Elements of Wine 2021 - My Class at GnG

Grapes & Grains, Temecula, CA
Tasted Sunday, February 7, 2021 - Friday, December 31, 2021 by R2-D2 with 232 views

Flight 2 - Sweet and Dessert Wine (9 Notes)

  • NV Umberto Fiore Moscato d'Asti 86 Points

    Italy, Piedmont, Asti, Moscato d'Asti

    (2/7/2021)

    Post a Comment / Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No

  • 2019 Banfi Piemonte Brachetto d'Acqui Rosa Regale 88 Points

    Italy, Piedmont, Brachetto d'Acqui DOCG

    (2/7/2021)

    Household staple. Deliciously frizzante with creamy strawberry, soft bubbles, and medium-sweetness.

    Post a Comment / Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Report Issue

  • 2018 Lucien Albrecht Gewurztraminer Reserve 89 Points

    France, Alsace

    (2/7/2021)

    Classic Alsace Gewurztraminer without the flabby texture so prevalent around the rest of the globe.

    Post a Comment / Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Report Issue

  • 2018 Red Vin Dornfelder Sweet Red 86 Points

    Germany, Rheinhessen

    (2/7/2021)

    Tasty, juicy, and only just a bit off-dry in style. Not at all cloying. Presented this wine as part of a larger Sweet & Dessert Wine masterclass and, much to my surprise, it was a big hit. Silky and uncomplicated. Good price.

    Post a Comment / Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Report Issue

  • 2014 Qupé Marsanne Doux Sawyer Lindquist Vineyard 91 Points

    USA, California, Central Coast, Edna Valley

    (2/7/2021)

    Tasted side-by-side with the 2015 vintage. I preferred the rich viscosity and concentrated flavors of 2015 over the earthy, slightly mushroom-like profile of 2014. Both were really good with perhaps the '14 having a longer life due to a touch more acidity.

    Post a Comment / 1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Report Issue

  • 2015 Qupé Marsanne Doux Sawyer Lindquist Vineyard 93 Points

    USA, California, Central Coast, Edna Valley

    (2/7/2021)

    Tasted side-by-side with the 2015 vintage. I preferred the rich viscosity and concentrated flavors of 2015 over the earthy, slightly mushroom-like profile of 2014. Both were really good with perhaps the '14 having a longer life due to a touch more acidity.

    Post a Comment / Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Report Issue

  • 2001 Château Rabaud-Promis 91 Points

    France, Bordeaux, Sauternais, Sauternes

    (2/11/2021)

    Drank from a 750ml bottle. A light copper color at this point; this seemed to improve after two days of being opened. Mature notes of mushroom, hay, honey, and ginger combine with dried apricot, orange marmalade, dried jasmine, a luscious texture, and slight acidity. At or near its peak. Not quite as intense as the best Sauternes, but still fair and rewarding in its subtlety.

    Post a Comment / 2 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Report Issue

  • 2003 Quinta do Infantado Porto Vintage 86 Points

    Portugal, Douro, Porto

    (2/7/2021)

    Jluch's note below is a fair and accurate description of this port. It's certainly not bad, especially at the $15 I paid, but there is nothing remarkable that would convince a non-Vintage drinker that this is a special style of wine.

    Post a Comment / Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Report Issue

  • NV Porto Morgado Porto 10 Year Old Tawny 83 Points

    Portugal, Douro, Porto

    (2/7/2021)

    I've had much better 10 years. <$10 at Trader Joe's. You get what you pay for.

    Post a Comment / Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Report Issue

Flight 3 - Volcanic Wines (7 Notes)

  • 2018 Bodegas Los Bermejos Listan Negro Rosado 91 Points

    Spain, Canary Islands, Lanzarote

    (2/21/2021)

    Similar notes as previous tastings. This is just a fantastic, more serious style of rose from a highly unexpected, interesting location. If you are reading this and unfamiliar with the Canary Islands island of Lanzarote, GOOGLE it now! Talk about extreme winemaking!

    Post a Comment / Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Report Issue

  • 2016 Santo Wines Assyrtiko 91 Points

    Greece, Aegean, Cyclades, Santorini

    (2/21/2021)

    Five years past vintage, this is just a beautiful bottle of wine. Notes of smoky flint compliment the rip-roaring acidity, citrus dominant notes of lemon, lime pith, and grapefruit, honeyed peach, and crunchy sea salts. When introduced to the tranquil beauty of Santorini as an accompaniment to tasting Assyrtiko, people fall head-over-heels in love with this grape from this Island.

    Post a Comment / Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Report Issue

  • 2018 Azienda Agricola Cortese Carricante Terre Siciliane Nostru 90 Points

    Italy, Sicily, Terre Siciliane

    (2/21/2021)

    I quite enjoy most Carricantes. They seem to have a bit of textural weight to balance out the crisp acidity that goes with the citrus and stone fruits. Like all volcanic soiled wines, there is a bit of savory to go with the tangy minerality. Pointed out in several reviews, this would go well with salads, citrus-marinated shrimp, and white fish recipes. Also, I did pick up a bit of popcorn flavor on the front of the palate.

    Post a Comment / 1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Report Issue

  • 2016 Tenuta del Portale Aglianico del Vulture 89 Points

    Italy, Basilicata, Aglianico del Vulture

    (2/21/2021)

    Not sure I agree with the common "Barolo of Southern Italy" descriptors. With its lighter style, higher acidity, and accessible drinkability, I find Barbera d'Asti a better comparison for this particular bottle. Cherries, plums, and unmistakable tomato leaf flavor on a smokey framework of tart acidity and drying tannin.

    Post a Comment / 2 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Report Issue

  • 2012 Reynvaan Family Vineyards Syrah The Unnamed 93 Points

    USA, Washington, Columbia Valley, Walla Walla Valley

    (2/21/2021)

    The savory side of this Syrah shines through. This wine isn't any SoCal fruit bomb - black olive tapenade, peppercorn, currant leaf, tobacco, bitter cocoa, truffle oil, and a whiff of stinky barnyard thoroughly saturate the senses. Other reviews are spot on, and it was a bit of LOVE it or LEAVE it reception from our wine class.

    Post a Comment / Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Report Issue

  • 2017 Result of a Crush The Unnamed Series Cabernet Sauvignon / Franc 91 Points

    USA, Washington, Columbia Valley, Walla Walla Valley

    (2/21/2021)

    Post a Comment / Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No

  • NV Sandeman Madeira Fine Rich 89 Points

    Portugal, Madeira

    (2/21/2021)

    Tawny port with more sweetness and a little less nuttiness. A pleasing, not overly unctuous or cloying style of Madeira. Not incredibly complex, but at $15-20, this is quite an after-dinner treat.

    Post a Comment / Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Report Issue

Flight 4 - Fruit Flavors in Red Wine (5 Notes)

Matching a sampling of different fruits (cherry, blackberry, blueberry, etc) with red wines and appropriately describing the style of fruit (unripe, juicy, jammy, fleshy, etc.)

Flight 5 - Tempranillo (7 Notes)

Flight 6 - Rare Varieties & Unusual Places (7 Notes)

  • 2017 Ser Cabernet Pfeffer Wirz Vineyard 92 Points

    USA, California, Central Coast, Cienega Valley

    (4/13/2021)

    The Cabernet Pfeffer vines are 100 years old, grown on a hillside of granite and limestone soils. The vines are head-trained, dry-farmed, and
    organically farmed. Cabernet Pfeffer is a scarce variety with less than 12 acres grown globally, all in California. A recent ampelography study by UC Davis on the Wirz vines discovered the vines are 'Mourtaou', a rare French variety. In California, 'Cabernet Pfeffer' is a synonym for 'Mourtaou'. In France, "Pfeffer" alone has been used to refer to ''Mourtaou'. The name ‘Pfeffer’ means ‘pepper’ in German and fits the pepper aroma and flavors found in the wine. Additionally, it is thought to have been bred in Los Altos Hills, California, in the late 19th Century, by orchardist and winemaker William Pfeffer.

    Made by Bonny Doon winemaking veteran Nicole Walsh. Light in the glass, earthy aromas of crushed and wet gravel give way to brisk red fruit an
    pepper. That expression holds true on the palate, where crisp raspberry and cranberry flavors are spiced by cracked pepper and flower petals.

    Post a Comment / 1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Report Issue

  • 2016 Mauricio Gonzalez Carreño Pipeño 84 Points

    Chile, Secano Interior

    (4/13/2021)

    TListán Prieto is a red-wine grape originating (like Don Quixote) in the Castilla-La Mancha region of Spain. Like the Don, it has had rather a wild history, starting many centuries ago. In the mid-16th century, it was carried by Franciscan missionaries to the New World, starting in Mexico then on into Chile and the Argentine. By at least 1620, it had further spread into what is now southern California. During this period, the grape, in its new home, was called simply “the Mission grape”, as it was planted at each of the numerous missions established throughout the region. Some centuries on, in the 19th to be exact, the grape became known in Chile, where it was widely planted, as “País”, by which name it is still known there. Meanwhile, still back in the 16th century, the grape was also carried to the Canary Islands, where it somehow became—erroneously—known as “Moscatel Negro” despite being no sort of Muscat relative. So for centuries, the grape was widely established in the New World from southern South America up through southern California and across to what is now Texas. It was the first Vitis vinifera in the New World, and for a long time the only one.

    Since the friars made wine for sacramental not esthetic purposes, and were doing so with primitive winemaking methods, the wines from the
    “Mission” grape were not very good. In consequence, the grape fell into grave disfavor once real wine-making begain in the New World; for a very long time, the grape was considered as being, at best, a passable-eating table grape.

    Nowadays, the grape we today call Listán Prieto (one of three Listán grapes, the others being Listán Negro and Listán Blanca, the latter better
    known as Palomino Fino) has essentially disappeared from Spain, but is grown in four areas: the Canary Islands (as both Listán Prieto and
    Moscatel Negro), Chile (still as País), California (as Mission, and rarely used for table wines), and Argentina (as Criolla Chica).

    It is from Chile that the modern upswing in the grape’s fortunes comes. As is so often the case with “rescued” varieties, it was largely the work of
    one dedicated person that drove the revival (in this case, a Frenchman named Louis-Antoine Luyt). Luyt used carbonic maceration to soften the
    normally harsh tannins of the grape, and thus enhance its fruit qualities. The resultant wines are light-colored and crisply acidic, low in alcohol, with red-fruit flavors that Jancis Robinson calls “tart”, and a fine texture that becomes yet more silken as the wine is bottle-aged.

    When made as a dry table wine, Mission is very light-bodied, yet extremely tannic, often indistinguishable in color from a dark rosé, tasting of bitter orange peel and light red fruits, like rhubarb and strawberry.

    Post a Comment / Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Report Issue

  • 2019 Domaine Glinavos Paleokerisio Semi-sparkling Orange Wine 90 Points

    Greece, Epiros, Ioannina

    (4/13/2021)

    The vineyard is located in a semi-mountainous microclimate in one of the most remote areas of the country. Their Paleokerisio is an "orange" (skin contact during fermentation yields a color similar to honey, tea or cognac), semi-sparkling, semi-dry wine, made with 97% Debina (an indigenous white grape) with 3% Vlahiko (an indigenous red grape). Light natural carbonation reveals the richness of flavors and aromas enhanced by a delicate sweetness on the finish. It is aromatically complex while both rich and refreshing on the palate, exhibiting apple butter flavors with mild oxidation and just the slightest hint of vanilla and spice.

    Debina - Debina is a thoroughbred Greek white wine grape variety, delicate and crispy. It originates from the beautiful Zitsa of Ioannina, where it is grown on the six villages’ hilltops. It is unique due to the fruity, classy and elegant aroma of apple, pear, and peach, which can certainly seduce the most demanding wine lover.

    Vlahiko - the predominantly indigenous red grape variety of Epirus. It has been cultivated for a long time in Zitsa at an altitude higher than 600 meters and in sloping limestone soils. It exhibits the cold climate’s characteristics in the mountainous regions where it is grown and endures low temperatures, limited sunlight, and regular rainfalls. The main features of Vlahiko are the intense and distinct aromas of red forest fruits, the bright but not deep ruby color, the discrete tannins, the high but good acidity, and the velvety taste with a lasting finish.

    Post a Comment / Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Report Issue

  • 2018 Giorgi Natenadze Meskhuri 91 Points

    Georgia, Samtskhe-Javakheti, Meskheti

    (4/13/2021)

    Blend of Meskhuri Sapere, Meskhuri kharistvala (Bull’s eye red), Tskhenis dzudzu tetri (Horse breast white, 400 years old)

    Almost extinct grape varieties grown at well over 1,000 metres of altitude, painstakingly foraged from wild vines up to 400 years old that grow in volcanic soil. It’s made in a time-honoured fashion, in qvevris (clay amphorae) with around 4-6 months of skin contact.

    Giorgi Natenadze lives in Samtskhe-Javakheti, historically known as Meskheti, the southerly part of Georgia that borders Turkey. An important wine region in antiquity, Meskheti was ransacked by invading Ottomans (who destroyed all its vineyards about 400 years ago) and then throttled by the Soviet Union which preferred to concentrate viticulture in easterly Kakheti. Natenadze decided in 2009 to try to reclaim some of the area’s heritage.

    As he puts it, “I have spent much of the past decade traipsing through mountain forests in search of ancient vines growing the way nature intended — up trees. I have found some vines that are more than 100 years old and one that I reckon is more than 400 years old. I have uncovered 40 rare grape varieties in the forests in the south of the country, near the border with Turkey, but I have only been able to identify 24 of them so far. Each year I make a different wine from these ancient varieties at Natenadze’s Wine Cellar”.

    Texturally it’s very light and silky, with scents of wildflowers and green plums. The flavours are more herbaceous and grassy, a little reminiscent of wild tarragon or sage.

    Post a Comment / Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Report Issue

  • 2019 Johann Geil Huxelrebe Spätlese 86 Points

    Germany, Rheinhessen

    (4/13/2021)

    Huxelrebe is a white varietal used to make primarily sweet wines as an apéritif or dessert wine. The wines tend to be high in acidity and have aromas of rhubarbs. The name comes from a nursery owner and viticulturist, Fritz Huxel, who in the 1950s cultivated it for the first time extensively and became an essential champion of the grape variety. The end part, Rebe’, of the wine is a German term meaning vine. The grape matures fast and produces late Harvest (Auslese) sweet wines, even when other grapes cannot. Huxelrebe is a prolific yielder capable of very high sugar levels, which, along with its susceptibility to botrytis infection, makes it a natural choice for sweet wine production. It is grown on about 635 hectares in Germany (just over 1500 acres) and about 25 hectares (60 acres) in the UK, but those numbers have declined in recent years.

    Post a Comment / Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Report Issue

  • 2019 Borell Diehl St. Laurent Rosé trocken 89 Points

    Germany, Pfalz

    (4/13/2021)

    St. Laurent is a red-wine grape believed to have arisen in Austria. Some, however, argue that it arose in Bordeaux, then migrated through Alsace and Germany to centeral Europe, its current home, where it is today grown in significant quantities in Austria and its neighbor to the north, the Czech Republic.

    The grape is generally thought to be an offspring of Pinot Noir (with the other parent yet unknown), with which it shares many characteristics—indeed, it is often bottled as a blend with Pinot Noir. Broadly speaking, one might say that St. Laurent is a slightly more robust and slightly less subtle wine than Pinot Noir, tending toward wines of strength rather than PN’s delicacy; but it is not unknown for even experts to occasionally confound the two types. St. Laurent is one of the parents (along with Blaufräankisch, aka Lemberger) of the now-popular variety Zweigelt.

    Saint-Laurent wines tend to be dark purple in color, structured yet silky with a characteristic dark-cherry flavor (similar to Pinot Noir). Blackberries, smoke and spice are also commonly exhibited. The wines benefit from oak aging and show good aging ability. The wine was like a brooding, meaty Pinot Noir but denser and darker. For fans of gamier, meatier Pinot Noirs, St. Laurent is a can’t miss.

    Post a Comment / Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Report Issue

  • 2019 Jean-Pierre et Jean-Francois Quenard Vin de Savoie Chignin 89 Points

    France, Savoie, Vin de Savoie Chignin

    (4/13/2021)

    Tucked up into the Alps’ sheltered foothills where conditions vary considerably from one spot to the next, Savoie’s vineyards consist of three central growing districts. These are Seyssel, Bugey and general Savoie. The region boasts many unique indigenous grapes, incidentally unrelated to any nearby regions’ varieties. The styles here tend toward organic and traditional. In the past, the busy summer and winter tourist population consumed most Savoie wine before leaving the area. Recently, interest in esoteric varieties and natural, artisan wine has brought a renewed interest to Savoie.

    Jean-Francois Quénard, who took over for his father in 1987 after studying winemaking in Burgundy, Gigondas, Bordeaux, and California, now runs the family estate. The house’s specialty is Chignin, made from the native Jacquere grape grown on 50-year-old vines at the Alps’ foot. The village of Chignin has some of the best soil in the region - comprised of limestone scree (fractured rocks on the slopes).

    Jacquère is a clean and fresh alpine white grape variety. The white wines of Jacquère are highly prized but traditionally hard to come by outside France. The wines have high acidity, characteristic of cool-climate vines, often described as ‘mountain fresh’ or ‘alpine clean.’ They can also be quite herbaceous and show aromas of freshly cut grass, green apples, and pears. A Jacquère is usually best consumed young, while it still displays its clean minerality and lively citrus palate.

    Post a Comment / Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Report Issue

Flight 7 - Napa vs. Sonoma (6 Notes)

  • 2016 Beringer Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon Knights Valley 90 Points

    USA, California, Sonoma County, Knights Valley

    (5/10/2021)

    16 months in French Oak (25% new). Blend of 88% Cab Sauv and small portions of merlot, cab franc, petit verdot. Fine acidity and silky tannins support a good framework of berries, black cherry, spice, licorice, clove, and aromatic herbs (specifically lavender).

    Post a Comment / 1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Report Issue

  • 2017 Beaulieu Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon Rutherford 89 Points

    USA, California, Napa Valley, Rutherford

    (5/10/2021)

    50% new oak (French, American, and European), 88% cab sauvignon along with small portions of petit verdot, merlot, and petite sirah. Saturated color, black berries, black currant jam, cassis, spice, molasses. Heavier toast giving dark chocolate, mocha, and coffee aromas and flavors. Fine dusty Rutherford tannins are there.

    Post a Comment / Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Report Issue

  • 2016 Peay Vineyards Pinot Noir Ama Estate 93 Points

    USA, California, Sonoma County, Sonoma Coast

    (5/10/2021)

    Comes from a very northern point of the Sonoma Coast AVA. 13.6% alcohol. Crisp red apple and tart red cherry fruit flavor, copper, iron, a touch of saline, cinnamon, and black pepper. A wonderfully complex wine.

    Post a Comment / Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Report Issue

  • 2018 Trefethen Chardonnay 89 Points

    USA, California, Napa Valley, Oak Knoll District

    (5/10/2021)

    9 months oak, 61% barrel fermented, 4% LF, 13% new oak. Rather lively, light toast notes, floral, lemon/lime, apple, and pear.

    Post a Comment / Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Report Issue

  • 2017 Sonoma-Cutrer Chardonnay The Cutrer 88 Points

    USA, California, Sonoma County, Russian River Valley

    (5/10/2021)

    Oak plus 100% MLF gives it a buttery flavor. Fresh fruit pie, caramel, peach, nougat, brown sugar, vanilla, nuts, and a hint of honeysuckle.

    Post a Comment / Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Report Issue

  • 2017 Ancien Pinot Noir Carneros 89 Points

    USA, California, Napa / Sonoma, Carneros

    (5/10/2021)

    50% new French Oak, 5% whole cluster. Baking spices, berry, cola, cherry, anise, hibiscus with a savory finish.

    Post a Comment / Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Report Issue

×
×