Tasted the five new Whites from Kokomans w/ sSusan over the weekend:
- EttoreGermano Chard DOC: Langhe (12.5%; http://www.EttoreGermano.com; EB; RibeviWinesIntl/LaMesa/CA) Serralunga d’Alba 2019: Light gold color; fairly fragrant rather melony/Chard/floral/almost R-like/bit honeyed light chalky/mineral slight herbal quite attractive nose; quite tart/tangy crisp/appley some melony/Chard/floral/carnations fairly chalky/mineral rather R-like attractive flavor; very long/lingering quite tart/tangy/bit metallic/steely rather mineral/chalky some floral/carnations/bit melony/Chard very interesting finish; not a strong Chard character but resembles Alsatian R or PB more than anything; quite a pleasant Chard at a very fair price. $22.00 (KK)
- Core Campania WW (13.5%; Fiano/Greco; WinebowImprts) Montevetrano/S.Cipriano Picentino 2017: Med.dark gold color; somewhat earthy/pungent bit rustic/coarse slight floral/Fiano/bit herbal rather interesting warm-climate/bit rustic nose; somewhat soft/lush some earthy/rustic/coarse bit herbal/floral/Fiano slight chalky/mineral flavor; med.long some earthy/rustic light floral/carnations/herbal slight chalky/stony finish; a rather interesting somewhat earthy/ristic/bit coarse not very high-toned SouthItalian white but rather overpriced. $33.00 (KK)
- Markus Altenburger Chard vom Kalk (12.5%; SchatziWines/Milan/NY) Burgenland 2018: Med.gold color; slight volatile attractive melony/Chard/spicy light stony/chalky bt simple/straightforward Chard nose; lightly tart/tangy rather lemony/melony/Chard light chalky/stony quite pleasant flavor; long bright/melony/Chard/lemony bit tart/tangy slight chalky/stony finish; nothing profound but an altogether pleasant/low-key/varietally-correct Chard at a fair price. $18.50 (KK)
- Yay Milan Nestarec Youngster Morava WW (12%; SauvBlanc/Riesling/PinotBlanc/Traminer; Jenny&Francois Slctns) Czech Republic 2020:Med.gold/burnished bronze quite murky/cloudy color w/ tons of tiny/mesmerizing/roiling bubbles swirling about; somewhat yeasty some SB/herbal/earthy light floral/fruity rather interesting/unusual/funky nose; quite petillant/frizzante/dissolved CO2 rather funky/earthy/yeasty some SB/herbal/bit Loire-like some tangy/metallic/cidery rather strange flavor; med.short quite petillant/yeasty somewhat tangy/metallic fairly earthy/funky/quite cidery slight herbal/SB strange finish; an interesting/strange/funky white that offers up little pleasure; yet another J&F natural wine fail and overpriced. $27.50 (KK)
- Cantina Tramin GWT Dd’OC: Sudtirol-AltoAdige (14.5%; Vinified in SS; WinebowImprts; http://www.CantinaTramin.It) Termeno/Bolzano 2020: Med.gold color; very strong spicy/hair oil/rose petal/lychee/floral/classic GWT/very spicy very perfumed/aromatic beautiful complex nose; bit soft quite rich/lush/mouthfilling slight tangy/metallic near dry intense GWT/hair oil/very spicy/floral/rose petal/lychee slight mineral some complex beautiful flavor; very long/lingering intense GWT/very spicy/hair oil/rose petal/lychee/bit cinammon bit soft quite lush/mouthfilling bit off-dry (0.2-0.4% r.s.) finish w/ trace of bitterness; a beautiful classic GWT at a steal of a price; this is how they used to make GWT in Alsace yrs ago. $23.00 (KK)
A wee BloodyPulpit:
- CantinaTramin: This is a cooperative wnry based in the South Tyrol near the birthplace of GWT. This is the bottom-of-the-line GWT from their wnry. They have several even higher-level GWT in their portfolio.
I was pretty much blown away by this wine. A wine of this quality would normally say Zind-Humbrecht VT on the label & sell for $60. It reminded me a lot of that very first ClosGaensbronnel GWT '59 that first sucked me into Alsatian GWT. Nothing better with a platter of weenies & kraut or a Tart Alsacienne. GWT originated as Traminer grape near the town of Tramin and somewhere along its journey to Alsace mutated to a pink-hued version of the grape w/ a distinctly spicy character. This wine is presumably from the Red Traminer or Savignan Rose based on its aromatics.
I used to drink a ton of Alsace GWT because of its aromatics and, best of all, it was cheap. Did I mention that it didn’t cost very much?? And then Oliver Humbrecht was annointed by RobertParker as the World’s genius winemaker and started heaping huge points on his wines. Gradually, the Z-H style of high-alcohol/low-acid/slight r.s./high-$$ became the norm in Alsace and I gradually drifted away from Alsace GWT. Though I still buy some of the MarcelDeiss/Dom.Weinbach/Kuentz-Basw/Trimbach GWTs. Alas…no longer the last refuge for a pinch-penny myself. I find these days I much more gravitate toward the GWT of the SudTyrol, where they are typically dry and much cheaper. End of rant.
This CantinaTramin is one of the best I’ve had in some time. I’m going back for more.
Tom