We tried last night (7/3/19) Some New Odds&Ends:
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la Colombera Timorasso IlMontino Dd’OC: Colli Tortonesi (12.5%; www.lacolomberavini.it/en) Piercarlo
Semino La Colombera/Tortona/Piedmont 2014: Med.color; beautiful very fragrant floral/carnations/Timo/
bit pineapple/tropical fruits/barber shop light mineral/chalky lovely aromatic nose; lightly tart/tangy/
some metallic very strong floral/Timo/tropical fruit/perfumed talc some stony/mineral bit complex flavor;
very long classic Timo/floral/carnations quite tangy/metallic/steely rather complex finish; almost
R-like in aromatics; one of the best Timorassos I’ve had. $44.00 (OMvVB)
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la Colombera Cortese Bricco Bartolomeo Dd’OC: Colli Tortonesi (13.0%) Fratelli Semino/Tortona 2017: Light
gold color; lighter rather stony/mineral light floral/Cortese some apple/pear/apple compote lightly spicy
attractive nose; quite tart/tangy/metallic rather stony/mineral/chalky fairly rich bit coiled/wirey flavor;
very long/lingering rather metallic/steely/stony/mineral/Cortese slight earthy bit appley/pear finish;
a pretty classic Cortese w/ lots of stony/mineral character; better than most Piemonte Cortese but doesn’t
measure up to the Idlewild. $20.00 (OMvVB)
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Stekar rebula (12%; www.VinaStekar.Si; BonVivantImports/Boise) JureStekar/Snezatno/GoriskaBrda/Slovenija NV:
Med.light gold color; quite strong phenolic/resiny/rather cidery light RG/peppery fairly complex nose;
quite tart fairly tannic very strong phenolic/resiny rather rich light RG/peppery flavor w/ light bitter
tannins; very long very savory quite phenolic/resiny light RG/peppery finish w/ modest astringent/bitter
tannins; fairly strong phenolic character w/ modest amount of RG fruit. $22.50 (TheCellar/Taos)
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Castello di Rubbia Vitovska DOC: Carso-Kras (12.5%) SanMichele del Carso/Savogna d’Isonzo 2015: Med.light
gold color; light phenolic/resiny quite fragrant appley/Vitov/pear bit sttely/musky rather attractive nose;
lightly tart very light phenolic/resiny fairly rich strong spicy/pear/apple/Vitov bit steely some earthy/stony
slight peppery flavor; very long spicy/Vitov/apple/pear rather earthy/stony some phenolic/resiny finish
w/ light brisk tannins; very light phenolic character but good smack of Vitovska/earthy/apple fruit;
a solid 4-square attractive Vitovska. $30.00 (EVN)
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Arnot-Roberts Trousseau NorthCoast (12.1%) 2017: Very light garnet color; rather earthy/dusty very cranberry/
some plummy/Trouss rather fragrant nose; rather tart/tangy bit lean/eviscerated light plummy/cranberry/Trouss
somewhat earthy/dusty flavor w/ light tangy tannins; med.long quite tart/tangy/acidic rather lean/eviscerated
some earthy/dusty light cranberry/plummy finish w/ light bitey tannins; quite pretty aromatics but rather
lean & eviscerated on the palate. $30.00
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Harrington Trousseau SilettoVnyd/SanBenitoCnty (13.4%; Frmtd 100% in SS; no oak; 100 cs) 2017: Med.dark color;
very strong plummy/black cherry/cranberry bit SanBenito/earthy/dusty rather spicy/cinammon quite attractive
nose; lightly tart strong plummy/black cherry/cranberry rather earthy/dusty slight tangy/metallic bit
wirey/coiled flavor w/ light tangy tannins; very long strong cranberry/cherry/plummy some spicy/cinammon some
earthy/dusty finish w/ light tangy tannins; reminds some of a lighter SanBenito Zin; lots of bright
cranberry/Trouss fruit; lovely glou/glou red. $30.00
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Harrington Negrette CalleriVnyd/SanBenitoCnty (13.2%) 2018: Very dark/near black color; beautiful black pepper/
licorice/Negrette/very spicy some dusty/OV bit herbal/thyme/pungent fairly classic earthy Negrette nose; quite
tart/tangy some metallic/steely rather peppery/licorice some herbal/thyme flavor w/ some tangy/angular tannins;
very long quite tart/tangy strong peppery/black pepper/Negrette/licorice bit herbal/thyme somewhat earthy/dusty
bit rustic finish w/ ample hard tannins; speaks strongly of Negrette grape and bit of SanBenitoCnty; a rather
hard/angular/bit rustic red that needs some age. $30.00
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Ch.Saint-Louis l’Esprit AC: Fronton (Negrette; 12.5%; MeBaC; #3637 of 4350) A.Mahmoudi/LaBastide St.Pierre
2007: Very dark color; rather pungent/burning metal/welding shop/very reductive rather earthy/herbal slight
peppery/Negrette somewhat rustic/funky somewhat bretty/unclean nose; bit soft very sharp/burning metal/reductive
quite earthy/dusty/rustic rather funky/bretty flavor w/ ample astringent tannins; long very hard/tannic/
astringent rather reductive/burning metal/rustic/bretty/unclean finish; a rather hard/rustic/tannic/drying
out red that speaks of Negrette w/ a tiny/squeaky voice. $19.00 (CB)
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Jaffurs PetiteSirah ArchibaldCuvee/ThompsonVnyd/SBC (15.4%) 2017: Black color; very intense blackberry/
boysenberry/PS/peppery some Thompson/peppery/dusty some toasty/oak beautiful intense PS nose; very lightly
tart very intense blackberry/boysenberry/PS/peppery rather toasty/charred/Fr.oak huge fruit beautiful flavor
w/ ample ripe/chewey tannins; very long/lingering intense blackberry/boysenberry/PS huge peppery/fruit finish
w/ ample chewey tannins; another beautiful classic Jaffurs PS at a great price. $33.00 (futures)
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LimerickLane PetiteSirah RRV/SonomaCnty (14.3%; EG) 2014: Black color; somewhat unclean/bretty/funky/mousey/
reduced that clears to some PS/peppery/earthy some toasty/oak nose; soft rich/lush strong blackberry/peppery/
PS/earthy fairly toasty/oak slight earthy flavor w/ ample hard tannins; very long very strong peppery/PS/
blackberry/ripe bit soft some toasty/oak finish w/ ample chewey tannins; a distinct funky/reduced/unclean
nose at first but persists a bit on the palate; a PS that needs more age and should become quite good. $50.00
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Bedrock PetiteSirah Drummond’sCuvee Calif (14.2%; TeldeschiRanch + Palisades; Drk: 2024-2040: MTP) 2016:
Very dark/near black color; very strong blackberry/boysenberry/PS bit peppery light toasty/oak some earthy
bit ripe very attractive nose; bit soft very strong blackberry/boysenberry/ripe PS/light peppery light
toasty/oak fairly ripe to overripe flavor w/ modest ripe tannins; very long bit soft very strong blackberry/
boysenberry/PS light toasty/oak finish w/ some ripe/soft tannins; quite a good PS if a bit on the ripe side.
$45.00
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Once&Future PetiteSirah PalisadesVnyd/Calistoga/NapaVlly (15.0%; 201 cs; 44 yr.old vines; Pckd: 9/7/17;
100% Fr.oak/30% new; pH: 3.56, TA: 0.69%) 2017: Very dark/near black color; very strong toasty/pencilly/oak
very strong ripe/boysenberry/blackberry/PS slight peppery bit complex nose; soft very ripe/blackberry/
boysenberry/PS fairly strong toasty/pencilly/Fr.oak quite structured bit complex flavor w/ ample chewey tannins;
very long/lingering very strong blackberry/boysenberry/PS/ripe strong toasty/Fr.oak very structured finish
w/ ample ripe/chewey tannins; lots more oak & more structured and should be a great one with age. $55.00
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Harrington Freisa SkowVnyd/SanBenitoVnyd (13.2%) 2018: Med.color; strong floral/lilacs/Nebb-like/strawberries/
spicy quite aromatic attractive nose; very tart/somewhat acidic quite floral/strawberry/lilacs slight earthy
rather angular/rustic flavor w/ ample hard/tangy tannins; very long strong floral/strawberries/Freisa/lilacs/
bit Nebb-like quite tart/acidic finish w/ ample hard/crunchy tannins; very much like a Piemonte Freisa,
especially the nose, but a bit bigger/richer, and w/ the same hard tannins; quite a good Freisa. $30.00
More irkfottle from TheBloodyPulpit:
- Negrette: A grape grown in SW France near Tolouse in the Fronton area. It was onetime known in Calif as Pinot
St.George and grown mostly in the SanBenito region. It now must go under the name Negrette. The first Negrette,
I believe, was made by Kenny Volk at Wild Horse. It is a direct descendant of the Mavro rootstock grown
on Cyprus.
Of the dozen or so Negrettes I’ve had, this Harrington was the best thus far. The Fronton was a pretty
miserable example of Negrette, the worst from France I’ve had. Negrette is a very interesting grape that makes
a wine w/ a distinct peppery/herbal character, a bit on the rustic side. Clearly a grape they should be planting
all up&down the Coast of Calif.
- Jaffurs PS: This is the top-of-the-line Jaffurs PS, the rare/famed Archibald Cuvee. This would have been the
first Jaffurs PS made entirely by DanGreen. This continues to be one of the best PS made in Calif. It shows
huge fruit, yet does not seem at all over the top or overextracted. And it typically ages very/very well.
A Calif icon.
- Freisa: Another of one of my favorite grapes from the Piemonte. It has a striking strawberry perfume that I
particularly like. It is one of the parents of Nebbiolo. There are two biotypes of Freisa: FreisaPiccolo &
Freisa Grossa. They also make a ripasso style Freisa in which the Freisa is frmtd w/ leftor Nebbiolo skins
from the making of Barolo. I’ve never tried (nor seen) one, but the tannins would probably take your head off.
Clearly, a variety they should be planting all up&down the Coast of Calif.
Tom