Monday night Blinds at Nopa - Take 3 (Nopa SF): 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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Triple Birthday Dinner (Ponsonby, Auckland, New Zealand): Firstly - a perfect match with a course of smoked couscous salad with flavours of the Mediterranean - both in terms of flavour profile as well as conceptually. Crisp acidity, smooth balance, and a strong lemony herbal character adds up to a delicious wine.
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indigenous 2000 year old Romas variety. Hillside sites are very important. Slate and granite soils. mineral and saline aromas. not oaked. clean and fresh. medium body, very mineral.
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Lots of yeast notes on the nose. I mean that in a good way. The clonal research for Godello was apparently done here, at A Coroa. So this apparently has some of the oldest, or maybe the mother clone of Godello. Slate based wine, and slate based soils.
Peachy, fresh, vibrant and mineral. Great texture through out the palate and finishes with that texture all the way through.
This is also apparently the only produce with the control sticker because the yields are so low and everyone else's yields are so high. And this is all estate fruit as well.
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Open, focussed and refreshing. Vibrant wine, fresh quite a bit of fruit. Good ripe character. Very balanced and full of purity and a product of good wine making. No oak here. Really a very nice staright forward wine and it worked perfectly by the glass as an aperitif at the Notting Hill Kitchen. Good choice by the sommelier.
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4/6/2015 - RajivAyyangar wrote: 85 Points
Monday night Blinds at Nopa - Take 3 (Nopa SF): 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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2/5/2015 - Marc wrote: 87 Points
Triple Birthday Dinner (Ponsonby, Auckland, New Zealand): Firstly - a perfect match with a course of smoked couscous salad with flavours of the Mediterranean - both in terms of flavour profile as well as conceptually. Crisp acidity, smooth balance, and a strong lemony herbal character adds up to a delicious wine.
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9/19/2014 - nzinkgraf wrote:
indigenous 2000 year old Romas variety. Hillside sites are very important. Slate and granite soils. mineral and saline aromas. not oaked. clean and fresh. medium body, very mineral.
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8/19/2014 - Ben Christiansen wrote:
Full and rich and powerful. Delicious. Creamy minerality on the back. Works it out at $20.
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8/18/2014 - nzinkgraf wrote:
A Coroa - 'The Crown', Valdeorras - 'Valley of Gold.'
Whit pepper, almost a touch of menthol, all stainless, slate soils.
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2/18/2014 - Ben Christiansen wrote:
Lots of yeast notes on the nose. I mean that in a good way. The clonal research for Godello was apparently done here, at A Coroa. So this apparently has some of the oldest, or maybe the mother clone of Godello. Slate based wine, and slate based soils.
Peachy, fresh, vibrant and mineral. Great texture through out the palate and finishes with that texture all the way through.
This is also apparently the only produce with the control sticker because the yields are so low and everyone else's yields are so high. And this is all estate fruit as well.
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9/4/2013 - Papies wrote: 90 Points
Open, focussed and refreshing. Vibrant wine, fresh quite a bit of fruit. Good ripe character. Very balanced and full of purity and a product of good wine making. No oak here. Really a very nice staright forward wine and it worked perfectly by the glass as an aperitif at the Notting Hill Kitchen. Good choice by the sommelier.
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