We tasted tonight (3/29/17) Some New Whites:
1. BarthRene GWT AC: Alsace (13.5%) Vigneron Michel Fonne/Bennwihr 2014: Med.gold color; fairly strong GWT/lychee/slight
hair oil rather stony/mineral/chalky quite spicy nose; bit tart dry subtle GWT/lychee tangy bit stony/mineral flavor;
very long low-key lychee/GWT/spicy slight tart dry some mineral/chalky finish; a rather subtle/low-key GWT that doesn't
have that in-your-face/hair oil GWT; quite an attractive subtle/quiet expression of GWT at a good price. $22.50 (WM)
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2. Bestheim GWT Classic AC: Alsace (13%; www.TurquoiseLife.com) Bennwihr 2013[/b]: Med.dark gold color; very strong GWT/
grapey/cheap hair oil less spicy straightforward GWT nose; very soft/fat rather sweet/cloying very strong GWT/
cheap hair oil/grapey slightly bitter flavor; long GWT/grapey/hair oil very soft rather sweet finish; plenty of
GWT/in-your-face character but very tiring to drink because of low acid & high sugar; dull as dishwater. $18.00 (WE)
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3. MarcoDonati GWT Tramonti DOC: Trentino (14%) 2013: Med.gold color; slight reductive that clears to pungent/GWT/
floral/spicy bit lychee some earthy/chalky rather complex quite lovely nose; lightly tart/tangy some perfumed
talc/mineral/chalky/earthy some subtle/lychee/GWT/quite spicy/nutmeg bit smokey totally dry quite interesting/
complex flavor; very long/lingering mineral/chalky/perfumed talc some subtle lychee/GWT/very spicy finish; quite
a lovely/interesting example of AA/Trentino GWT. $30.00 (WE)
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4. Ronco del Gelso Riesling Schulz DOC: DelleVenezie (12.5%) 2013: Med.gold color; very strong gout de petrol/Mosel
valve oil very slight floral/pineapple almost bizarre/pungent nose; soft/tangy very ripe/pineapple/floral strong
petrol off-dry quite tangy bit bitter flavor; very long strong petrol/valve oil very ripe/pineapple/R/peach maybe
bit botrytis rich/off-dry finish w/ some bitterness; loads of gout de petrol and on the overripe side; a pretty
bizarre expression of R; not a bad or flawed R but just strange. $30.00 (WE)
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5. Ronco del Gelso Bianco Latimis DOC: Isonzo del Friuli (13.5%; Friulano/Riesling/PinotBianco/TraminerAromatico)
Cormons 2013
: Light gold color; very fragrant/perfumed floral/TF/ripe pear slight SO2/pungent slight gout de petrol
bit metallic very interesting/complex nose; bit soft very strong TF/floral/spicy/pear quite dry rather rich/lush
slight tangy/metallic complex flavor; very long strong floral/TF/spicy/spiced pears slight floral/R/pineapple
very complex finish; quite an interesting ripe very perfumed TF if on the atypical side. $30.00 (WE)
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6. Ground Effect Gravity Check (37% Chenin Blanc/33% Albarino/30% Pinot Gris) Nick deLuca 2013: Light yellow color;
light low-key CB/pear/apple/spicy slight chalky/mineral nose; soft vapid/washed out light floral/pear/CB bit
tangy/metallic flavor; totally disappears on the palate in a flash and then this light pear/CB/chalky finish
wells up from the ashes; on the vapid sight and not a lot of flavor; strange wine but speaks of CB quietly.
$14.00 (WH)
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7. Stroblhof Strahler Weissburgunder/PinotBianco DOC: Sudtirol/AltoAdige (14%) Hanni-Ausserer Rosmarie/
AltoAdige 2015
: Med.light yellow color; strong apple/pear/PB/bit melony quite earthy/dusty some Alsatian PB-like
bit stony nose; lightly tart some earthy/dusty bit melony/pear/apple/PB rather tangy/metallic fairly attractive PB
flavor; long PB/pear/apple some earthy/dusty lightly tart/tangy finish; a bit on the neutral side but quite a
pleasant PB; resembles a bit Alsatian PB but w/ more richness & texture. $24.75 (WM)
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8. Grecomusc IGP: Campania Bianco (14%; www.ContradediTaurasi.It; OliverMcCrumSlctns; Roviello Bianco or
Grecomusc variety) Contrade di Taurasi/Enza&Antonella Lonardo/Taurasi 2014[/b]: Light yellow color; ; very heavily
TCA/corked no fruit nose; very acid/citric/screechy/metallic no fruit must flavor; destroyed by TCA; Schrodinger's
cat is indeed dead. $32.00 (WH)
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9. Frau Mayer Pollerhof GrunerVeltliner Weinviertel (13%) 2015: Light gold color; lovely GV/very spicy some white
pepper quite attractive nose; bit tart/tangy/metallic strong GV/spicy/grapefruity/white pepper light earthy/stony
flavor; very long tart/tangy/metallic strong GV/white pepper/spicy bit stony/mineral finish; a very strongly
varietal GV quite attractive at a very good price. $24.50 (WM)
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10. Rosi Schuster GrunerVeltliner/Gemischter-Satz Aus den Dorfern (12.5%) St.Margarethen/Burgenland 2015: Light gold
color; bit SO2 that clears to subtle white pepper/floral/peach/GV quite mineral/stony/perfumed talc/chalky
beautiful complex nose; somewhat tart/tangy quite rich/mouthfilling refined/elegant GV/white pepper/floral/ripe
peach rather mineral/stony quite complex balanced flavor; very long/lingering very spicy/GV/white pepper/floral
elegant/complex some stony/chalky/mineral quite complex finish; a stunning complex GS. $42.50 (WM)
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11. Boveri Timorasso Derthona DOC: Colli Tortonesi (13.5%) LuigiBoveri/CogilaVescovato 2013: Light yellow color; some
earthy/dusty/mineral quite spicy slight valve oil some floral/perfumed talc bit nutmeg quite interesting rather
quiet/low-key nose; lightly tart bit metallic quite spicy/nutmeg/floral bit earthy/stony slight valve oil flavor;
very long perfumed talc/floral/spicy/nutmeg bit tart some angel food cake finish; a lovely Timorasso in a rather
quiet/understated way. $32.00 (WE)
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12. Valle Martello brado IGT: Cococciola Colline Teatine (12.5%) Villamagna/Abruzzo 2011: Med.gold color; quite
very fragrant/perfumed almost Muscat-like bit nutmeg quite spicy slight metallic/earthy nose; bit soft ripe very
floral/Muscat-like/peach blossom/spicy slight earthy/metallic/tangy lovely flavor; very long/lingering very
floral/Muscat-like/peach blossom soft slight metallic/tangy finish; quite a lovely perfumed white; best white
from Abruzzo I've ever had at a great price. $22.00 (WE)
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More fake news from TheBloodyPulpit:
1. GWT: This was my first experience w/ the Barth Rene wines from Emily's WineMonger (www.WineMonger.com). I was
quite impressed...it had minerality and acid..something that's harder & harder to find in GWT from Alsace as
so many producers have segued into the Z-H style of GWT...low acid & some RS. Just don't work with a plate
of weenies & kraut.
I also like the Donati GWT quite a bit as well. Anymore, when I want old-timey GWT like used to be common
in Alsace, I turn to Sudtirol or Trentino.
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2. Ronco del Gelso: I've had wines from this producer before and thought them rather atypical of Friuli and a bit
over-the-top. WebSite: (www.roncodelgelso.com/en)
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3. GroundEffect: My first experience w/ this winery. WebSite: (www.groundeffectwine.com). The wnry is located in
Solvang. The GroundEffect refers to the effect the ground (that terroir thing that people babble on about) on
the wine. The label is rather sparse, not even listing an alcohol content.
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4. Pollerhof: My first experience w/ this producer from EmilySchuster's WineMonger portfolio. Run by ErwinPoller
since 1992. Located in a nowhere village hard by the Czech border. WebSite: (www.pollerhof.at). Not a profound
but quite lovely & will try more of his wins.
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5. Schuster: I've long been a fan of RosiSchuster Blaufrankisch and St.Laurent since I first tried them from Emily's
portfolio. Made name by her son, Hannes. He's one of the top winemakers, along w/ RolandVelich, in the Burgenland.
This is the first white I've tried from him and I was mightly impressed. It was labeled GV/GS, which I don't
understand. GS refers to a field-blend of whites, often from an old vnyd planted to a field blend. I'm assuming
the GV/GS label is meant to imply the blend is predominately GV.
When we were in Burgenland last Fall, we drove thru StMargarethen and managed to catch Hannes there at the
wnry. I gifted him a btl of the Forlorn-Hope StLaurent, but have not heard back from him on his reaction.
The area around StMargarethen is quite beautiful, gentle rolling hills. The old Roman marble quaries just
East of the village are worth exploring. They do a PassionPLay performance in one of the old Roman quaries
every year. I can hardly wait to return to the area next Spring.
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6. Timorasso: A variety native to the Piemonte, mostly grown around Derthona. It typically makes fairly rich/
full bodied wines. It was saved from extinction in the late 1980's by WalterMassa and was first produced by him
as a single varietal. I'd never had this Boveri before but rather liked the wine for its understated charms.
Though didn't think up to the level of the Massa versions.
The good news is that Timorasso is now going thru quarantine at FPS and should be available for planting
next yr. SteveClifton/Palmina and Sam Bilbro/Idlewild are working together on a project w/ Timorasso. Once
other producers see the wonderful Timorasso these two make, there will be a planting frenzy all up&down the
coast in Calif as other producers jump on this bandwagon. Harvest at 26 Brix, barrel ferment in new Fr.oak,
full M-L, slight RS, barrel age for 2 yrs in new oak; Timorasso will become the next big thing in Calif.
And I'll be founding TEB (Timorasso Enthusiasts & Belivers). It boggles the mind.
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7. Cococciola: A grape that is native to Abruzzo, of unknown origins. Usually used in blends w/ Trebbiano
d'Abruzzo, but now more often made as a varietal wine.
Tom