Mostly Napa Valley 2017s (with 15/16/18 in the mix): Larger merchant tasting. Brief impressions. First nose dominated by okay notes and citrus, with time the citrus fruit and freshness takes over the reigh, complemented by a nice minerality on the palate. Not overly complex or long but a solid, not overoaked, rather fresh and light Napa Chardonnay. Pleasant surprise.
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Putzi's Napa 2017 new arrival tasting: A new Napa arrival tasting hosted by a wine merchant. A total of 30 wines mostly from 2017 (with a few 2018 whites and new releases from 2016 and 2015 in the mix) were presented in various price brackets ($40 to $200+). For 2017 my takeaways were 1) 2017 is already approachable and offers immediate drinking pleasure. But 2) the wines also came across lighter and less layered. 2017 doesn’t seem to have the refinement of 2016, the depth of 2014 or the muscular concentration of 2015. For many, it seems, finding a spot in the sun will be hard with 5 outstanding vintages before and likely 2 more (at least) right behind. There were notable exceptions of course. Wine of the night was Diamond Creek Volcanic Hill 2017 (95) and just whisker behind Viader 2017 (95). A very notable mention deserves the Detert East Block Cabernet Franc 2017 for its unique character (94).
Tasting note: Green herbal savoury, light in appearance, just hints of melted butter, but mostly fresh with a more Old Word type of citric fruit profile. Thinly structured but easy to drink and great if you’re looking for a straightforward, down-to-earth Chard.
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6/29/2020 - Cailles wrote: 92 Points
Mostly Napa Valley 2017s (with 15/16/18 in the mix): Larger merchant tasting. Brief impressions. First nose dominated by okay notes and citrus, with time the citrus fruit and freshness takes over the reigh, complemented by a nice minerality on the palate. Not overly complex or long but a solid, not overoaked, rather fresh and light Napa Chardonnay. Pleasant surprise.
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5/13/2020 - sirpat00 wrote: 89 Points
Putzi's Napa 2017 new arrival tasting: A new Napa arrival tasting hosted by a wine merchant. A total of 30 wines mostly from 2017 (with a few 2018 whites and new releases from 2016 and 2015 in the mix) were presented in various price brackets ($40 to $200+). For 2017 my takeaways were 1) 2017 is already approachable and offers immediate drinking pleasure. But 2) the wines also came across lighter and less layered. 2017 doesn’t seem to have the refinement of 2016, the depth of 2014 or the muscular concentration of 2015. For many, it seems, finding a spot in the sun will be hard with 5 outstanding vintages before and likely 2 more (at least) right behind. There were notable exceptions of course. Wine of the night was Diamond Creek Volcanic Hill 2017 (95) and just whisker behind Viader 2017 (95). A very notable mention deserves the Detert East Block Cabernet Franc 2017 for its unique character (94).
Tasting note:
Green herbal savoury, light in appearance, just hints of melted butter, but mostly fresh with a more Old Word type of citric fruit profile. Thinly structured but easy to drink and great if you’re looking for a straightforward, down-to-earth Chard.
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