Ferraris Clasic Dd’OC&G: Ruche di Castagnole Monferrato (15%; www.FerrarisAgricola.com; GiulianaImports/Denver) Luca Ferraris/Castagnole Monferrato 2017: Med.color; very attractive floral/lilacs/bit Nebb-like some strawberry/Ruche slight tarry quite fragrant bit rustic nose; rather tart/tannic light floral/strawberry/Ruche light floral/lilacs/Nebb-like some earthy/dusty/OV bit rustic/coarse flavor w/ light hard/tangy tannins; very long some strawberry/raspberry/Ruche/floral/lilacs bit rustic/coarse/rough finish w/ ample coarse/chewey tannins; some very attractive Ruche/strawberry aromaticsbut a bit hard/rough on the palate; this variety would make a terrific vin de soif by Bryan Harrington; pretty decent expression of the glories of Ruche. $18.00 (KK)
Bichi Listan Tacate/BajaCalif/MX (12.5%; U; www.JosePastorSelections) Tellez & Luyt/Tecate 2016: Light garnet bit browning rather cloudy/murky color; quite pretty floral/rose petal rather spicy/cinammon light pencilly/old oak some earthy/dusty/OV very fragrant/attractive nose rather soft/underacid/fat some old oak/pencilly very strong floral/rose petal slight natty/coarse/rustic rather earthy/dusty/OV some tangy/mature complex flavor w/ light coarse/tangy tannins; very long floral/rose petal/spicy/cinammon slight natty/mousey/hantavirus finish w/ light tangy tannins; very lovely/attractive floral nose but a bit too natty/hantavirus/unclean on the palate for my taste.
Next day: Bit more browning in color; still some pretty/Mission/rose petal aromatics but the natty/hantavirus character showing in the nose; very light floral/rose petal rather natty/hantavirus flavor w/ a dreadful mousey/natty/hantavirus/stale mouse poop finish that went on & on for several minutes; difficult to extinguish that foul taste left in the mouth even w/ sparkling water; maybe the foulest wine I have ever tasted. $23.00 (KK)
A wee BloodyPulpit:
“Bichi” means “naked” in the Sonoran dialect. It reflects that Bichi produces “natural” wines, since 2014. From 100 yo vines. Fermeted in large tinajas. Bttld w/ 10 ppm SO2.
When tasted as a P&P, the aromatics demonstrated what a pretty wine Mission (Listan Negra) can give, in the right hands. These were not the right hands for this wine.
When I tasted it the naxt day, it was probably the foulest wine I’ve ever tasted. The hantavirus was not an aftertaste you could get rid of. The wine is definitely headed South at a breakneck pace. I will probably buy another btl and age it for a few yrs just to find out how really bad this wine will become.
Tom
Well…that’s one of my contributions to the wine lexicon. Along w/ DollyPartinViognier.
When you’re cleaning out a woodpile, you’ll often come across an old mouse’s nest, filled w/ stale mouse poop & pee. It has a very distinctive
smell (don’t know about the taste). You get hantavirus from such chores…hence my usage of that term.
Tom
I’ve tried the Bichi wines on several occasions and my experience is that they can range from very intriguing and aromatic to badly flawed, and unfortunately sometimes with the same wine from different bottles. It’s frustrating because when the Bichi wines are good, they can be really distinctive and I want to try more, but then more often than not I’ve been disappointed with the follow-up. I’ve had some promising wines at the Brumaire tastings in Oakland in recent years, including Mission, Tempranillo, a red (“No Sapiens”) and a pét-nat that vintner Noel Téllez told me were both from an unknown variety, and even a Nebbiolo - but several bottles purchased after the events (from more than one wine shop) have not been nearly as good. Some of the Bichi wines have been collaborations with Chile’s Louis-Antoine Luyt, don’t know whether that’s still the case. I believe the fruit for all of the Bichi wines are sourced from the Tecate region in far northern Baja California, just across the border from San Diego County.
BTW Tom, Mission / País is identical to the old Spanish variety Listán Prieto, not Listán Negro - the two are often confused. Both varieties are grown on the Canary Islands.