2012 Cowan Cellars Ribolla Gialla

Community Tasting Notes (13) Avg Score: 89.8 points

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  9/23/2018 - James Kim wrote: 89 Points

  Decanted this yesterday for 2 h but pretty much shut down. Very little aromas and not much on the palate. Put back in bottle and about 2/3 full, recorked and put in wine fridge. Now day 2, allowing the wine to warm in the glass for about 30 min. Aromas are still pretty shy but more than yesterday. Dry cider, unripe stone fruits, spices (?clove), flowers including honeysuckle. Palate shows dry cider, unripe peaches and pears, savory herbs, grapefruit pith bitterness complemented by tea and mild tannins on the midpalate. Nice finish with waves of herbs and grapefruit. The wine is just beginning to open now on day 2 but it's pretty tasty (giving it an 89) even though it's partly shut down. If I had more, I would hold for 2-5 years before opening next bottle. I should note that this was made with light skin contact in an "orange-ish" style.

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  5/3/2018 - WetRock wrote:

  Dinner at Basanti (Basanti): Pretty nose of hard candies. Clean palate with a slight grip. Refreshing and drinks easy. A nice pairing for lighter foods.

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  4/12/2017 - Loren Sonkin wrote: 90 Points

  Orange, Sicily, Cowan and some others (Chagrin Falls): I threw this one in to the mix as well. "Florida" Jim (or is he now Sonoma Jim) does some really interesting things in Sonoma. One of them is this Ribolla Gialla aged on its skins. Probably would show a bit better after some oaky Cal Chard but it held its own. Medium golden in color. The nose has nice citrus and bit of peach. On the palate, the peach carries thru but not boisterous. No real oxidation or nuttiness on this. It seems to lack acidity but I think that is after these very strong acidic wine. Once my palate adjusts, the acidity is just fine. Shows youthful. It was very cool to add this to the tasting IMO to see what California can produce.

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  4/1/2017 - timewithwine wrote:

  What is the color of this? It isn’t yellow. It isn’t a rosé. It isn’t brown (by any stretch). But it is beguiling. The flavor is more fig than any other fruit ... but then some citrus creeps in. Perhaps some cream on the attack with melon and acacia flower. The finish of fig and melon is joined by basil and mineral. The finish is clean. 11.7% alc. With oven-roasted shrimp, assorted, random cheeses - Roaring 40’s blue (worked incredibly well!), Meadow Creek Grayson, brie, olives (again, worked very well), bread. Recommended.

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  7/17/2016 - Loren Sonkin wrote: 90 Points

  This is good but it is way more interesting. IIRC, this is Ribolla Gialla fermented on its skins. Pretty orange/ruby in color. It looks like a Rose. The nose has some oranges, with a thin streak of minerality, but atypical minerality at that. Hard to describe. On the palate, this is light to medium bodied yet there is a hint of tannins. Slightly under ripe peach flavors mixing with citrus and what I think Iron Ore might taste like. Not a ton of fruit, yet the wine is still fresh and vibrant. I saved the last few ounces intentionally to see what it does with 24 hours of air (later tonight). Very unique.

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