France, Southwest France, Gascony, Côtes de Gascogne
45% Ugni blanc, 35% Colombard, & 10% ea Sauvignon & Gros Manseng from vines ave 20 yrs old; "Destemming of the grapes occurs during harvest, mechanically. Grapes are then transported in air-tight tanks to the facility. The grapes go through maceration with skin-contact for 8-12 hrs into temp-controlled pneumatic presses. The freshly pressed juices are matured on fine lees at a low, cool temp. The wine is kept in cold storage until bottling in tanks at -2°C (28.4°F) to preserve the wines’ freshness. Bottling only occurs upon order to ensure optimal fruitiness & crispness all year long."
N: Fragrant lemons & grass (?) with minerals underneath
P: Med body; Very RNDISH entry with NICE, ALMOST swtish frt (approaching threshold R.S.?) met by an elegant acidity which leads the way into & through the LONG, balanced, TANGY/swt (60:40) finish. Should be awesome with lighter fare, &, at least for acidophiles, doable as a quaff. An impressive wine @ this price pt for now & into, poss through, '21. My EXC-, arguably EXC *if* one puts emphasis upon QPR. "Highly Rec" from The Wine Curmudgeon, 6/7/19. [This vendor's $7.50 is $1.50 < the lowest of wine-searcher's currently limited but SKEWED postings.]
Cf. the CellarTracker Article link [lower lft] to get specific info for this vintage, including acclaim.
N: Butter, spice, but within reason; Hints of lemons?
P: Med, poss MF, body; Very RNDISH entry with NICE, ALMOST swtish OAK/frt counterbalanced by an acidity which becomes the face of the wht wine as it evolves into a LONG, balanced finish with a very, VERY slight bitterness that shouldn't be an issue, at least right now. Nonetheless, I'd likely not wait past '20 to drink this food friendly style -- in order to rule out a potential spike in the bitterness. My VG+/EXC-. [Check with this vendor if interested in their very COMPETITIVE price.]
N: Slightly closed; Grapes/flowers with notes of minerals
P: Med bod; Very RNDISH entry with NICE, ALMOST swtish frt (approaching threshold R.S.) met by an acidity which morphs into a LONG, very, VERY slightly bitterish, tangy/swt finish. While the bitterness MIGHT help it with food, overall it's a detractor for me. My G+/VG- (82-85/100 using that metric), though I *can* see one going higher IF considering the QPR of this vendor's (close-out?) pricing. [DO check with this vendor if interested in their *very* COMPETITIVE price!]
New Zealand, North Island, Wairarapa, Martinborough
“Harvested 4/8/13; Aged 10 mos in 100% FR oak barrels; 967 cases produced.”
N: RIPE wild straws, POSS cherry cola with undertones of forest floor, poss toast? Intensity lurking?
P: MF body; RNDISH entry with NICE, ALMOST swtish frt (approaching threshold R.S.?) met by a BIT of astringent pucker which stays in contact with the init swtness/frt as it fairly seamlessly morphs into a LONG, balanced finish with a bitter/swtness (55:45) to the few, firming, dusty tannins. Not a "shy" style, though with considerable var character for the price. Drink now & into '22. 13.9% ABV; My EXC-, plausibly higher IF one takes into consideration the QPR of this "bigger", yet still reasonably varietal P.N. 91 pts Suckling; [Check with this vendor if interested in their *very* COMPETITIVE price.]
Likely, 100% Garnacha de Aragón, the world's oldest Grenache clone, vines planted between 1900 and 1940 in dry-farmed, non-terraced, mtn vyds with Cambrian-Silurian slate and quartz soils, partially covered by a thin layer of calcareous Mesozoic soil. "Hand-harvested and stored in small 20 kg boxes. Primary fermentation takes place in 2.5-5 T open top fermenters. The wine is transferred to [neutral] FR oak puncheons & demi-muids (500-600 L barrels, respectively) for malolactic fermentation & ageing," typically for "18 mos sur lie iin their FR oak puncheons & demi-muids with battonage."
N: RIPE beries with notes of garrigue; Intensity lurking?
P: Med, poss MF, body; RNDISH entry with NICE, ALMOST swtish frt (approaching threshold R.S.?) met by an astringent pucker which stays in contact with the init frt as it fairly seamlessly works its way into & through a LONG, balanced finish with a tangy/swtness to the DUSTY tannins. While this MIGHT work now with HEARTY fare, it deserves/NEEDS through '21, then drinking into '25? VERY nicely done! 15.5% ABV; My EXC-/EXC, the higher arguably for QPR, particularly for something cellarworthy. 91 pts Dunnuck & 90 Suckling; [This vendor's $11.95 is now as good as anyone on wine-searcher.]
Note: Also tasted on 5/18 & 8/10/19 (2x), when, for whatever reason, I found it > approachable than I did today.
2018 Domaine du Tariquet Côtes de Gascogne Classic
France, Southwest France, Gascony, Côtes de Gascogne
45% Ugni blanc, 35% Colombard, & 10% ea Sauvignon & Gros Manseng from vines ave 20 yrs old; "Destemming of the grapes occurs during harvest, mechanically. Grapes are then transported in air-tight tanks to the facility. The grapes go through maceration with skin-contact for 8-12 hrs into temp-controlled pneumatic presses. The freshly pressed juices are matured on fine lees at a low, cool temp. The wine is kept in cold storage until bottling in tanks at -2°C (28.4°F) to preserve the wines’ freshness. Bottling only occurs upon order to ensure optimal fruitiness & crispness all year long."
N: Fragrant lemons & grass (?) with minerals underneath
P: Med body; Very RNDISH entry with NICE, ALMOST swtish frt (approaching threshold R.S.?) met by an elegant acidity which leads the way into & through the LONG, balanced, TANGY/swt (60:40) finish. Should be awesome with lighter fare, &, at least for acidophiles, doable as a quaff. An impressive wine @ this price pt for now & into, poss through, '21. My EXC-, arguably EXC *if* one puts emphasis upon QPR. "Highly Rec" from The Wine Curmudgeon, 6/7/19. [This vendor's $7.50 is $1.50 < the lowest of wine-searcher's currently limited but SKEWED postings.]
Note: 1st tasted on 6/22/19
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2018 La Crema Chardonnay Sonoma Coast
USA, California, Sonoma County, Sonoma Coast
Cf. the CellarTracker Article link [lower lft] to get specific info for this vintage, including acclaim.
N: Butter, spice, but within reason; Hints of lemons?
P: Med, poss MF, body; Very RNDISH entry with NICE, ALMOST swtish OAK/frt counterbalanced by an acidity which becomes the face of the wht wine as it evolves into a LONG, balanced finish with a very, VERY slight bitterness that shouldn't be an issue, at least right now. Nonetheless, I'd likely not wait past '20 to drink this food friendly style -- in order to rule out a potential spike in the bitterness. My VG+/EXC-. [Check with this vendor if interested in their very COMPETITIVE price.]
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2018 Torres Catalunya De Casta Rosado
Spain, Catalunya
N: Slightly closed; Grapes/flowers with notes of minerals
P: Med bod; Very RNDISH entry with NICE, ALMOST swtish frt (approaching threshold R.S.) met by an acidity which morphs into a LONG, very, VERY slightly bitterish, tangy/swt finish. While the bitterness MIGHT help it with food, overall it's a detractor for me. My G+/VG- (82-85/100 using that metric), though I *can* see one going higher IF considering the QPR of this vendor's (close-out?) pricing. [DO check with this vendor if interested in their *very* COMPETITIVE price!]
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2013 Cobblestone Pinot Noir Te Muna
New Zealand, North Island, Wairarapa, Martinborough
“Harvested 4/8/13; Aged 10 mos in 100% FR oak barrels; 967 cases produced.”
N: RIPE wild straws, POSS cherry cola with undertones of forest floor, poss toast? Intensity lurking?
P: MF body; RNDISH entry with NICE, ALMOST swtish frt (approaching threshold R.S.?) met by a BIT of astringent pucker which stays in contact with the init swtness/frt as it fairly seamlessly morphs into a LONG, balanced finish with a bitter/swtness (55:45) to the few, firming, dusty tannins. Not a "shy" style, though with considerable var character for the price. Drink now & into '22. 13.9% ABV; My EXC-, plausibly higher IF one takes into consideration the QPR of this "bigger", yet still reasonably varietal P.N. 91 pts Suckling; [Check with this vendor if interested in their *very* COMPETITIVE price.]
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2016 Bodegas Breca Garnacha Breca
Spain, Aragón, Calatayud
Likely, 100% Garnacha de Aragón, the world's oldest Grenache clone, vines planted between 1900 and 1940 in dry-farmed, non-terraced, mtn vyds with Cambrian-Silurian slate and quartz soils, partially covered by a thin layer of calcareous Mesozoic soil. "Hand-harvested and stored in small 20 kg boxes. Primary fermentation takes place in 2.5-5 T open top fermenters. The wine is transferred to [neutral] FR oak puncheons & demi-muids (500-600 L barrels, respectively) for malolactic fermentation & ageing," typically for "18 mos sur lie iin their FR oak puncheons & demi-muids with battonage."
N: RIPE beries with notes of garrigue; Intensity lurking?
P: Med, poss MF, body; RNDISH entry with NICE, ALMOST swtish frt (approaching threshold R.S.?) met by an astringent pucker which stays in contact with the init frt as it fairly seamlessly works its way into & through a LONG, balanced finish with a tangy/swtness to the DUSTY tannins. While this MIGHT work now with HEARTY fare, it deserves/NEEDS through '21, then drinking into '25? VERY nicely done! 15.5% ABV; My EXC-/EXC, the higher arguably for QPR, particularly for something cellarworthy. 91 pts Dunnuck & 90 Suckling; [This vendor's $11.95 is now as good as anyone on wine-searcher.]
Note: Also tasted on 5/18 & 8/10/19 (2x), when, for whatever reason, I found it > approachable than I did today.
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