TN: LaClarine petite manseng '16...(short/boring)

WINE TALK
1

Tried this wine last week:

  1. LaClarineFarm petit manseng SierraFoothills WW (U/U; 13%; www.LaClarineFarm.com) Somerset 2016: Med.dark gold color w/ some suspended flocculant material; rather appley/apple cider bit earthy pleasant enough if simple nose; quite tart/acidic rather appley/apple cider slight earthy/chalky bit simple pleasant enough flavor; med.long mostly appley/apple cider some chalky/earthy finish; a pleasant enough rather simple white w/ no funky or mousey character evident.
    Two day later after being left open on the counter: Much the same apple cider w/ a slight bit of mousey/funky character peaking out; very acidic/screechy very light apple cider some metallic very slight funky/mousey character; not much of a change in character but rather painful to drink.

A wee BloodyPulpit:

  1. I always approach the LaClarine wines w/ a great deal of trepidation. Hank Beckmeyer is one of the darlings of the “natural” wine movement. His 2015 Albarino was the 2’nd worst wine I’ve ever tried w/ an overwhelming hantavirus/mousey character that destroyed the wine. A 2’nd btl I tried a few months later w/ the NM distributor to show him how bad the wine was turned out to be not nearly that bad. A bit funky/hantavirus but not at all undrinkable. The 2016 was much better w/ only a light “natty” character.
    So I was expecting this wine to display some “natty” character. It did not, initially. But it was an acidic/screechy white that spoke mostly of apple cider, no PetiteManseng character that I could recognize. An utterly charmless wine.
    Haank grows some interesting varieties and I’ll probably continue to try his wines until I get stung one too many times.
    Tom
2

Thanks for your report, Tom. You’re more tolerant/forgiving of disappointment than I am.

3

I have not had this vintage, though previous versions I’ve had have been absolutely great.

4

Nate,

Did they have the same flavor and aromatic profiles that Tom described? Or? Just curious.

Cheers.

5

Larry, I’d say they had an oxidative note (intentional, I assume), but nothing objectionable. I don’t know what P Manseng is “supposed to” taste like, though.

6

Nate,

Thanks. I find with certain wines some people tend to be ‘more critical’ than others of the same wine, and for many reasons:

  1. Perhaps the producer and their reputation is ‘given a pass’

  2. Perhsps one person’s sense of ‘typicity’ towards a variety is different than another’s

  3. Perhaps one person likes ‘outside the norm’ more t in an someone else

  4. Perhaps someone simply wants to be a devil’s advocate

Again, my curiosity sometimes gets the better of me. Thank you again.

Cheers

7

Thanks Tom! I learned a new word today - flocculant