Now that the weather has warmed up on the East Coast, I’ve been putting a dent in my new arrivals from Bedrock, Carlisle, and Rivers-Marie. I have only brief comments on some of the Bedrocks, but spent about 3 nights with the Carlisle white, so thought I’d add my perspective on Mike’s first white. Not to add fuel to the fire, but I think the '10 R-M SC is really nice, and just don’t get the negative comments at all. I would buy cases of this stuff every year if they’d let me.
2010 Carlisle Compagni Portis
I’d probably be hard-pressed to discriminate this from Bedrock’s version, as the two wines seem to be made in a similar non-interventionalist style. As with the Bedrock, this is an intriguing blend, which is extremely versatile at the table. I love the aromatic lift and silky mouthfeel this gets from the Gewrurtz without the sweetness and heavy-handed lychee spice that often puts me off from 100% varietal bottlings. Likewise, the riesling component adds some nice acid spine, minerality and cut on the back-end. A lovely nose of peach and marzipan, followed by a rich and viscous midpalate marked by lemon curd, melon, lychee, finishing clean and long. Great with a variety of foods, including thai red curry pork and sushi. Well-crafted and a nice expression of the vineyard. (91 pts.)
2011 Bedrock Ode to Lulu Rosé of Mourvèdre
I’ve heard great things about this rosé in the past, but not being a big fan of rosés in general, this was the first vintage I bought. Had the benefit of trying this a couple weeks ago at a Bedrock dinner and was mightily impressed, and this bottle showed equally well. Wild strawberries, light perfume, clean, pure, and very food friendly. Very sorry to have only bought two bottles. I could see myself killing a case easily this summer. (90 pts)
2011 Abrente Abariño
I haven’t had a Spanish Albariño in quite some time, but this seems pretty typical of the style. In many ways similar to a Txakolina, Muscadet, or Rueda, but showing a bit more body, this is a natural match for raw shellfish. Nose is reminiscent of seaspray, limestone, lemon, and pineapple. Medium-bodied with a rich mouthfeel and clean mineral-tinged finish. (90 pts)
2010 Rivers-Marie Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir
I know there have been some people who have shat on this wine lately, but I just can’t understand their complaints. For $25, I just don’t think one can get a better bottle of pinot year in year out. Admittedly, I think this is too young, and showing quite primary right now, and I feel that '08s and '06s are in a much better place, and this vintage is probably not up to the quality of the '08. IMO, these basic SCs benefit quite a bit from 18+ months of bottle age after release. Sure this has abundant fruit, but I don’t understand the root beer/cola analogies. To me, this shows a lot of orange peel, much like many of TRB’s vineyards, especially Summa, but balanced with forest floor and very lively acids. I tend to think I have a pretty old-world palate and I like this quite a bit. (91 pts)
cheers,
scott