TN: Andis Schioppettino '17...(short/boring)

TomHill · September 12, 2019, 12:49pm

DarrellCorti had given me a head’s up that the new Andis Schioppettino was very good, so I stopped in at the wnry and picked up a btl. Tried it a few days later up in Calistoga w/ Molly&Lars at dinner:

AndisWines Schioppettino SierraFoothills (EG; 13.5%; www.AndisWines.com) AndyFriedlander & Janis Akuna/Plymouth 2017: Dark color; very strong classic Schio/black pepper/bit licorice/black cherry/boysenberry slight earthy/briary bit rustic lovely nose; fairly tart/tangy structured strong black pepper/black cherry/licorice classic Schio slightly rustic flavor some complex finish w/ some raspy tannins; very long/lingering strong black pepper/black cherry/bit licorice/pungent quite structured bit rustic/earthy/briary finish w/ modest gritty tannins; a classic expression of Schio; needs 2-5 yrs yet. $32.00

A wee BloodyPulpit:

I tasted the first Andis Schio in May’18:

Tom:

AndisWines Schioppettino Estate/AmadorCnty (15%; www.AndisWines.com; 2 brls) Plymouth 2015: Very dark color;
rather overripe/raisened/pruney some alcoholic/fumey slight black pepper/Schio rather Amador/briary/boysenberry
nose; soft rather overripe/pruney/raisened some alcoholic/fumey slight Schio/pepper some Amador/briary flavor
w/ light ripe tannins; long very ripe/overripe/pruney/late hrvsty slight peppery/Schio flinish w/ light ripe
tannins; an overripe/late-hrvsty/fumey character that belies the 15% alc level; more like an Amador LateHrvst
Zin than anything; it does have some Schio/pepper character beneath the overripe fruit. $30.00/500 ml

BloodyPulpit:
2. Andis: When I was last up to Amador, I stopped into the Andis tasting room. The wnry/tasting room is a dramatic
architecture statement that sorta sticks from the usual low-key/rustic/industrial facilities that dominate the
ShenandoahVlly. They have the classic ShenandoahVlly lineup of wines; Zin/Barbera/Syrah/Grenache/SauvBlancetc.
Overall, I thought the wines were quite sound/well-made/4-square ShenandoahVlly wines. I was particularly
impressed by the Semillon from DillianRanch; a variety that I think deserves a lot more respect up there.
A month ago, MikeDunne had an article on four Amador wineries that he thought are worth visiting. What caught
my eye were the two wines that he recommended: a skin-contact Viognier and a Schioppettino. This is only the
fourth Schio in Calif of which I am aware. And I was unaware that anybody in Amador was playing around with
skin-contact whites. So, of course, I had to try these two wines and ordered some. GM JenaePlasse was a
great help in getting these wines to me.
I was particularly impressed with the skin-contact/orange Viognier. The phenolics were definitely present
but there were a lot of other things going on in this wine. Worth seeking out. The Schio was less impressive.
It, indeed, speak of Schio, but w/ a whisper. It was swamped by the overripe/late-hrvsty character that
reminded me some of the Montevina or Santino/Renwood late-hrvst Zins of yesteryear. I suspect that Schio has
a real potential, like Nebbiolo, in the ShenandoahVlly and very much look forward to trying their future
efforts if they can reign the ripeness level.

I found the '15 Schio rather interesting but not very typical Schio. Darrell was right. With this '17; Andis has nailed it. Easily the best Calif Schio I’ve yet tried. Not quite as good as the Ronchi di Cialla’s, but getting pretty close. Terrific wine at a very good price. There’s a future for Schio in the ShenandoahVlly. I’m going back for more.
Tom

Ken_Zinns · September 12, 2019, 1:27pm

Good to hear that this bottling turned out so well. I tasted a barrel sample at Andis last November, not long before it was to be bottled, and thought it was good but still really too young and not quite fully integrated at that point. Sounds like it just needed a little more time to come together in the bottle.

Markus_S · September 12, 2019, 4:27pm

High praise indeed. Might have to try a bottle if it ever makes it east of the Sierra Nevada.