We tried these Italian varietals at Pig+Fig last week:
1. Matthiasson Lagrein LonePineVnyd/ElDoradoCnty (11.8%) 2015: Very dark color; quite earthy/dusty fairly herbal bit mushroomy little fruit somewhat green/underripe rather strange/coarse nose; quite tart/tangy earthy/dusty/herbal/bit vegetal rather lean/underripe/eviscerated slight mushroomy very little fruit bit coarse flavor w/ modest rough tannins; rather on the underripe side & shows now resemblance to Sudtirol Lagrein w/ has a lush plummy character usually. $40.00
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2. Matthiasson Schioppettino MatthiassonVnyd/NapaVlly (11.1%) 2018: Med.color rather earthy/dusty lightweight Schio/peppery somewhat green/underripe slightly interesting nose w/ light pencilly/oak; quite tart/tangy/lean/austere light Schio/peppery slight pencilly/oak flavor w/ light brisk tannins; med.long lean/austere/pinched slight Schio/peppery slight pencilly/oak finish w/ light lean tannins; speaks of Schio w/ a quiet voice but too lean/underripe on the palate. $49.00
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3. Matthiasson Refosco MatthiassonVnyd/NapaVlly (12.1%) Napa 2017: Med.dark color; fairly strong Refosco/plummy/licorice some earthy/dusty slight volatile much riper but not overly ripe fairly attractive nose; rather tart/tangy some Refosco/plummy/licorice light pencilly/oak somewhat underripe/lean slight earthy/dusty flavor w/ light smooth tannins; med.long some plummy/Refosk/licorice finish w/ light tannins; speaks quietly of Refosk but still a bit on the lean/underripe side; not a great example of Refosk. $49.00
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4. Ryme Aglianico LunaMattaVnyd/PasoRobles (13.9%) 2017: Very dark/near black color; strong plummy/boysenberry/Aglio/licorice rather PR/jammy some toasty/oak slightly rustic quite strong nose; bit soft very strong boysenberry/plummy/ripe some toasty/Fr.oak slight earthy/rustic/Italianate some PR/jammy/ripe flavor w/ ample chewey tannins; very long very strong boysenberry/plummy/licorice; speaks quietly of Aglianico but more strong of PR/jammy; quite an interesting expression of Aglianico. $60.00
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5. Ryme Sagrantino SilettoFamilyVnyd/CienagaVlly (13.5%) 2021: Dark color; strong ripe/plummy/black cherry/boysenberry/Sagrantino some toasty/oak bit CienegaVlly/jammy intense lovely nose; lightly tart strong plummy/black cherry/licorice some toasty/oak bit rough/rustic slight Italianate flavor w/ ample chewey tannins; very long/lingering intense Sagrantino/black cherry/boysenberry/licorice some toasty/oak bit rough/rustic finish w/ ample tannins; a structured pretty rugged red that needs age; a world-class/unique expression of Sagrantino at a great price. $36.00
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More fossasplat from TheBloodyPulpit:
1. Because of his interest in RibollaGialla from GeorgeVare, SteveMatthiasson has taken quite an interest in Friulian varieties and has one of the larger plantings in his vnyd on the NorthWest edge of Napa. I like his whites quite a bit but he tends to harvest fairly early & his reds often have a lean/pinched character to them, even though varietally correct.
The Refosco was easily my favorite of these three Matthiassons.
Both of the Rymes were absolutely first-rate expressions of those varieties.
Tom