavor w/ light tannins; long strong phenolic/
resiny/skin-contact light Verm/floral bit orangey/honeyed/tobaccoy/smokey bit complex finish w/ light tangy
tannins; seems a bit lighter on the phenolic character but starting to show some evolution; quite an
interesting “His” w/ great balance. $32.00
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TablasCreekVnyds Esprit de Tablas AdelaidaDist/PasoRobles (EG, EB; 14.5%; 40% Mourv/35% Grenache/
20% Syrah/5% Counoise; 3800 cs) 2014: Med.dark color; lovely very fragrant plummy/Mourv/spicy/cinammon
slight earthy bit pencilly fairly complex nose; lightly tart/tangy/bit metallic/sharp rather plummy/Mourv/
spicy/cinammon slight earthy slight Rhonish/CdP quite balanced bit complex flavor w/ light smooth tannins;
very long/lingering rather plummy/Mourv/bit strawberry/floral slight pencilly bit Rhonish very balanced
some complex finish w/ light gentle tannins; quite far along for the '14 and very delicious now but no
reason it won’t continue to improve for another 10 yrs; beautiful Esprit. $65.00/$52.00 (VIN)
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TablasCreekVnyds Esprit de Tablas AdelaidaDist/PasoRobles (EG, EB; 14.5%; 46% Mourv/318% Grenache/
31% Syrah/5% Counoise; 3325 cs) 2016: Med.dark bit lighter color; strong plummy/Mourv/grapey bit primary
slight earthy quite attractive nose; lightly tart quite grapey/plummy/Mourv/slight strawberry/Grenache
balanced rather primary flavor w/ light bit stronger tannins; very long/lingering strong plummy/Mourv/
strawberry balanced lightly tart finish w/ some gentle tannins; rather primary right now w/ simple
Mourv grapiness but little doubt that it will evolve into another delicious/complex Esprit w/ time.
$60.00/$48.00 (VIN)
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TablasCreekVnyds EnGoblet AdelaidaDist/PasoRobles ((EG, EB; 14.2%; 39% Mourv/30% Grenache/20% Syrah/
8% Counoise; 925 cs) 2016: Med.dark color; very strong plummy/Mourv/blackberry/boysenberry/very spicy/
slight strawberry light pencilly lovely nose; bit tart rather strong blackberry/plummy/Mourv some
strawberry/Grenache/floral fairly spicy light peppery/earthy slight complex flavor w/ modest tangy
tannins; very long/lingering rather strong blackberry/plummy/Mourv bit perfumed/strawberry/Grenache
some peppery/spicy slight earthy finish w/ modest tannins; bit more intense and not as polished as the
Esprit but another terrific EnGoblet. $50.00/$40.00 (VIN)
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Delmore Syrah StoloVnyd/Cambria (13.0%; U; www.DarrenDelmore.com) 2017: Very dark color; very interesting
some cold-climate/black pepper strong whole-cluster/peppery/very Rhonish very strong blackberry/Syrah/
blueberry/very spicy quite Rhonish/roasted/smoked meats/bit espresso very complex beautiful nose; quite
tart/tangy very strong w-c/Rhonish/peppery rather c-c/black pepper strong blackberry/blueberry/Syrah/very
spicy bit earthy/pungent/graphite/mineral quite complex flavor w/ ample ripe/tangy tannins; very long/
lingering quite tart/tangy very strong w-c/peppery black pepper/c-c Syrah very strong blackberry/blueberry/
Syrah very spicy slight graphite/mineral finish w/ ample bit crunchy tannins; one of the best c-c/w-c Syrahs
I’ve had in some time; terrific Syrah at a great price. $35.00
More pusihittle from TheBloodyPulpit:
- Picardin: This is one of the varieties allowed in the CdP region and the last permitted variety that TCV
has brought in. It is pretty rare in CdP, never produced as a mono-varietal, and also rare in the Languedoc.
It is reported to make a light & neutral wine. This TCV Picardan is easily the greatest Picardan produced
in the World. Goes w/o saying.
- Prices: The TCV pricing reflects my VinSider TCV 30% discount. Each month, they put a particular on as a
monthly selection, deeply discounted. These can make for a spectacular bargin on already reasonably priced
wines. And then they will also offer $10 flat-rate shipping from time-to-time. It’s dishonest to buy wine
this good at such a cheap price.
- TCV Whites: I was pretty impressed by this latest VINSider release of their whites. One of the strongest
releases that I can recall. I was quite taken by the EspritBlanc. Often, on release, it can be a bit on
the underwhelming side and you just have to believe that it’ll achieve greatness down the road. This
'16 EspritBlanc was already showing the signs of greatness it’ll have down the road.
- Delmore: This is the first commercial release from DarrenDelmore, who is the National marketing director
for TCV. Several yrs ago, I urged him to stop by near home in Cambria & try the StoloFamilyWines. He was
quite impressed by Maria’s wines and was fortunate enough to talk them out of some of their Syrah fruit.
He also makes a PinotNoir as well. I have, of course, followed Darren from the very start when he joined
TCV and tried his first ho-made wine.
- “His”: Megan & Ryan Glaab make two Vermentinos from FrankMahoney’s LasBrisas vnyd in the Carneros. “Hers”
is made by conventional direct-to-press fermentation. The “His” is made as a skin-contact white. I generally
prefer the “Hers” because of its powerful aromatics. But the “His” is no slouch of a wine on its own merits.
I was really taken by this '17 “His” and thought it may be Ryan’s best one yet w/ a great balance between
phenolic/skin-contact character and Verm fruit.
Tom