We tried last night (5/21/14) Some More New Wines:
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Massican annia NapaVlly WW (44% TocaiFriulano/36% RibollaGialla/20% Chard; 12.5%) 2013: Light gold color;
light smokey/pungent/gunpowder/used fireworks/ozone quite mineral/stony/earthy light pear/apple blossom quite
attractive nose; quite tart/lean very stony/mineral/earthy/steely/flinty light pear/apple blossom flavor;
very long lean/tart/tangy/grapefruity quite stony/mineral/flinty bit pungent light apple/pear finish;
lots of flinty/mineral character like striking gunflint on a steel rod; will benefit (a lot) from age.
$28.00
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Massican annia NapaVlly WW (46% RibollaGialla/36% TocaiFriulano/18% Chard; 12.7%) 2012: Med.light gold color;
bit deeper slight smokey/pungent/gunflint strong apple/pear light mineral/stony nose; bit softer but tart/
tangy strong apple/pear/bit floral light mineral/stony flavor; very long tart/tangy strong apple/pear/floral
light stony/mineral finish; just like biting into a ripe/juicy/crisp pear; not as lean/flinty as the '13;
very attractive white that can still use age. $27.00
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Ronco del Gelso TocBas Friulano DOC: Isonzo del Friuli RiveAlte (14%) Cormons 2012: Med.gold color; very
fragrant/perfumed quite floral/spicy/pear/carnations/cherry blossom slight milk of magnesia/chalky beautiful
nose; softer rich/lush some floral/spicy/cherry blossom slight stony/tangy/grapefruity attractive flavor;
med.short rich/lush light floral/cherry blossom/carnations slight stony/tangy finish; a really lovely nose
that doesn’t quite deliver everything on the palate; would like more acidity & stony minerrality; more like
a very ripe Loire CB than a Friuli Friulano. $39.00 (WE)
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Miani DOC: Friuli Colli Orientali Friulano (14%; TheSortingTable/Napa; www.TheSortingTable.com) EnzoPontoni/
Buttrio 2012: Light gold color; slight earthy/dusty deep some floral/hand lotion/ripe pear deep/complex
incredible nose that defies descriptors; slightly tart bit earthy/dusty very floral/perfumed/hand lotion
almost Scuppernong musky rich/lush/structured/balanced very complex flavor; very long/lingering very
perfumed/floral/hand lotion/perfumed talc slight earthy/dusty structured/seamless/balanced complex finish;
a profound/seamless wine that’s hard to come up w/ descriptors; stunning stuff. $68.00 (AV)
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Forlorn-Hope L’Asino Santo Barbera ShakeRidgeVnyd/AmadorCnty (13.98%; 23 cs; sans soufre; 100% stem inclusion)
2012: Darker color; slight funky/bandaid/vinyl trash can very strong Barbera/spicy Italian sausage bit more
earthy/dusty bit Italianate/rustic slight blackberry more expressive/exotic nose; very tart/acid/salado somewhat
earthy/dusty strong Barbera/spicy/Italian sausage slight funky/bandaid somewhat exotic flavor flavor w/ some
sharp/bitey tannins; very long tangy/tart/acid/salado strong Barbera/spicy/Italian sausage/black cherry slight
funky/earthy/dusty finish w/ some hard tannins; seems more intense fruit, more exotic, more sauvage, more
bright than the SO2 version; very interesting Barbera and maybe the most Italianate Calif Barbera I’ve had.
$30.00
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Forlorn-Hope SanHercurmer Delle Frecce Barbera ShakeRidgeVnyd/AmadorCnty (13.54%; 87 cs; 100% stem inclusion)
2012: Dark slightly lighter color; slighht smokey/oak some simple Barbera/Italian sausage/black cherry cola
bit muted more classic Calif Barbera nose; very tart/lean light smokey/oak simpler Barbera/spicy/Italian
sausage/fennel slight earthy/dusty flavor w/ light/lean tannins; long very tangy/tart classic Barbera/spicy/
Italian sausage light smokey/oak/pungent/earthy/dusty finish w/ light/bitey tannins; seems a bit more pure
Barbera fruit and a bit more beaten down than the non-SO2 version; very Italianate rendition of Calif Barbera.
$30.00
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Malvira’ DOC: Barbera d’Alba SanMichele (L1; 14%; www.IndigenousSelection.com; www.Malvira.com) Canale
2008: Very dark color; slight funky/unclean/TCA(?) rather earthy/dusty bit spicy/Barbera/licorice nose;
slight musty/(TCA?) rather earthy/dusty bit tart/lean light spicy/Barbera/licorice slighht funky/barnyardy
flavor w/ light/lean tannins; med. bit tart somewhat unclean/barnyardy/funky light spacy/Barbera rather
earthy/dusty finish w/ light/bitey tannins; some thought it had TCA but I thought it just a funky strangely
developed old Barbera; not a good example of Barbera. $23.00 (AV)
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Alessandro e Gian Natale Fantino DOC: Barbera d’Alba (13.5%; L27; KermitLynch) cascina Dardi/Bussia/Monforte
d’Alba 2011: Med.dark color; rather earthy/licorice/pungent strong fennel/Italian sausage/spicy/Barbera slight
toasty/oak nose; slightly tart bit buttery/oak fairly rich/lush spicy/Barbera/licorice/fennel/Italian Sausage
flavor w/ light/smooth tannins; long slightly unclean/barnyardy slight buttery/oak some earthy/spicy/Barbera/
fennel/Italian sausage finish w/ light/gentle tannins; rather atypical Bd’Alba and more like a modern if
unclean Calif Barbera. $24.00 (SFW&S)
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DryCreekVnyd Zin DCV2/Estate/DryCreekVlly/SonomaCnty (3.5 acres 4Clones Vnyd: Primitivo/StPetersChurch/
BradfordMtn/DuPratt; 14.5%) 2011: Dark color; slight alcoholic some vanilla/toasty/Am.oak strong blackberry/
Zin bit licorice/spicy/peppery lovely nose; bit tart strong very spicy/blackberry/Zin/licorice very light
vanilla/toasty/oak slight dusty/earthy slight complex flavor w/ modest/smooth tannins; long spicy/blackberry/
Zin slight licorice/peppery light vanilla/oak slight earthy/pungent finish w/ lighht/smooth tannins; not
as bright classic DCVlly Zin as the Heritage and closer to the OldVines than anything; a very fine addition
to the DCV Zin tableau. $nc (BS)/$34.00
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DryCreekVnyd Zin BeesonRanch/DryCreekVlly/SonomaCnty (13.5%) 2011: Very dark color; beautiful bit herbal/
rosemary/peppery very strong very spicy/blackberry/Zin/Zinberry/RCCola slight licorice/pungent some dusty/OV
rather complex nose; slightly tart light herbal/peppery strong very spicy/blackberry/Zin some dusty/OV slight
licorice/pungent flavor w/ some smooth/round tannins; very long/lingering very strong blackberry/Zin/peppery/
RCCola light vanilla/oak light vanilla/oak some dusty/OV finish w/ smooth/round tannins; more herbal/complex/
peppery than the Somers tends to be; a beautiful OV Zin. $38.00 (VSP)
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Bucklin Bambino FieldBlend Zin OldHillRanch/SonomaVlly (Planted in 1998; 13.3%; 926 cs; www.buckZin.com)
2011: Dark color; slight gunpowder/smokey/ozone/used fireworks/pungent slight brett strong blackberry/Zin/
spicy bit muted light vanilla/oak nose; fairly tart bit pungent/gunpowder/ozone somewhat tighter/leaner
strong blackberry/Zin/quite spicy bit earthy/bretty flavor w/ light/gentle tannins; med.long slight pungent/
gunpowder strong blackberry/Zin/very spicy light vanilla/oak slight bretty/unclean finish w/ light tannins;
quite a nice spicy Zin at a great price but pales in comparison to the Ancient. $23.00 (SFW&S)
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Bucklin Ancient FieldBlend Zin OldHillRanch/SonomaVlly (Planted in 1880’s; 15.8%; 293 cs) 2010: Very dark
color; strong ripe blackberry/boysenberry/very spicy/Zin quite minty/menthol rather dusty/OV biit alcoholic
complex nose; soft classic dusty/OV very spicy/peppery/blackberry/boysenberry/Zin light toasty/oak some
alcoholic/overripe flavor w/ very ripe/smooth tannins; very long/lingering very dusty/OV very strong ripe/
blackberry/boysenberry/Zin slight alcoholic slight minty/menthol finish w/ soft/smooth tannins; much riper
than the Bambino but the dusty/OV character comes thru loud & clear; some like the old Ravenswood OldHills
but less oak; great example of OV Zin. $35.00 (SFW&S)
And more stuff from TheBloodyPulpit:
- Dusty/OV: I was wanting to compare these two Bucklin Zins. I was asked several weeks ago how to go about
identifying the term I use of “dusty/OV”. This comparison came to mind.
The Bambino is a SellectionneMassale of young(er) vines taken from the old-vine block at OldHill. In
theory, it should pretty much replicate the varietal composition of the old-vines block. Thus the only
primary difference would be the age of the vines, 15 yrs vs. 125 yrs, from essentially (presumably) the
same vnyd. These two wines were of different vintages and vastly different ripeness levels. The two
wines definitely reflected those differences. However, I thought the “dusty/OV” character showed thru
bright & clear in the Ancient that was not there in the Bambino.
A much better comparison would be the Bambino '11 vs. the (unreleased) Ancient '11. Another good
comparison would be the Ancient '12 vs. the Bedrock Pagani '12. The varietal compositions would be
considerably (I think) different, but Pagani always shows lots of dusty/OV character and I think you
could find that resemblance in those two wines.
- Massican: This is the Friulian effort of DanPetroski, asst.winemaker at Larkmead. Friuli Annia is one of
the small DOC’s in Friuli, hence the name. His blend includes the (non-traditional) Ribolla taken from
GeorgeVare’s Napa vnyd. There used to be a lot of SauvignonVert grown in Calif, which was later identified
as TokaiFriulano or Muscadelle. I understand the two names are interchangeable in the TTB’s view, though they
are not the same varieties. Dan’s Tocai comes from the NichiliniVnyd up in ChilesVlly.
I slightly preferred the '13 for its lean/flinty character. It’s the kind of wine that is so refreshing
that you keep going back for another glass. Probably would not play well in Monktown.
- Miani: Made by EnzoPontoni, somewhat of a cult winemaker figure in Friuli. His wines are very scarce and
highly sought-after, produced in tiny amounts. Though I knew of the name, this was my first experience
with his wines. I jumped at it when I saw it at ArroyoVino but then sorta blanched when Brian told me the
price. I decided to bite because I wanted to see how Dan’s Massican stood up to the big boys.
I was pretty much blown away by this wine. Easily the most profound Friulano I’ve ever had. I kept going
back to this wine & trying to figure out what I was smelling/tasting…but coming up w/ descriptors was
frustratingly difficult. It was like no other Friulano I’d ever tried. Most Friulanos are meant for drinking
w/ the local food, easy-going wines. Dan’s annia is more in that style. Overpriced at $68?? Perhaps…but I
can think of no $70-$100 Chard that I’d prefer to drink than this Miani. Looking forward, now, to trying the
SauvBlanc and Ribolla. Yoikes…$100/btl.
- DCV Zins: Another very fine set of Zins from TimBell. The DCV2 is a fairly new vnyd right in front of the DCV
vnyd. Planted by DuffBevill to a selection of four clones from classic OV vnyds, though not sure that the
Primitivo fits that paradigm. It’s not quite in the class of the Somers/Beeson/OldVine Zins, but almost. With
age, I suspect this vnyd will turn out some excellent Zins.
- Forlorn-Hope Barbera: This was a very/very interesting comparison. The same Barbera wine, one made w/ no added
SO2, the other made w/ standard (low) SO2 additions. The difference between these two Barberas were quite striking.
I much preferred the no-SO2 version for its because of its more exotic/saugage character. The SO2 version just
seemed a bit more muted in character. It’ll be interesting to see how these differences evolve w/ age. Have
two more pairs of these to follow.
Forlorn-Hope is, of course, MattRorick. Followed him from the very start, I did. Makes his wine up in the
SuisinVlly of SolanoCnty, near Fairfield. Making some of the most interesting wines in Calif these days,
often w/ varieties that nobody else is interested in. When I visited w/ Matt in April, I shared w/ him a
btl of the dessert Visciola wine, from the Marches made w/ LaCrima da Morra d’Alba grape and cherries.
It is an exotic/terrific dessert wine. There was a method in my madness. They grow a lot of cherries in the
SuisunVlly. Use those and some SuisunVlly PetiteSirah and you could make a dessert wine that’d put the
SuisunVlly on the map. Just what Matt needs…another hair-brained forlorn hope project.
Tom