Amador County, CA
Tasted Saturday, December 20, 2008 by RajivAyyangar with 409 views
Went tasting with my dad and a good family friend. It was fun to be out tasting with them, despite the quality of the wines. The best part of all was when my dad started picking up on oxidization, barnyard aromas, and oak. There was definitely a problem with oxidization - 5-6 bottles amongst the three wineries. Pretty soon, my dad was noticing it before I did!
The people were friendly and open. The tastings were free. But these were some pretty humble wines indeed. Off-flavors and over-done sawdusty oak spoke of clumsy winemaking, with cheap shortcuts such as oak chip "teabags." High levels of pyrazines and generally thin extraction spoke of poor vineyard management. To reach a wider audience, these vintners should seriously consider reducing the scope of their efforts (each winery had 10-20 different releases) to varietals that do well in the terroir. Most importantly, they need to start growing better grapes.
2007 Montevina Pinot Grigio 50 Points
USA, California
Super light color. Tight nose with a teensy bit of melon. Med- sweet in the mouth, med acid, med- bitterness, faint honeyed quality. meh.
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2007 Terra d'Oro Winery Pinot Grigio 50 Points
USA, California, Central Coast, Santa Barbara County
No better than the regular pinot grigio. No specific tasting notes.
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2007 Montevina Chardonnay 50 Points
USA, California
Watery and bitter.
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2006 Montevina Barbera Skyland Ridge 50 Points
USA, California, Sierra Foothills, Amador County
med+ acid. OAK.
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2006 Terra d'Oro Winery Barbera 50 Points
USA, California, Sierra Foothills, Amador County
OAK
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2006 Terra d'Oro Winery Sangiovese 50 Points
USA, California, Sierra Foothills, Amador County
Smells strongly fecal, with ridiculous OAK sawdust and other off flavors.
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2005 Terra d'Oro Winery Zinfandel Flawed
USA, California, Sierra Foothills, Amador County
Oxidized
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NV Montevina Zinfandel Port 50 Points
USA, California, Sierra Foothills, Amador County
Sweet, oaky, weird nose.
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