Tasted these new wines over the weekend:
- Schlosskellerei Gobelsburg GrunerVeltliner DAC: Kamptal/Niederosterreich (12.5%; www.Schloss-Gobelsburg.At; SkurnikWines) Gobelsburg 2020: Med.gold color; very strong white pepper/GV/very floral/gardenias beautiful perfumed nose; quite tart/tangy rather intense GV/very spicy/white pepper/very floral/gardenias some mineral/steely very brisk/vibrant totally dry even a bit austere very rich beautiful flavor; very long/lingering quite minerally intense GV/floral/gardenias/white pepper/very spicy finish; an absolutely stunning young GV that should go out 10 yrs or so; stupid/silly price at $15.00 (PrimaIlC)/$18.00
- Dom.Ostertag LeGrandBain Maceration AP: Alsace (14.1%; 70% GWT/20% PinotGris/10% Riesling; KermitLynchImprts) Epfig 2019: Burnished bronze/bit browning rather murky/cloudy color; rather resiny/cidery/phenolic/VM bit pencilly/oak rather orangey/honeyed some GWT/hair oil/spicy quite aromatic somewhat complex very interesting nose; rather soft some GWT/hair oil rather bitter bit tannic strong cidery/resiny/phenolic/VM rather strange flavor; long rather GWT/hair oil/floral bit off-dry fairly bitter rather VM/phenolic/resiny/quite cidery finish; a rather strange/bi-polar/discordant wine w/ some GWT fruit but dominated by the VM/phenolic rather bitter character; rather savory/saline & needs food with it; bit pricey at $39.00 (KK)
- Cingilia Cococciola IGT: Colline Pescaresi/Abruzzo (12%; www.ViniCingilia.It; VinotasSlctns/Fruit of the Vines/LongIslandCity) Cingilia di Donato Fabio/PianoCarpineto/Cugnoli/Abruzzo 2020: Med.dark gold color w/ lots of tiny bubbles clinging to te sides of the glass; somewhat resiny/phenolic/VM some earthy/coarse light musky/floral/zinnias rather quiet/beaten-down pleasant enough nose; bit soft no dissolved CO2 lightly floral/musky/zinnias/marigolds/pungent light VM/skin-contact/phenolic rather earthy/coarse/rustic somewhat beaten-down flavor; med.long bit soft rather earthy/coarse/rustic slight floral/musky/marigolds/pungent light VM/phenolic/skin-contact finish; a somewhat quiet/beaten-down/low-key rather coarse/rustic Abruzzo white w/ not a lot of character; shows no natty character whatsoever; just a bit of an Oakland wine. $22.50 (KK)
- Badalucco GridduVerde VinoBianco (13.50%; Grillo/Verdejo; Old vines; 15 days on the skins; www.ViniBadalucco.It; Haus Alpenz/Edina/MN) Pierpaolo e Beatriz Badalucco de la Iglesia Garcia/Petrosino/Sicily 2020: Deep golden/burnished bronze/some browning quite cloudy/murky color; rather oxidized/bit volatile/slight maderized/sherry-like bit funky/musty/fusty rather VM/phenolic/resiny no fruit rather earthy/rustic some natty/mousey somewhat interesting not particularly pleasant nose; soft bit fat/flat rather oxidized/maderized fairly phenolic/VM/resiny very little fruit bit unclean/natty not particularly pleasant flavor w/ a bit of a tannic bite; very long rather oxidized/maderized/bit volatile fairly VM/phenolic/resiny somewhat bitter very little fruit bit unclean/natty finish w/ some very unpleasant wet dog fur aftertaste; not a very pleasant wine w/ lots of oxidative character & virtually no fruit; the next day the wet dog fur becomes dreadful; an unattractive natural wine in all its worst. $21.00 (KK)
- Montesecondo Tin IGT: Trebiano SanCasciano Val di Pesa (10.5%; Aged in clay vessels; 6 mo. macerations; U; www.MonteSecondo.com; Louis/Dressner Imprts) Silvio Messana/Chianti 2018: Deep golden/burnished bronze color; strong VM/cidery/phenolic/resiny rather volatile/EA no fruit unattractive nose; very tart/acidic austere rather bitter quite phenolic/VM/resiny/cidery no fruit fairly tannic flavor; very long very strong VM/phenolic/resiny quite acidic rather bitter/tannic/metallic bit oxidative very austere/hurtey finish; absolutely no fruit & dominated by the VM/phenolic character; not pleasant to taste at all but not at all unclean or natty; the next day it had lost a bit of the VM character & developed a slight floral character but the overnight breathing could still not save this wine; pretty pricey at $33.00 (AV)
- Kante Vitovska IGT: Venezia Giulia (12%; KermitLynchImprts) Edi Kante/Duino Aurisina 2016: Light gold/slight burnished bronze color; lightly resiny/earthy somewhat appley/pungent/musky/marigolds slight herbal/Kansas haymow/frest cut alfalfa rather interesting nose; quite tart fairly austere/dry bit earthy/musky/marigolds bit new mown alfalfa/herbal interesting bit complex flavor; very long quite tart/tangy bit earthy/herbal/musky new mown Kansas alfalfa somewhat interesting finish; not particularly aromatic & not a lot of fruit but a rather austere/clunky white that needs some age; the skin-contact Vitovskas seem a bit more interesting but also more severe/austere; may develop into something interesting w/ age, however; pretty pricey at $40.00 (AV)
- Stekar rebula Kmetijstvo/Slovenija (14.0%; www.VinaStekar.Sl; BonVivantImprts/Boise/ID) Stekar Jure/Snezatno/Kojsko/Slovenia 2020: Deep golden/burnished bronze bit cloudy color w/ lots of mesmerizing/swirling tiny bubbles; strong resiny/phenolic/VM bit orangey/honeyed slight floral/carnations some piney/terpentine/Windex rather strange/interesting/complex nose; some tart/tangy very strong phenolic/VM/resiny/cidery bit orangey/honeyed slight floral/carnations/marigolds/pungent/musky slight herbal/earthy slightly bitter fairly complex flavor w/ slight tannic bite; very long very strong VM/phenolic/resiny quite tart/tangy slight earthy/floral/marigolds/orangey some complex finish; pretty much dominated by the VM character but some Rebula fruit peeking thru; will be a lot better w/ 4-7 yrs of age; a rather good skin-contact Ribolla at a very good price. $22.00 (AV)
- Ridge Zin KiteHill YorkCreekVnyd/SpringMtnDist (14.3%; 19% PetiteSirah/BurgerHill; 42 brls; bttld Dec 2015; Pckd: Sept 4; Drk: 8/15-8/21-8/22: JO; 0.5% water addition, tartaric acid) Healdsburg 2014: Very dark color; strong very spicy/blackberry/raspberry/Zin strong Ridge/Am.oak/vanilla fairly dusty/OV rather complex quite attractive nose; fairly tart/tangy very strong very spicy/blackberry/raspberry/Zin rather dusty/OV strong Ridge/vanilla/oak fairly structured complex flavor w/ light grippy tannins; very long/lingering very spicy/blackberry/raspberry/Zin some Ridge/oak structured finish w/ modest grippy tannins; one of the best YorkCreek Zins in ages; almost at the level of the LS Zin for intensity of Zin fruit & structure & spiciness; outstanding Zin $29.00 (ATP)
- LimerickLane Zin CarlisleVnyd/RRV/SonomaCnty (14.9%; Plntd: 1927) Healdsburg 2018: Very dark color; very strong/intense blackberry/boysenberry/ripe/Zin/very spicy very dusty/OV rather pencilly/toasty/oak rather peppery/RRV Zin fairly complex nose; very tart/tangy some acidic very strong blackberry/boysenberry/very spicy/ripe peppery/RRV Zin some toasty/oak quite structured/wirey/sinewey/rather hard bit complex flavor w/ ample hard/chewey tannins; very long/lingering very spicy/peppery/RRV Zin/blackberry/ripe/boysenberry some toasty/oak quite structured finish w/ ample hard tannins; lots of peppery/RRV Zin very spicy character & dusty/OV character but pretty hard & structured & needs 3-6 yrs of age; may not outlive the tannins but a classic perfumed CarlisleVnyd Zin. $62.00
A wee BloodyPulpit:
- Gobelsburg: This arrived Thurs in my latest Prima IlConsorzio shipment. About once a year, I find a wine from them that blows me away. This was just one such. I’m going back for anuther case.
- Ostertag: This was made as a skin-contact white. Which presumably why it is not an AC wines…doesn’t meet the typicity guidelines. This is the first Alsatian VM that I recall seeing. Ostertag tends to produce rather austere style of Alsatian wines and this skin-contact only seemed to accenuate that austerity. But I think, with age, it will turn into a very interesting mature VM. It reminded me some of MattRorick’s/Forlorn-Hope skin-contact GWTs.
- Ridge: This is one of the best YorkCreek Zins I can recall in ages. It has put on a lot of weight since its release. I believe this was the last Zin that Ridge made from FritzMaytag’s YC grapes.
4.Not a particularly good showing for the natural and skin-contact whites. Some were pretty bad but not a lot of natty character in them.
Tom