Had these three over the last ew days:
1. CharlesFrey PinotBlanc AOC: Alsace (12.5%; Biodynamic Wine; G.Montot Wines/Danville/CA) Charles Frey/Dambach-La-Ville 2020: Light gold bit cloudy color; rather stony/mineral/PB lightly floral/carnations slight nutmeg/cardamon rather pleasant/fragrant nose; quite tart/tangy/bit metallic fairly stony/mineral bit lean/austere light floral/carnations/PB slight spicy/nutmeg light earthy/stonyfairly pretty Alsatian PB flavor; long rather tart/tangy/bit lean fairly stony/chalky/mineral light floral/carnations/PB bit spicy pleasant finish; a pleasant enough Alsatian PB & richer than most at a good/fair price.
$16.00 (PrimaIlC)
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2. WindGap Piccolo Bastardo Fannuchi-WoodRdVnyd/RRV (13.5%; 1.5 brls/38 cs) Forestville 2010: Dark rose/garnet some browning color; lightly floral/dried rose petal/roses some earthy/dusty/OV somewhat rustic rather interesting nose; lightly tart somewhat earthy/rustic/dusty/OV light floral/roses/dried rose petal slight tangy/metallic slight Kansas root cellar/wet concrete some complex interesting flavor w/ slight tannic bite; very long rather tart/tangy/metallic light floral/carnations some earthy/rustic/dusty/OV/Kansas root cellar some complex finish w/ light tannins; a rather interesting light red w/ no signs of oxidation or going over the hill.
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3. Peay PinotNoir Pomarium Estate/SonomaCoast (14.2%) Annapolis & Cloverdale 2008: Very dark color w/ some bricking; strong black cherry/PN/cold-climate/spicy some earthy some cedary/pencilly/old Red slightly tired nose; quite tart/tangy rather cedary/pencilly/oldRed some tired/dried out some PN/black cherry/c-c PN rather toasty/pencilly/Fr.oak flavor w/ modest drying tannins; very long rather tired/drying/cedary/pencilly/oldRed light PN/black cherry finish w/ some drying tannins; still a bit of c-c/PN/black cherry fruit left but clearly on its last legs.
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More zithersnot from TheBloodyPulpit:
1. I've never been a big fan of Alsace PinotBlanc. They often seem on the lean/spare undistinguished side. This one was a bit richer than most, yet still a bit undistinguished. I much prefer from Alsace the GWT/R/PG for their much stronger aromatics.
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2. Bastardo is also known as Trousseau Noir, a grape most widely planted in Portugal but some in Eastern France. The white mutation is called Trousseau Gris and was once known as Gray Riesling, source of rather dull whites.
Fannuchi/WoodRd has probably the largest OV planting of Trousseau Noir & Gris in Calif.
Tom