Monday night Blinds at Nopa 4 (with KF)

I unfortunately glimpsed a burgundy-shaped magnum that I thought I’d be poured. The label design seemed like new-world pinot. I tried not to prejudice myself, but I really was leaning hard towards new-world pinot, especially once I saw the light color.

Sensory-wise, I might have missed some oak signs on the nose of the Nebbiolo. I definitely mis-called the tannins due to leaning towards Pinot. Really, thought, my error was in reasoning.

• 2013 Birichino Malvasia Bianca 80 Points

  USA, California, Central Coast, Monterey

  Summary:
  This is pretty good in aromatics and really not bad in structure. My preference is for a bit more secondary aromatics and more structure, less sweetness.
  Score: For me - around 8.
  
  Visual
  clear, day-bright.
  pale straw with reflections of green and gold, medium minus concentration.
  No gas or sediment.
  Moderate viscosity.
  
  [slight RS - just a kiss of sweetness]
  
  Nose
  Moderate plus intensity, clean.
  Terpenes, ripe peach, lychees (in syrup).
  Grapefruit, hint of floral tones.
  Youthful.
  Low complexity.
  
  Palate
  Medium plus body.
  Medium plus alcohol.
  Again lychees (small, ripe), ripe peach.
  No evidence of oak
  Medium acid
  A hint of phenolic bitterness.
  Balanced,
  Low + complexity
  medium + finish.
  
  Initial conclusions
  Based on the alcohol and acidity and lack of non-fruit secondaries, this is a New World style wine from a moderate climate.
  
  Possible varietals are:
  Gewurztraminer (I’m leaning here because of the strong lychee terpenic element and structure.
  Pinot Gris (I’d expect less aromatics and more phenolic bitterness).
  Riesling (alcohol is too high, acid too low)
  Chenin Blanc (acid too low)
  
  Final Conclusion
  I think this is a Gewurztraminer, from Oregon, 2013 vintage.
  
  Actual
  Malvasia Bianca
  Monterey, CA
  Birichino
  2013
  $16
  
  "Our sixth vintage under our label, this marks the second consecutive year we have sourced Malvasia from the more focused, precise and rockier block a bit further west up against the Santa Lucia Mountains. Here, the soil is a little poorer, the aromatics a shade more finely wrought.” - Producer Website
  
  Discussion:
  I feel pretty decent about this - It was a new-world style, and I couldn’t find the structure or secondaries to send it to Old World or even borderline New/Old. This was as much a structure call as an aromatics call.

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• 2009 Antichi Vigneti di Cantalupo Colline Novaresi Agamium 85 Points

  Italy, Piedmont, Northern Piedmont, Colline Novaresi

  Summary:
  This is pretty good. Tannins are a bit wood-like (not the grippy, polished tannin structure I really enjoy in Barolo). On the nose, the fruit is present and jammy. Definitely balanced.
  Score: For me, around 8.5.
  
  Visual
  Clear, bright.
  Medium red, with slight garnet at the rim and low plus concentration of color.
  No gas or sediment.
  Moderate tears.
  
  Nose
  Moderate intensity.
  Clean-ish - slight oxidation.
  Jammy strawberry preserve - solid dose of fruit.
  Slight earth on the back end.
  A faint sulfur/rubber/reductive note.
  More raspberry jam and a hint of savoriness.
  Developing.
  Moderate minus complexity.
  
  Palate
  Medium body, medium plus alcohol. [definitely hot]
  Medium plus acid, medium minus tannins. [This was a bad sensory call due to my leaning towards pinot - clearly moderate plus to high tannins]
  Confirming the red raspberry, strawberry preserves. Slight dusty wood, maybe a small amount of oak.
  Balanced,
  L+ complexity,
  Moderate minus finish.
  
  Initial conclusion
  This is a New World style wine from a moderate-cool climate.
  Possible varietals are: Pinot, Nebbiolo (too low alcohol), Barbera?
  Age range - 3-8 years based on the oxidization.
  
  Final conclusion
  Pinot Noir, Sonoma, 2011
  
  Actual
  Nebbiolo
  Piedmont > Colline Novaresi
  Cantalupo "agamium"
  2009
  
  "Grapes were destemmed and then delicately pressed. The skins were left to soak for a relatively short period and once the malolactic fermentation was complete the wine was transferred to small 9 hl. caskets until Autumn. Afterwards refined in bottles stored horizontally."
  
  Alcohol: 13% Vol.
  total acidity: 6.2 g/l
  volatile acidity: 0.6 g/l
  pH: 3.38
  dry extract: 29.5 g/l
  - Producer Website
  
  Discussion
  This is hilariously bad. I glimpsed a bottle of what looked like a pinot noir magnum and thought it was pinot. I told myself it could be anything, and that they might not even pour the magnum, but I didn’t succeed in de-prejudicing myself.
  
  I missed all the signs, and even played down the clearly elevated tannins, slight oxidization, garnet color. Wow. An exercise on how having a prejudice can totally cause you to go down the wrong road. I had all these signs pulling me in the other direction!

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