Monday night Blinds at Nopa - Take 3

I made a concerted effort to get all my impressions out of a single-pass on the nose, and likewise on the palate, instead of "scrubbing" (repeatedly tasting/nosing into fatigue). In contrast to last time, there was more thought, recent memory, and reconstruction. At the end of tasting all three half-glasses, there was plenty of wine left. I probably took 2 tastes of each while going through the grid, and a third just at the end while doing final conclusions. Next time if I focus in more, I could do one taste of each.

I didn’t falter on the grid. I was stronger on the summary of the nose and the palate. I felt more relaxed, calm, positive, and not attached to impressing anyone, or getting it right. Just letting myself go through the grid. Let the cards fall where they may. If I’m off, then I’m off.

I paused after going through the grid. Mentally set it all aside. Then I returned to the wine, read my notes, and made initial and final conclusions. This separation was helpful to remain unattached and open while going through the grid.

I also was more careful and imaginative with laterals.

Picture:
https://www.evernote.com/l/ABZhd5LGn6BJMooKKboS5vv2eIqMtDYDcXE

• 2012 A Coroa Godello Valdeorras Blanco 85 Points

  Spain, Galicia, Valdeorras

  Summary:
  Pretty non-descript but perfectly nice with pleasant (if subdued) aromatics.
  Score: Around 8.5
  --------
  Wine 1: served cold in a standard glass.
  Visual
  White wine. Clear, bright [I don’t know what day/star bright is. I’m calling it bright unless it’s super lusterous].
  Pale straw with reflections of green [forgot to list concentration - it was low]
  No gas or sediment.
  M tears. [I’ve stopped caring much about this].
  
  (tasted: dry)
  
  Nose
  Low intensity nose. Clean.
  Light grapefruit, faint peach, faint reductive/wood/earth?
  Light warm ripe peach.
  This wine has low complexity, and is youthful.
  
  Palate
  Dry, light body, light plus alcohol.
  Not very aromatic. A little unripe peach. No evidence of oak.
  Medium acid - balance of malic and tartaric.
  This wine is balanced, it is low in complexity, and the finish is moderate minus.
  
  Initial Conclusions
  This is a non-aromatic varietal, from a cool climate, in an Old World style.
  It’s young - 1-3 years.
  Possible varietals include:
  Pinot Grigio (c.f. Gaiser: defined by what it’s not)
  Pinot Gris / Pinot Blanc (too low in alcohol, no phenolic bitterness)
  Albarino (Doesn’t fit aromatically)
  Riesling (too low in acidity)
  Chardonnay (could be chard - not a very distinguished chard. Maybe a village, unoaked Burgundy).
  Gruner Veltliner (doesn’t fit aromatically. Probably would have higher alcohol and maybe acid).
  [Forgot to do possible countries, but I was sort of thinking of those along with the varietals]
  
  Final Conclusions
  This is Pinot Grigio, from Italy - specifically Alto Adige, 2013 vintage. [Didn’t put quality down].
  
  Actual:
  2012 A. Coroa Godello
  Spain - Galicia: Valdeorras DO
  $20
  
  Analysis:
  I was pretty much on the right track.
  
  LM commented that Albarino is close - Godello is often blended with Albarino. The aromatics don’t match though. Chardonnay was also good. Godello has more pear/orchard fruit like Chardonnay. Godello is pretty rare - might be on a Masters-level exam, but it’s pretty obscure.
  
  Godello could be a lateral for unoaked Chard, pinot grigio, other unoaked, moderate-acidity, non-aromatic whites with no other defining characteristics (like higher alcohol or phenolic bitterness).
  
  Notes from GuildSomm on Godello:
  Valdeorras produces straight Godello for white, and Mencia for red.

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• 2009 Quinta do Infantado Douro 85 Points

  Portugal, Douro

  Summary:
  Definitely a bit oxidized. Upon retasting I got a bit more fig. That said, a very nicely-textured and balanced wine. Not the dark liquorice aromatics I recall from the last Douro I had, but pretty solid. Around 8.5
  
  ---------
  Full Notes:
  
  Wine 2:
  Served in a standard glass.
  
  Visual
  Red wine.
  Clear, day-bright (seemed exceptionally bright).
  Medium plus ruby (brighter-than-average), with medium plus concentration. A bit of variation to violet at the rim.
  No gas or sediment.
  Medium - viscosity (again, I’m not putting much stock in this).
  
  Nose
  Moderate minus intensity. Clean.
  Dark fruit, purple grapey-ness with faint mushroom savoriness, a hint of bloody tomato. Also hints of animal and spice, faint oxidization.
  No overt wood.
  Moderate complexity.
  Some sign of age, developing.
  
  Palate
  Dry wine. Medium body, medium plus alcohol.
  Dark fruit, mushrooms, earth, savoriness.
  Medium plus acid - it lingers, and you salivate for a while.
  Medium tannins - plush texture.
  Hint of wood influence on the finish - baking spices. French oak?
  This wine is balanced.
  Moderately complex.
  Moderate minus in length finish - mostly fading to tannins.
  
  Initial Conclusions
  This is an Old World style wine, from a moderate to cool climate.
  Age range is 3-8 years (has some age on it).
  Possible Varietals:
  Cab/Merlot (not as much oak influence as I’d expect in Bordeaux).
  Cab Franc (no pyrazines).
  Sangiovese (seems to fit. Maybe a cab-sangio blend?)
  
  Final Conclusions
  This is Sangiovese, from Italy > Tuscany, from the 2009 vintage. [forgot to guess at quality - moderate quality]
  
  Actual:
  2009 Quinta do Infantado Douro
  (Touriga Franca, T. Nacional, Tinta Roriz, et al.)
  Portugal.
  
  Analysis:
  I was doing pretty well. It seems like there is some French oak on it. I feel like I projected the Sangiovese bloody tomato, but the savoriness was there, and I didn’t really hold too fast to it. It was just a light impression, that’s all.
  
  LM noted I was definitely in the ballpark, and got the age right. Also got the moderate-cool climate right.
  
  Information on 2009 Vintage of Quinta do Infantado Douro:
  Vinification
  The grapes were partially destemmed before treading by foot in the traditional lagars, a hallmark of Quinta do Infantado wines. Fermentation is long at Infantado, producing drier wines. Malolactic fermentation took place in tank after which some of the wine was aged in tank and some in oak barrel of various sizes and ages. [Another site listed their Ports as aged in Bdx barriques, so probably French oak.]
  
  Vintage information
  Vintage 2009
  Grape varieties
  30% Touriga Franca
  30% Touriga Nacional
  30% Tinta Roriz
  10% Other red varieties
  Region Cima Corgo, Douro
  Winemaker Fátima Ribas
  Consultant Winemaker Luís Soares Duarte
  Alcohol (ABV) 14%
  Acidity 5.47g/l
  Residual Sugar 2.8g/l
  Wine pH 3.57

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• 2010 Weingut Knoll Riesling Smaragd Loibenberg 91 Points

  Austria, Niederösterreich, Wachau

  Summary:
  
  This is a really, really beautiful wine. After the unveiling, I had a nice conversation with this and some pork rillettes.
  Score: Around 9.
  -------------
  Wine 3: (blind from a magnum)
  Served super cold in a standard glass.
  
  Visual
  Clear, bright. Medium gold. Moderate concentration. Reflections of silver.
  No gas/sediment. Medium / medium plus viscosity.
  
  (tasted: ever so slightly off-dry)
  
  Nose
  Moderate intensity. Clean
  Expressive. Slight botrytis? (saffron, wax, and rice). Faint detergent / terpenes. Lemon, wax, unripe peach. Light saffron and rice. Light ripe pear.
  Moderate to moderate plus complexity.
  Youthful to developing.
  
  Palate
  Slight RS, but not off-dry.
  Light plus body. Light plus alcohol.
  More wax, saffron, lemon on the palate.
  Medium plus acid - malic and some tartaric.
  Is there minerality on the finish? YES. I get it! I see the minerality! It’s acidity wrapped up in a stone quality that tastes like licking rocks. It’s not just puckering malic acid.
  This is balanced beautifully.
  It has moderate to moderate plus complexity.
  The finish is moderate plus in length.
  
  Initial Conclusions
  Old World style.
  Cool climate.
  Developing - so 3-6 years old.
  Possible Varietals:
  Chenin (Vouvray molleaux - not sweet enough).
  Chenin (savennieres - alcohol too low?)
  Pinot gris / Pinot Blanc (no phenolic bitterness. Alcohol too low).
  Riesling - I think it’s Riesling.
  Possible Countries (given that it’s Riesling):
  Germany - it could be a trocken, but it probably would be sweeter, firmly in off-dry territory.
  Alsace - it could very well be, though I’d tend to expect bone-dry to firmly dry.
  Austrian - Not totally dry, yet not off-dry.
  
  Final Conclusions
  This is a Riesling, from Austria, 2011 vintage. [I didn’t have a region/appellation guess.]
  
  Actual
  2010 Riesling
  Weingut Knoll
  Ried Loibenberg
  Smaragd (highest of three ripeness designations - Steinfeder, then Federspiel, then Smaragd).
  Austria - Wachau
  
  Analysis
  I think I nailed this, though I got lucky with Austria. Once I went Riesling, I pretty much guessed the country based on RS.
  
  But overall I did an excellent job going through the grid and remaining open. The faint terpenes made sense - Riesling is technically a terpenic white, though lower in aromatics than, say, Gewurztraminer. The strong acidity was a key indicator.
  
  LM mentioned 2010 was a cool year so probably there was no Botrytis. I still think I smelled it, and it’s not unusual for the region/style. So maybe this was a clue. I need to figure out what Botrytics smells like.

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I was on the right track with all three wines. There isn't anything obvious I missed or mis-represented. On the theory end I could have been more specific with the Austrian Riesling call, and I could have had more regional, classification, and vintage knowledge to make an educated guess.