From selected, unirrigated, bush-vine (untrellised) Agter-Paarl vyds (most > 25 yrs old) planted in mostly Malmesbury Shale soils; “Grapes were hand-harvested @ 22.5-23.5° balling, & only the free-run juice was used for this wine, with no pressing of the skins. After settling, the must was inoculated & allowed to ferment over 20 days in s/s tanks @ an ave fermentation temp of 13°C. The wine was left on its gross lees for 3 mos until bottling. 100% unoaked;” 12.5% ABV, 6.0 g/L R.S., 6.6 g/L T.A., & 3.32 pH.
N: Closed; Minerals SLIGHTLY atop peaches? Flowers coming on with addt'l warmth/swirling?
P: Med, poss LM, body; RNDISH entry with NICE, ALMOST swtish frt (approaching threshold R.S.?) counterbalanced by an acidity which beautifully frames the wine into & through the LONG, BALANCED, tangy/swt finish. Stylish (just as I've experience with the previous 3 vintages), drink this gem now & through '21, poss even through '22? My EXC-, & an argument for higher based upon QPR would NOT be *out* of place. 91 pts & Silver @ Decanter's '19 World Wine Awards. [This vendor's $7.95 now puts it in the top 10% of wine-searcher's postings.]
“100% Greco, planted 1956 – 1980 @ 400-500 m elev, in the tuff, with marly clay & sulphur soils of vyds of the Altavilla in Irpinia, Tufo, & Chianche growing areas.” Typically, “Gently pressed, then chilled gravity settling, followed by fermentation off the skins. Aged in s/s for ≈ 4 mos.”
N: Slightly closed; Minerals with OCCASIONAL wafts of honey? Notes of flowers?
P: Med body; RNDISH entry with NICE, ALMOST swtish frt met by an offsetting acidity which subtly moves the process into & through the LONG, balanced, tangy/swt finish with an OCCASIONAL *glimpse* of a very, VERY slight bitterness which, @ least currently, I'd imagine NOT to be a negative. For now & through '21, poss '22. My VG+/EXC-; [This vendor's $14.95 is $1 < wine-searcher's lowest.]
70% Syrah & 30% Grenache grown in an accumulation of rounded pebbles; "Made by draining off the vat. Its color is obtained through a short maceration of between 4 & 12 hrs. Fermentation takes place in s/s tanks with the temperature controlled at 64°F." 50,000 cases imported.
P: Med body; Very RNDISH entry with NICE, ALMOST swtish frt (approaching threshold R.S.?) offset by an acidity which almost discretely drives the bus into & through the LONG, balanced finish with an enticing tangy/swtness (45:55). For now & into '21. A versatile style probably SLIGHTLY better as a quaff, but should also be able to work with lighter fare. 13% ABV; My EXC- (& that's without taking into consideration its *impressive* QPR). 90 pts Vinous (Reynolds, 8/1/19), 88 + a "Best Buy" from WE (Iijima, 9/1/19) @ $11, 87 WS (9/30/19), & Dan Berger's "Rosé Value of the Year (to date)" [7/23/19]. [This vendor's $9.95 is NOW in the TOP 1/2 of wine-searcher's dwindling field.]
Note: Also tasted on 4/20, 6/1, 6/22, 7/27, & 11/30/19.
"The grapes hail from a steep slope in Quincié-en-Beaujolais, a village due SW of Villié-Morgon, where the vines face NW. The vyd (planted in 1958 & yielding ≈60 hl/ha) is composed of a 15" topsoil of sand & decomposed granite over a bedrock of crumbly granite." Typically, "Harvested & sorted by hand, the grapes are vinified traditionally in open, temp controlled s/s tanks on native yeasts in whole clusters, where they undergo a week long alcoholic fermentation. The wine is pressed & allowed to go through a gentle malolactic fermentation, free of punch-downs & pump-overs before beginning an 8 mo élevage in both cement tanks & old, neutral wooden casks. Once ready, the wine is lightly filtered with diatomaceous earth & bottled unfined. ≈ 200 cases produced."
N: Fragrantly RIPE, typical AOC aromas (SOME would say bubblegum, though I tend more towards raspberry gelatine)
P: Med body; RNDISH entry with NICE, ALMOST swtish frt (approaching threshold R.S.?) met by a bit of astringent pucker which PRETTY much resolves by the LONG, balanced, very, VERY slightly tangy finish with a bitter/swtness (60:40) to the few, yet firming, dusty tannins. Approachable now with fairly hearty fare, this NEEDS/deserves through '20, then drinking through '23. My VG+/EXC-, trending toward the higher with cellaring, particularly if one attends to the QPR. [I saw no other source with which to compare this vendor's $11.95.]
Note: Today I seemed to sense just a BIT > underlying structure than I did just 2 wks ago.
P: Med, poss LM, body; RNDISH entry with NICE, ALMOST swtish frt (approaching threshold R.S.?) met by an astringent pucker which stays within hailing distance of the init frt as it fairly seamlessly works its way into & through the LONG, balanced, poss very, VERY slightly tangy finish with a bitter/swtness to the few, relatively unoffensive, dusty tannins. Reasonably done for now & through '21 in a flirting with R.S. style. My VG+; 92 pts WS, 87 WE @ $15, + 87 (2x) & 86 winealign.com (11/’18). [This vendor's NOW $10.95 is $2 < wine-searcher's lowest.]
Note: Also tasted on 7/21 & 9/8/18, + 2/23, 6/8 & 9/28/19, the now 4:2 majority being that this needs no further cellaring.
2018 MAN Vintners Chenin Blanc Free-Run Steen
South Africa, Coastal Region
VERY slightly chilled
From selected, unirrigated, bush-vine (untrellised) Agter-Paarl vyds (most > 25 yrs old) planted in mostly Malmesbury Shale soils; “Grapes were hand-harvested @ 22.5-23.5° balling, & only the free-run juice was used for this wine, with no pressing of the skins. After settling, the must was inoculated & allowed to ferment over 20 days in s/s tanks @ an ave fermentation temp of 13°C. The wine was left on its gross lees for 3 mos until bottling. 100% unoaked;” 12.5% ABV, 6.0 g/L R.S., 6.6 g/L T.A., & 3.32 pH.
N: Closed; Minerals SLIGHTLY atop peaches? Flowers coming on with addt'l warmth/swirling?
P: Med, poss LM, body; RNDISH entry with NICE, ALMOST swtish frt (approaching threshold R.S.?) counterbalanced by an acidity which beautifully frames the wine into & through the LONG, BALANCED, tangy/swt finish. Stylish (just as I've experience with the previous 3 vintages), drink this gem now & through '21, poss even through '22? My EXC-, & an argument for higher based upon QPR would NOT be *out* of place. 91 pts & Silver @ Decanter's '19 World Wine Awards. [This vendor's $7.95 now puts it in the top 10% of wine-searcher's postings.]
Note: Also tasted on 3/9 & 7/20/19.
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2018 Villa Matilde Greco di Tufo
Italy, Campania, Greco di Tufo DOCG
VERY slightly chilled
“100% Greco, planted 1956 – 1980 @ 400-500 m elev, in the tuff, with marly clay & sulphur soils of vyds of the Altavilla in Irpinia, Tufo, & Chianche growing areas.” Typically, “Gently pressed, then chilled gravity settling, followed by fermentation off the skins. Aged in s/s for ≈ 4 mos.”
N: Slightly closed; Minerals with OCCASIONAL wafts of honey? Notes of flowers?
P: Med body; RNDISH entry with NICE, ALMOST swtish frt met by an offsetting acidity which subtly moves the process into & through the LONG, balanced, tangy/swt finish with an OCCASIONAL *glimpse* of a very, VERY slight bitterness which, @ least currently, I'd imagine NOT to be a negative. For now & through '21, poss '22. My VG+/EXC-; [This vendor's $14.95 is $1 < wine-searcher's lowest.]
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2018 Château de Campuget Costières-de-Nîmes Rosé Tradition de Campuget
France, Rhône, Southern Rhône, Costières-de-Nîmes
VERY slightly chilled
70% Syrah & 30% Grenache grown in an accumulation of rounded pebbles; "Made by draining off the vat. Its color is obtained through a short maceration of between 4 & 12 hrs. Fermentation takes place in s/s tanks with the temperature controlled at 64°F." 50,000 cases imported.
N: Fragrant FLOWERS *slightly* atop minerals, grapes underneath
P: Med body; Very RNDISH entry with NICE, ALMOST swtish frt (approaching threshold R.S.?) offset by an acidity which almost discretely drives the bus into & through the LONG, balanced finish with an enticing tangy/swtness (45:55). For now & into '21. A versatile style probably SLIGHTLY better as a quaff, but should also be able to work with lighter fare. 13% ABV; My EXC- (& that's without taking into consideration its *impressive* QPR). 90 pts Vinous (Reynolds, 8/1/19), 88 + a "Best Buy" from WE (Iijima, 9/1/19) @ $11, 87 WS (9/30/19), & Dan Berger's "Rosé Value of the Year (to date)" [7/23/19]. [This vendor's $9.95 is NOW in the TOP 1/2 of wine-searcher's dwindling field.]
Note: Also tasted on 4/20, 6/1, 6/22, 7/27, & 11/30/19.
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2018 Aliane Beaujolais-Villages Vieilles Vignes
France, Burgundy, Beaujolais, Beaujolais-Villages
"The grapes hail from a steep slope in Quincié-en-Beaujolais, a village due SW of Villié-Morgon, where the vines face NW. The vyd (planted in 1958 & yielding ≈60 hl/ha) is composed of a 15" topsoil of sand & decomposed granite over a bedrock of crumbly granite." Typically, "Harvested & sorted by hand, the grapes are vinified traditionally in open, temp controlled s/s tanks on native yeasts in whole clusters, where they undergo a week long alcoholic fermentation. The wine is pressed & allowed to go through a gentle malolactic fermentation, free of punch-downs & pump-overs before beginning an 8 mo élevage in both cement tanks & old, neutral wooden casks. Once ready, the wine is lightly filtered with diatomaceous earth & bottled unfined. ≈ 200 cases produced."
N: Fragrantly RIPE, typical AOC aromas (SOME would say bubblegum, though I tend more towards raspberry gelatine)
P: Med body; RNDISH entry with NICE, ALMOST swtish frt (approaching threshold R.S.?) met by a bit of astringent pucker which PRETTY much resolves by the LONG, balanced, very, VERY slightly tangy finish with a bitter/swtness (60:40) to the few, yet firming, dusty tannins. Approachable now with fairly hearty fare, this NEEDS/deserves through '20, then drinking through '23. My VG+/EXC-, trending toward the higher with cellaring, particularly if one attends to the QPR. [I saw no other source with which to compare this vendor's $11.95.]
Note: Today I seemed to sense just a BIT > underlying structure than I did just 2 wks ago.
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2015 Bodega Norton Malbec D.O.C.
Argentina, Mendoza, Lujan de Cuyo
100% Malbec, 24° Brix ave @ harvest, from vines 15-30 yrs old, yielding 3.6 tns/acre; Aged 12 mos in 1st & 2nd use FR oak barrels, ff'd by 12 mos in bottle; 13.7% ABV, 2.10 g/L R.S., 5.25 g/L T.A., & 3.70 pH.
N: Smoke slightly atop RIPE berries; Intensity lurking?
P: Med, poss LM, body; RNDISH entry with NICE, ALMOST swtish frt (approaching threshold R.S.?) met by an astringent pucker which stays within hailing distance of the init frt as it fairly seamlessly works its way into & through the LONG, balanced, poss very, VERY slightly tangy finish with a bitter/swtness to the few, relatively unoffensive, dusty tannins. Reasonably done for now & through '21 in a flirting with R.S. style. My VG+; 92 pts WS, 87 WE @ $15, + 87 (2x) & 86 winealign.com (11/’18). [This vendor's NOW $10.95 is $2 < wine-searcher's lowest.]
Note: Also tasted on 7/21 & 9/8/18, + 2/23, 6/8 & 9/28/19, the now 4:2 majority being that this needs no further cellaring.
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