Had these two over the last few days:
- Tabacal Dos Tresmontaine Rancio IGP: Cotes Catalanes Grenache (16%; Aged over 5 yrs in barrels; HausAlpenz/Edina/MN) CavesArnaud de Villeneuve/Rivasaltes NV: Deep bronze/garnet/slight browning color; rather sherry/maderized/oxidized slight old Grenache/strawberry bit honeyed/orangey light earthy/dusty quite complex very interesting nose; near dry somewhat oxidized (in a good way)/maderized/rancio slight honeyed/orangey slight Grenache/old flavor w/ no bitterness; very long/lingering rather oxidized/maderized/rancio some honeyed/orangey quite savory/saline slight old Grenache quite complex finish w/ no trace of bitterness; resembles some a Sercial Madeira w/o that level of oxidation; resembles a lot the old deMeuller Priorat dry Raancios; quite an interesting savory/saline Rancio that would be good w/ strong/spicy appetizers; not at all harsh or austere on the palate. $25.50 (KK)
- Caymus Suisun The Walking Fool RW Blend/SuisunVlly (13.9%; Zin/PetiteSirah) CaymusVnyds/Fairfield/SuisunVlly 2021: Dark color; strong grapey/berry/Zin-like/plummy strong toasty/oak some attractive bit earthy/soupy nose; rather soft/soupy strong grapey/plummy/Zin-like strong toasty/oak rather simple flavor w/ little structure or tannins; med.short strong grapey/plummy/soupy bit Zin-like some toasty/oak finish w/ little tannins or structure; fairly rich/lush but quite soupy & shows little of interest; very much a commodity wine one (small) step above ApotheticRed; pretty dull/simple red totally absent of character; way overpriced at $35.00 (KK)
- Idlewild Freisa RanchoCodaVnyd/RRV (12.9%) Geyserville 2022: Fairly dark color; strong floral/lilacs/violets very Nebb-like some earthy/tarry/pungent bit rustic light toasty/oak/smokey some complex lovely perfumed nose; quite tart/tangy very strong Nebb-like/floral/lilacs some pungent/tarry some toasty/oak rather rich/structured some complex flavor w/ ample ripe/chewey tannins; very long/lingering intense floral/Nebb-like/lilacs/violets/perfumey some tarry/pungent light toasty/oak some complex rich/hard/structured finish w/ ample hard tannins; very strong Nebb in character but a bit more rustic; more like a Valtelline Nebb but not the high-toned perfume, some like a Val d’Aosta Nebb but not the rustic earthiness; a pretty rugged Freisa that needs 2-8 yr of age; not the perfume of a Piemonte Freisa but much the same rugged/mouthfilling tannins; quite a good Calif Freisa that needs age. $42.00
More rottlescarpa from TheBloodyPulpit:
- Rancio: I developed a love for Rancio wines back in the late '70’s when DarrellCorti imported a bunch of the deMeuller Rancios, dry to very sweet, from the Priorat, that he had discovered on a visit to the area. Back in those days, the Priorat production was almost entirely Rancio wines. Then the old-vine Grenache/Carignane/Syrah vnyds were discovered by EricSolomon & others that could make dry, oak-laden, reds that sold for big $$'s. So now all the producers drive around in BMW’s instead of horse-drawn wagons like the days of old.
But Rancio wines are a genre that makes for wonderful saline/savory apertif wines. I am very fond of them. We are taught in Wines 101 that oxidation in wine is a bad thing. Nothing could be more wrong. HausAlpenz carries a number of Rancio wines & I find them invariably good. A recent TerraVOX Rancio from MO was also outstanding.
- The Walking Fool has a cutesy story by Jenny Wagner of a relative, Johannes, who used to walk down from his home on HowellMtn to work in the wineries in the NapaVlly floor. He is depicted on the label w/ a yoke carrying water up to his home. The story is, by far, the most compelling part of this dull commodity wine.
- Freisa: Is one of the parents of Nebbiolo w/ another unknown variety. I find Freisa, Calif & Piemonte, resembles Nebb quite a lot but a bit more rustic/rugged & not as high-toned in character. This Idlewild Freisa is one of the better examples.
Tom