Tried these pre-Thanksgiving wines this week:
7. RedFoxCllrs Teroldego AVA: Grand Vlly/CO (13.5%; www.RedFoxCellars.com) Palisade/CO 2016: Very dark/
near black color; very strong blackberry/black cherry cola/classic Teroldego/very spicy light toasty/
oak bit floral/licorice/pungent slight earthy lovely nose; bit soft slight metallic/tangy/earthy strong
Teroldego/black cherry cola/blackberry/boysenberry/ripe light toasty/oak bit earthy/licorice/pungent
flavor w/ modest tangy/bracing tannins; very long/lingering very spicy/boysenberry/black cherry cola/
classic Teroldego light earthy/pungent/licorice bit soft light oak finish w/ light tangy tannins;
needs 2-5 yrs; speaks strongly of Teroldego and reminds me a lot of the excellent Bevella; an absolutely
lovely expression of Teroldego that I'd be proud to share w/ Elisabetta; one of the best CO reds I can
recall. $nc (KS)/$40.00
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8. MonkshoodCllrs Syrah WhiteWaterVnyd/GrandVlly/CO (13.8%; Grown in the Escarpment of GrandMesa;
www.MonksHoodCellars.com) NathanLittlejohn/MonkshoodCllrs/Minturn/CO 2016
: Dark color; very strong
blackberry/boysenberry/Syrah/very spicy/bit black pepper very light toasty/oak slight earthy/dusty/
licorice very aromatic nose; bit soft/fat very strong blackberry/boysenberry/Syrah/spicy/peppery light
toasty/oak structured flavor w/ some hard/crunchy tannins; very long/lingering very strong Syrah/very
spicy/black pepper/blackberry/blueberry/boysenberry slight earthy/dusty light toasty/oak structured
finish w/ ample chewy/crunchy tannins; tannins really stand out now but should moderate w/ some 3-7 yrs
of age; best Syrah I've yet had from CO; reminds me a lot of a very good SantaBarbara Syrah, particularly
the Jaffurs Thompson, but w/o the lushness that Syrah shows; another outstanding CO red. $nc (KS)/$44.00
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More trobapsell from TheBloodyPulpit:
1. The two CO wines came to me compliments of KyleSchlachter. They were two that particularly interested
me from the recent Governor'sCupCase.
RedFoxCllrs is the project of Scott & Sherrie Hamilton. They make an interesting tableau of wines,
including Dolcetto/Tempranillo/and Nebbiolo, plus the obligatory Merlot (aged in Bourbon barrels) and
CabSauv. I was quite impressed by this Teroldego...as good an expression of Teroldego as you can find in
Trentino, except for that of ElisabettaForadori. But this is a Teroldego that I would happily show her
w/ no apologies necessary. It's the embracing of these alternative varieties that the CO wine industry
must do to escape the doldroms of being a State that just produces another set of the CabSauv/Merlot/
Chard paradigm. Sure would make Kyle's job a lot easier!!
MonkshoodCllrs is the effort of NathanLittleJohn. He makes a few interesting wines (CheninBlanc and
St.Vincent) and some ciders. I can't tell if he embraces the "natural winemaking" philosophy or not,
but this outstanding Syrah showed none of the earmarks/problems that "natural wine" can often show.
StVincent is a mystery grape whose origins are in Missouri. I'd love to try it to see what Nathan can
do w/ a native grape variety. He has a winemaking background at Mayacamas, plus others. This was easily
the best Syrah from CO I've yet tried.
Tom