First Fortnightly Wine Romp

What will be a regular feature is a fortnightly collection of wine tasting notes, including bottle porn, and other thoughts about wine and how it fits into twenty-first-century life. This first post is a mere taste, a collection of wines my wife and I have sampled recently and my thoughts are offered here for your approval, opprobrium or amusement. With luck, you can avoid a disappointing bottle or find a gem.

Future posts will include the best parts of my previous wine column, on Vino.com, a now defunct site, sorry to say, and other musing on the fine subject of wine, wine snobbery (boo) and finding things to love (yay).

 Notes: A Crisp, food loving wine. Nearly clear—faint goldenrod. Fair number of long, slow legs, moderate viscosity, be fitting a 12% APV wine. Light nose with a touch of pear tart, and hint of rust. The attack is full of acid and green apples. Medium body—crisp all the way through the long finish, leaving a light coating on the tongue. Will get again. Why Brooklyn and the subway line, not sure. A 3.5 of 5🍷.

Notes: A solid if not spectacular Napa Sauvignon Blanc: very nearly clear in the glass with highlights in goldenrod. A few long and slow legs and medium viscosity. I was stuffed up a bit, so didn’t get a lot of the nose, but on the palate, it showed honey and nectarine notes, with soft acidity and full body. I would never have recognized it as a Sauvignon Blanc especially with the long mandarine touched but balanced finish and notes of caramel cream candy. (Of course, being a bit stuffed up could have thrown my off more than I believe.) A 3 of 5 🍷.

A fair, if unimpressive Sangiovese from Toscana; it did, though, do the job with food. Medium plum, clear meniscus, with many long legs around the glass. Somewhat viscous. Fruity nose, red and grapey. A fruity attack, with medium body, some acidy, but lacking in tannins. Medium long finish, with that fruit working through. 2.5 of 5🍷. #RedWine #Sangiovese #Toscana #ItalianWine 

Light style Pinot Noir from Chile, with a touch of Burgundy. Clear garnet with distinct brick/brown on the meniscus. Very slow legs. Cherry nose with a hint of barnyard (which I love) and a touch of grilled meat. Light on the attack with fine gripping tannins later that last through the Long finish that includes a lick of red fruit. Loves food. 3 of 5🍷.  #RedWine#PinotNoir#ChileanWIne#CasablancaValley 

Die Argitek Western Cape Chenin Blanc 2017: Zippy example of this South African Chenin Blanc: Pale parchment in color with a clear meniscus and many slow legs around the glass. Tropical fruit, especially banana, with a touch of cream hiding behind that. TART! Right in the attack, saliva squirting acidity, with some notes of smooth stones, a vague fruitiness (pear?) that moves into a zippy finish of good length. Medium body. Not something to sip on its own. Spritzer material for a hot summer day— 3 of 5🍷 #whitewine #southafrica#cheninblanc #westerncape

Lustra Monterey County Pinot Blanc 2016: Rich, well balanced Pinot Blanc from California. Very pale goldenrod, many, thick legs all around the glass. Fairly viscous. Has a clear, orange-Mellon notes, some deeper hints of tropical fruits in the background. That melon-exotic fruit carries into the attack, which then shows off an excellent balance of fruit, unctuousness, and acidity—this all plays continuously through the solid mid-pallet and the pleasing, long finish, which shows off a touch of caramel very late.
4 of 5🍷 #whitewine #california#pinotblanc

Culaccino Montepulciano d’Abruzzo 2016: A middle of the road Montepulciano d’Abruzzo, leaning to the ripe side. Pale garnet with some browning on the meniscus—a few long slow legs. The nose is a touch hot, with some floral (violet), earth and old wood notes. Comes on as medium bodied with bright red berry fruit notes, even grape drink notes (a touch), fine tannins and firm acidity, which linger on the tongue a long time. A little hot on the finish (12.5% ABV) 
3 of 5🍷#redwine #Italianwine#montepulciano

A fair Lambrusco. Moderately dark garnet, with clear meniscus, a quick falling, creamy purple head, many quick falling legs around the glass. Fairly tight nose with hints of mixed berries late. A mild attack that opens up into bright fruit with hints of Concord grape (in a good way), acidic, balanced with some fine tannins late. A long bright finish (w/hint of that grapey-ness. Subtly bitter at the end. Light-medium body. Not bad, but could have been better sort of wine: 2.5 of 5 🍷.  #SparklingWine #Lambrusco #ItalianWIne🇮🇹

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