TN: An Italian White & a VA Cab....(short/boring)

Tried these two last night at dinner:

  1. I Pastini Rampone Minutolo IGP: Valle d’Itria/Puglia (12.5%; www.IPastini.It; KermitLynch/Berkeley) I Pastini SRL/Puglia 2020: Med.yellow color; quite fragrant floral/carnations/gardenias some chalky/perfumed talc light spicy/nutmeg almost R-like or slight muscatty lovely nose; fairly tart/tangy/slight metallic quite fragrant/floral/gardenias some chalky/perfumed talc totally dry fairly rich very perfumed/R-like beautiful flavor; very long/lingering lightly tart/tangy bit metallic/steely quite floral/gardenias/apple blossom slight chalky/mineral somewhat complex finish; a beautiful very fragrant floral rather R-like white w/o the usual coarse/rustic character you often get in SItalian whites; very reasonable priced at $23.00 (KK)

  1. BarboursvilleVnyds Octagon VA (13.5%; Merlot/CabSauv/CabFranc; www.BarboursvilleWine.com) Barboursville/VA 2006: Very dark color w/ some bricking; fairly earthy/dusty some toasty/smokey/Fr.oak fairly strong Cab/slight blackcurranty rather Bdx-like/herbal bit pencilly rather complex nose; soft slight metallic/drying out/tannic rather herbal/Bdx-like/Cab some earthy/dusty bit rough/tannic some complex flavor w/ light astringent tannins; very long somewhat earthy/dusty fairly herbal/Bdx-like/Cab some toasty/oak bit drying/astringent some complex finish w/ light drying tannins; a rather interesting Cab that reminds more of Bdx than US; clearly starting to dry out but still pretty interesting. $nc (B&SR)

A wee BloodyPulpit:

  1. Minutolo: Also known as Fiano Aromatico of Fiano Minutolo. An indigeneous variety that is not really related to Fiano. It was close to extinction but since 2000 there has been a renewed interest in the grape.
    This was my first Minutolo & I was pretty impressed. A grape they should be planting all up&down the coast of Calif.

  1. THe Barboursville was gifted me Sat by Bill & Sheila Reed, longtime LosAlamos friends who now live in Charlottesville. Given uncertain storage provenance, I had very low expectations of this wine. It was far better than I expected, though clearly on its downside. The next morning, it was a dark murky brown and pretty much shot.
    Tom
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The Octagon may not have been the first Merlot based wine in Virginia but it was the first one that garnered acclaim. Prior to Octagon, Merlot was in small quantities and not believed to be suitable. Back then, Cabernet Franc was believe to be the best red for VA. In 2004 when I was planning my vineyard , I attended a grape growing seminar for new growers. Merlot was on the not recommend list due to problems with rot. I remember a conversation with Jim Law of Linden vineyards in probably 2008 or 2009, when he told me he was adding more Merlot. I said that I had heard that it had a problem with rot. Jim smiled and said me too. Now most of the best Boudreaux blends in VA have a good amount of Merlot.

Nice story

I don’t know if Jim would still be smiling. We were at his library tasting this weekend and he mentioned that his Merlot has really taken a hit over the past few seasons, believed to be caused by intolerance to swings in temperatures over the winter. They’ve had a good amount not come back in the spring and they’re holding off on replanting while they figure it out.

The 2021 Hardscrabble Red blend is actually 97% CS with the balance Cab Franc.