Super cool label and name. From better parcels of the estate wine. Overall, tons of smoky minerality, but not quite enough fruit to balance out the acidity.
Definitely a step up from the Detonation -- lots of minerality here just like the other wines, but there is a little more fruit to round everything out.
Could come across as some sort of ruche rose -- there's a really nice delicate freshness here, with juicy red fruit and plenty of acidity, but also an unexpectedly high amount of tannin on the back end.
Despite the intense smoke and leather qualities on the nose and palate here, there's some really nice lightness thanks to the acidity here. It's more of a black-fruited wine, but with lovely drinkability.
For this lower level stuff, this displays a somewhat surprising amount of density and breadth on the palate. A bit fat, but the acidity definitely helps balance this out.
Ripe and powerful, though the fruit isn't as expressive as I generally like to see in GGs. It's got a good dose of stony minerality and very clean fruit. Definitely more complex than the preceding wines too.
A little broader and thicker than I would expect from a Kabinett. This is also on the sweeter side of the Praedikat, and there's also a good amount of acidity. Pretty mouthwatering and tasty, if not the most overall complex.
Quite interesting -- there's a really clear note of watermelon on the nose. The palate is juicy and sweet, and to my palate, just a touch candied as well. I preferred the "regular" valdiguie.
As far as zinfandel goes, this is definitely more approachable for my palate. It's light, even given the black fruit and peppercorns. Plenty of acidity and freshness, none of the usual heaviness of zinfandel.
I suspect this was the right vintage -- forgot to check. Easygoing and fruity, with a really nice freshness. A touch nattier than I would like, but not over the top. Sneaky tannins.
The most normal of the grapes ironically was the least interesting of the wines, at least to me. Again fairly reductive, and a mix of red and black fruit. Moderate tannins.
This is a really weird blend (albarino and roussanne) but it works. The albarino gives this the acidity it needs, and the roussanne that aromatic lift. Juicy, with a distinct apricot note. Super fun stuff!
Wow, the nose is a dead ringer for macerated strawberries. It's a super distinctive quality, but the nose is that distinctive. Eminently quaffable and delicious, with that sweet juicy quality really making this a tasty beverage.
As far as syrah goes, this definitely has the right bit of black pepper, but I found the palate a little more juicy and with less depth than I typically like. I think it's my predilection for classic Northern Rhone wines; there's something a little too glou-glou about this one.
The saccharine quality of gamay doesn't seem to manifest as intensely here, and gives way to some really cheerful and sweet red fruit. Juicy and tasty.
Darker and more intense than the 2015 Domaine. Again, none of the saccharine quality of gamay (I only really picked it up on the pet nat), but some surprising tannin with black fruit.
Still a touch sweet, which is actually quite nice, since it coincides with some reduced alcohol and a general increase in drinkability. Seems almost like slightly fizzy and mildly alcoholic grape juice; there is a little bit of that gamay taste on the back end here though.
Spain, Castilla y León, Vino de la Tierra de Castilla y León
Of the three Correcaminos, this was the only one that was mildly drinkable. A blend of tempranillo and verdelho. Comes across more like a sour beer than as wine, and if you close your eyes to the genre, it's almost ok. There's a touch of sweetness here that's kind of pleasant, but overall, still too much dead yeast for my taste.
Spain, Castilla y León, Vino de la Tierra de Castilla y León
Sweet and kind of juicy. There's overall good acidity and freshness here, but there's a slight bit of a natty aftertaste on the back end, at least for me.
Spain, Castilla y León, Vino de la Tierra de Castilla y León
For my palate, too juicy. This seems like it's not quite finished vinifying yet, and there's a sort of bubbly lightness here that doesn't work with the more intense and black fruit of the grape. Tannic and a little confused as to what it should be.
2016 Koehler-Ruprecht Weißer Burgunder Kabinett trocken
Germany, Pfalz
Very pleasant stuff -- a mild bit of peachiness with just a touch of sweetness to round it out. Riper, but nicely balanced.
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2015 Koehler-Ruprecht Kallstadter Saumagen Riesling Spätlese trocken
Germany, Pfalz
Nice heft overall here, with a good amount of ripe fruit. A little drier than I generally like, with a slight hint of smoke.
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2013 Koehler-Ruprecht Riesling Kabinett halbtrocken
Germany, Pfalz
Definitely a bit more sweetness overall here, but generally well-balanced with the acidity and dry extract.
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2017 Koehler-Ruprecht Pinot Noir Rosé Kabinett trocken
Germany, Pfalz
A slight bit of earthy funk and mushroom on the nose, but overall nice juiciness and freshness.
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2016 Immich-Batterieberg Riesling C.A.I. Kabinett Trocken
Germany, Mosel Saar Ruwer
A nice lean fruit profile here, but overall quite dry. The fruit here helps to balance out the acidity.
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2017 Immich-Batterieberg Riesling Detonation
Germany, Mosel Saar Ruwer
Super cool label and name. From better parcels of the estate wine. Overall, tons of smoky minerality, but not quite enough fruit to balance out the acidity.
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2017 Immich-Batterieberg Riesling Escheburg
Germany, Mosel Saar Ruwer
Definitely a step up from the Detonation -- lots of minerality here just like the other wines, but there is a little more fruit to round everything out.
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2017 La Senda Vindemiatrix
Spain, Castilla y León, Bierzo
There's a touch of carbonic on this, but there's a nice juiciness to this wine. Light and quaffable, with a fair bit of tannins.
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2017 La Senda Mencía Bierzo 1984
Spain, Castilla y León, Bierzo
Far more intense than the Vindemiatrix. Lots of chewy minerality and earth here. The tannins are definitely more powerful here as well.
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2017 Bichi La Rosa
Mexico, Baja California
From all sorts of unknown grapes. Juicy and fresh, uncomplicated but generally just quite delicious.
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2017 Bichi La Santa
Mexico, Baja California
Could come across as some sort of ruche rose -- there's a really nice delicate freshness here, with juicy red fruit and plenty of acidity, but also an unexpectedly high amount of tannin on the back end.
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2017 Bichi La Flama Roja
Mexico, Baja California
Despite the intense smoke and leather qualities on the nose and palate here, there's some really nice lightness thanks to the acidity here. It's more of a black-fruited wine, but with lovely drinkability.
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2015 Weingut Clemens Busch Riesling Trocken
Germany, Mosel Saar Ruwer
For this lower level stuff, this displays a somewhat surprising amount of density and breadth on the palate. A bit fat, but the acidity definitely helps balance this out.
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2014 Weingut Clemens Busch Riesling trocken vom Roten Schiefer
Germany, Mosel Saar Ruwer
A bit lighter than the 2015 estate -- might be a bit of a reflection of the vintage. Strong core of minerality here, with more overall complexity.
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2016 Weingut Clemens Busch Marienburg Riesling Großes Gewächs
Germany, Mosel Saar Ruwer
Ripe and powerful, though the fruit isn't as expressive as I generally like to see in GGs. It's got a good dose of stony minerality and very clean fruit. Definitely more complex than the preceding wines too.
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2016 Weingut Clemens Busch Pündericher Marienburg Riesling Kabinett
Germany, Mosel Saar Ruwer
A little broader and thicker than I would expect from a Kabinett. This is also on the sweeter side of the Praedikat, and there's also a good amount of acidity. Pretty mouthwatering and tasty, if not the most overall complex.
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2017 Broc Cellars Valdiguié Petillant Wine
USA, California, North Coast, Mendocino
Quite interesting -- there's a really clear note of watermelon on the nose. The palate is juicy and sweet, and to my palate, just a touch candied as well. I preferred the "regular" valdiguie.
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2017 Broc Cellars Valdiguié
USA, California, North Coast, Solano County Green Valley
Juicy and tasty, with a bright red-fruited profile. Only moderate tannins, this is drinkable and delicious.
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2017 Broc Cellars Zinfandel Vine Starr Red
USA, California, Sonoma County
As far as zinfandel goes, this is definitely more approachable for my palate. It's light, even given the black fruit and peppercorns. Plenty of acidity and freshness, none of the usual heaviness of zinfandel.
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2018 La Grange aux Belles Vin de France La Chaussée Rouge
France, Loire Valley, Vin de France
More carbonic and glou glou than I like, and with the slight green pepper notes, can't say that I was a massive fan of this.
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2018 La Grange aux Belles Vin de France Brise d'Aunis
France, Vin de France
I suspect this was the right vintage -- forgot to check. Easygoing and fruity, with a really nice freshness. A touch nattier than I would like, but not over the top. Sneaky tannins.
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2017 Costador Macabeo Brisat Metamorphika
Spain, Catalunya
Skin-contact white, but without many of the associated off-flavours. Love the salinity and acidity here. Reminds me a bit of a Colares.
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2016 Costador Sumoll Metamorphika
Spain, Catalunya
Seems to have a slight mild reduction. Earthy and red-fruited with a very pure fruit profile.
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2017 Costador Trepat Metamorphika
Spain, Catalunya
Very tannic with lots of black fruit and a bit of a peppery note. Reminds me a little bit of zinfandel. Good acidity overall.
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2016 Costador Garnatxa Negra Metamorphika
Spain, Catalunya
The most normal of the grapes ironically was the least interesting of the wines, at least to me. Again fairly reductive, and a mix of red and black fruit. Moderate tannins.
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2017 La Clarine Farm One-Eighty
USA, California, Sierra Foothills
This is a really weird blend (albarino and roussanne) but it works. The albarino gives this the acidity it needs, and the roussanne that aromatic lift. Juicy, with a distinct apricot note. Super fun stuff!
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2017 La Clarine Farm Rosé Alors!
USA, California, Sierra Foothills
From mourvedre, but comes across with slightly more grapey quality than I like. Pleasant, but I much preferred the Cedarville.
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2017 La Clarine Farm Mourvèdre Cedarville
USA, California, Sierra Foothills, El Dorado
Wow, the nose is a dead ringer for macerated strawberries. It's a super distinctive quality, but the nose is that distinctive. Eminently quaffable and delicious, with that sweet juicy quality really making this a tasty beverage.
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2016 La Clarine Farm Syrah Sumu Kaw Vineyard
USA, California, Sierra Foothills
As far as syrah goes, this definitely has the right bit of black pepper, but I found the palate a little more juicy and with less depth than I typically like. I think it's my predilection for classic Northern Rhone wines; there's something a little too glou-glou about this one.
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2015 Domaine des Pothiers Côte Roannaise Domaine
France, Loire Valley, Upper Loire, Côte Roannaise
The saccharine quality of gamay doesn't seem to manifest as intensely here, and gives way to some really cheerful and sweet red fruit. Juicy and tasty.
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2017 Domaine des Pothiers Côte Roannaise Numero Six
France, Loire Valley, Upper Loire, Côte Roannaise
Darker and more intense than the 2015 Domaine. Again, none of the saccharine quality of gamay (I only really picked it up on the pet nat), but some surprising tannin with black fruit.
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NV Domaine des Pothiers Côte Roannaise Eclipse
France, Loire Valley, Upper Loire, Côte Roannaise
Still a touch sweet, which is actually quite nice, since it coincides with some reduced alcohol and a general increase in drinkability. Seems almost like slightly fizzy and mildly alcoholic grape juice; there is a little bit of that gamay taste on the back end here though.
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2017 MicroBio Wines Afinador de Estrellas
Spain, Vino de Mesa
Whoa... more like fizzy dead yeast water here... don't get this at all.
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2017 MicroBio Wines Ser Vivo Diminuto
Spain, Vino de Mesa
From verdelho (don't know the natty wine spelling of the grape). Mildly fizzy, super high acid, and tons of dead yeast. Looks a bit like kombucha...
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2017 MicroBio Wines Correcaminos Rosé
Spain, Castilla y León, Vino de la Tierra de Castilla y León
Of the three Correcaminos, this was the only one that was mildly drinkable. A blend of tempranillo and verdelho. Comes across more like a sour beer than as wine, and if you close your eyes to the genre, it's almost ok. There's a touch of sweetness here that's kind of pleasant, but overall, still too much dead yeast for my taste.
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2016 MicroBio Wines Correcaminos
Spain, Castilla y León, Vino de la Tierra de Castilla y León
Sweet and kind of juicy. There's overall good acidity and freshness here, but there's a slight bit of a natty aftertaste on the back end, at least for me.
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2014 MicroBio Wines Tempranillo Sietejuntos
Spain, Castilla y León, Vino de la Tierra de Castilla y León
For my palate, too juicy. This seems like it's not quite finished vinifying yet, and there's a sort of bubbly lightness here that doesn't work with the more intense and black fruit of the grape. Tannic and a little confused as to what it should be.
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