Von Winning Pinot Noir Rosé 2017

On By optiontraderswinenotesIn Pinot Noir, RoséLeave a comment

2018-11-30 Von Winning Pinot Noir Rosé 2017.jpg

After drinking that Sprockets
White with the PN in it, I have
decided that…

Man cannot live by PN RED alone,
he must have sparkling/dry white and rosé.

I might have to start including
St. Gregory in my “conversations”,
but I’ll have to decide WHICH ONE.

(Saint, not conversation, don’t
be silly.)

St. Gregory: Why are you choking?
OTWN: I read that the northern CA
vineyards were at risk of being
incinerated.
SG: Heaven forbid.
OWTN: That’s what we said, but
the fires kept raging.
SG: Relax my son, your
heavenly Father knows what’s best.
OTWN: You mean like burning the PN
vines?.
SG: Don’t be silly.
OTWN (aside):
Maybe I, and my
imaginary readers and interlocutors
should stop accusing each other
of being silly.
SG: He’s probably recommending the
2005 Borgogne commune
wines if you’re on a budget.
OTWN: He knows me pretty well.
How about a bubbly?
SG: Now you’re talkin’ MY book
brother.
Hand me your flute.

I
WANT
A
MENDOCINO
BRUT ROSÉ
PN(/CHARD?)
BUBBLY
AND
I
WANT
IT
RIGHT
NOW.

Obviously, this wine is an
excellent libation.

It’s like drinking lipstick
in the most delicious way
imaginable.

In the lighter wines, the PN
perfume becomes flavor.

This is the second time recently
that I have come to this
“infusion conclusion”.

One good wine deserves another.

The wine is like a springboard
that offers you several ways to jump.

i.e. Bubbly white?, still white,
bubbly rosé, or still red.

Take a sip…

Try to imagine the bubbly playing
games with your tongue.

Try to image the white daring
you to find a soft fruit flavor
behind the veil of acidity.

Or try to imagine the red with
a hint of perfume and an
abundance of soft red fruit
flavor preserved with a
gentle splash of pucker potion.

For me, the answer is simple.

All of the above.

And for the uninitiated that
don’t get headaches easily…

Click to access nvsgbrutrose.pdf.pdf

No, I’m not drinking SG today.

I’m warming up.

Maybe tomorrow I can settle
down and pay attention to
THIS WINE.

Day Two…

Sorry, wine-induced
attention deficit disorder.

But, but, but, what about
the wine???

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l8D1c2QEuvI

Hang in there.

Johannes Zillinger Reflexion Lage Steinthal St. Laurent 2015

On By optiontraderswinenotesIn St. LaurentLeave a comment

2018-11-29 Zillinger Reflexion - Lage Steinthal Sankt Laurent 2015.jpg

This is a repeat because it’s
THE KIND OF WINE I LIKE.

That’s OK, but I wish there
were more dry red offerings
from this part of the world.

Zweigelt would be on the
top of the buy list.

The St.L is about as “bold” as
I can enjoy.

I’m not able to give a
“taste/flavor analysis” today
because this is one of those wines
that just simply tastes like “wine”.

(Why make an exception TODAY?)

Just drink it and enjoy it.

There ain’t no hair on it…

Serious?

Then read this…
http://wine.blisswineimports.com/winery/johannes-zillinger

and this…

http://wine.blisswineimports.com/wine/johannes-zillinger/steinhall-reflexion-st-laurent-2015

It’s a good thing I’m an
OLD (world) wine lover.

I guess.

Saint Peter: Look at me. I can’t
see your face.
OTWN: I grew up in the 60s.
SP: So. You’re bald now.
Quit pretending you have hair.
OTWN: I thought I would be
RESTORED here.
SP: You were born bald.
OTWN: I can’t win.
SP: What game do you think
we’re playing?
OTWN: Winner take all?
SP: What’s YOUR ante?
OTWN: I still have half of
this St. Laurent.
SP: WE win. Go stand in
the corner.

Hang in there.

High Pass Vineyard Willamette Sprockets White 2017

On By optiontraderswinenotesIn White BlendLeave a comment

2018-11-27 High Pass Vineyard Willamette Sprockets White 2017.jpg

This is going to be fun
because I don’t know what
kind of grapes I’m drinking.

The bottle shape indicates
Riesling, but I don’t KNOW yet.

The first sip contains the
honeycomb flavor, so that fits.

There’s a “harshness” that I’m
not familiar with. Especially
in Riesling.

Like stemmy tannins, but I’m
having trouble zeroing in on it.

I’m having Arborio rice fixed
with sauteed moth wings, shallots,
and chicken broth.

I’m a fan of this kind of rice
now that I was able to fix it
with the PROPER INGREDIENTS and
TO MY LIKING.

The wine is probably a wee bit
sweet for a dry wine lover, but
it’s “OK” with the rice.

Curiosity reigns…

You know, when I was “pondering”
what they might make this out of,
PN came to mind “for some reason”.

(When all else fails, deploy
Occam’s razor.)

But in a WHITE???

Look at this…

http://northamptonwineanddine.com/product/teutonic-sprockets-white-wine-2017-high-pass-vineyard-willamette-valley-oregon/
http://tedwardwines.com/producers/teutonic-wine-company

So, it was “reasonable” to question
whether Riesling was in there.

Also, check the reference to
“capsaicin”.

That could be the “harshness”
I’m detecting, but I would never
make the connection.

Day Two…

This wine is SIMPLY STUNNING.

A German-style white with just
a tiny bit of sweetness to balance
the gratuitous and appreciated acidity.

All the usual suspects in
the flavor department.

With each sip, you try to
find a fault, but none appears.

Nothing but pure pleasure.

Chef’s note: I cooked the
rice in a LOW and SLOW manner,
allowing the grains to FULLY
absorb the moisture and
seasoning flavors required
to make the rice EDIBLE.

Freaking delicious.

Saint Peter: You’re out of
breath. What happened?
OTWN: I was running away
from a rice stampede and…
SP: Did it catch you?
OTWN: Yes, I tripped and
was instantly covered by a
mountain of cereal grain.
SP: You’re lucky it wasn’t
potatoes.
OTWN: Lovely, but I’m dead
and my favorite wine is
buried under the rice.
SP: You can’t have everything.
OTWN: But I’m dead now.
SP: Hand me your glass.
OTWN: Hey, that’s my Sprockets!
SP: Possessive you are.
OWTN: Gimme that bottle.
I’ll pour YOU some if you’re good.
SP: I was just going to admit you.
OTWN: Hand me your glass.

Let’s not put this one to
bed without “researching”
the Huxelrebe grape…

https://www.germanwines.de/knowledge/grape-varieties/white-grapes/huxelrebe/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Huxelrebe

Was that helpful?

Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz.

And there’s this from
Her Majesty…

https://www.jancisrobinson.com/learn/grape-varieties/white/huxelrebe

Emily Litella says that
this grape tastes like Muskrats.

Say what?

So, in trying to make sense of this
“education” we have to back to…

“Therefore, the vineyard sites Teutonic
sources its fruit in Oregon are
located in cooler areas and at
HIGHER ELEVATIONS.”

Oh yeah.

Gimme some o’ dat…

I don’t wanna say goodbye…

Hang in there.

Lo-Fi Santa Barbara Gamay Noir 2017

On By optiontraderswinenotesIn GamayLeave a comment

2018-11-25 Lo-Fi Santa Barbara Gamay Noir 2017.jpg

When I put this into the
wine cooler I remember thinking
WTH???

When I re-arranged the cooler
after “absorbing” the $100 UnderDog
case I saw it again and remember
thinking WTH???

When I picked it out to drink
today I remember thinking WTH???

As I’m enjoying this wine
today it finally occurred to me
to actually look at the label
A LITTLE CLOSER.

Holy Moly.

Santa Barbara.

Buelton.

Gamay Noir.

How divinely inspired and
indescribably delicious is that?

Before I looked, I assumed that
I was drinking SOMETHING from
Borgogne, but just outside of
an officially designated area.

This is an unexpected pleasure
for ME.

Paleness pushing rose.

A fruity flavor that dares
you to encounter sweetness.

I’ll guess that this one has
spent some time in oak to tame
some of that “freshness”.

See the specs here…

2017 Gamay Noir (Santa Barbara County)

It’s an excellent balance.

The wine is tart and smooth
with each sip.

The low (12%) ALC tempts
me to enjoy for a longer
time/volume than I normally
would at one sitting.

Lest you disremember…

Buelton is one of the
points in the MAGIC triangle
or trapezoid that is
located in Santa Barbara
and it should be
no surprise that an excellent
Gamay Noir comes from this
area since the grape of note
heretofore for me is Pinot Noir.

(Buelleton, Solvang, Santa Ynez, Los Olivos)
https://www.google.com/maps/@34.5952392,-120.1320221,11.5z?hl=en

But I AM surprised.

This is my first GN grown
outside of France as far as
I can remember.

Looking at Wikipedia…

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gamay

…one is left drooling
and pining for an Oregon offering.

This note ends abruptly because
I was totally distracted by
the wine AND OTHER THINGS.

I just wish I could remember
to try this one again.

Let me see…

Sommelier: If I were you, I
would try this SoCal Gamay Noir.
OTWN: But you ain’t me.
Sommelier: You should try it
no matter who I am.
OTWN: What if you’re not really
a Sommelier?
Sommelier: Look, just try this
GN. It’s freaking good.
OTWN: It’s not French.
Sommelier: It’s better than
French.
OTWN: That doesn’t make sense.
Sommelier: I’m a wine expert dude,
not a logician.
OTWN: Prove it.

Hang in there.

Cieck Erbaluce di Caluso 2016

On By optiontraderswinenotesIn ErbaluceLeave a comment

2018-11-23 Cieck Erbaluce 2016.jpg

This is all I can ask of
a white wine from Northern Italy.

Maybe I get tired trying to
describe the wine.

Maybe I don’t know how.

But I DO know how to enjoy it.

This PARTICULAR wine is “different”
for several reasons, but I’ll focus
on two obvious ones.

The Grape

http://www.cieck.it/en/white/erbaluce-di-caluso-doc-eng.html

The Location/Region

https://www.wine-searcher.com/regions-erbaluce+di+caluso

Saint Peter: It looks like you
died penniless and destitute.
What happened?
OTWN: I started taking Barbaresco
baths and then the money ran out.
SP: What about the lovely white
wines we afforded you.
OWTN: They didn’t get me clean
and I didn’t smell as good after bathing.
SP: I would tell you to go stand
in the corner but I’m afraid that
you would scare everybody.
YOU’RE PURPLE!

Other that the fact that this
wine is “perfect”, one observation
is that there is the SLIGHTEST
honeycomb flavor in it.

Or maybe it’s extra virgin olive
oil.

Or tropical fruit.

Or citrus.

So clean and crisp.

What’s that “green” thing
I’m tasting?

Like that.

Perfect.

This wine was consumed
with the Thanksgiving leftovers.

Can’t be bad.

Hang in there.

Ver Sacrum Monastrell Chacayes 2016

On By optiontraderswinenotesIn MonastrellLeave a comment

2018-11-20 Ver Sacrum Monastrell Chacayes 2016.jpg

Saint Peter: All you ever do
is try to be silly by including
me in your wine notes. Stop it.
OTWN: I can’t find any one else
WORTHY of ridicule.
SP: How about politicians, economists,
spiritual leaders and charlatans?
OTWN: They’re not worthy.
SP: CEOs, bankers, FOMC members,
sommeliers?
OTWN: Not worthy.
SP: Then I’m honored.
OTWN: You can thank the Catholics.

This has to be the best
“surprise to the upside” wine
that I have ever had.

I had to double check the
bottle label to be sure that
this is a RED and not rosé.

I MAY HAVE had a PN that was this
pale but this is much more
insanely wonderful.

This is like sweet rose water,
only it’s not sweet.

Crisp and tart with maybe
SOME tannins.

My guess is that IF it spent time
in oak, it was a brief time and the
oak was quite old.

I’ll try to check this out.

Meanwhile, the “PN perfume” that
I love becomes a FLAVOR in this wine.

Flummoxification.

Saint Peter: What happened to YOU?
OTWN: My head came off.
SP: How?
OTWN: I tried the ARG Monastrell
and before I knew it…
SP: Say no more. Say no more.
OTWN: Huh?
SP: If you don’t mind having a NDE,
we can screw it back on and send you back
to Earth.
OTWN: Can I take that case of
Ver Sacrum with me?
SP: Sure, sign here.
OTWN: A CONTRACT?
SP: What option do we have?
OTWN: Let me check your…

Day Two…..

If I didn’t know better, I would
accept that this wine was
high-altitude-
or-otherwise-stressed PN.

But REALLY GOOD.

I’m spellbound.

GOD: You have defied me and
tasted of the grape.
EVE: I wasn’t thinking.
G: I’ll have to think up
an appropriate punishment.
E: How about marriage?
G: Great, I’ve created a
comedienne.
E: Just kidding. Do you want
his rib back?
G: Stop it. I’m thinking
about making you drink fermented
grain.
E: Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!
G: OK. I’ll save that for later.
E: So what then?
G: Let’s drink this Monastrell and
be friends. Call Adam.
E: He’s busy.
G: Doing what?
E: He was listening to the snake
when I left him. I told him to not
come home until the snake quit
talking.
G: Good Heavens!
E: That’s what I told him,
but he’s hardheaded.
Are you going to pour or what?
G (aside): Poor Adam.
E: I heard that.
G: Jesus save me.
E: Save that for later too.
Pour already.
I gave the snake only a
few talking points.

DID I MENTION THAT THIS
WINE IS INSANELY GOOD???

Saint Peter: You are charged
with making fun of our “creation”.
How do you plead?
OTWN: Patuxently.
SP: You’re headed for trouble.
OTWN: I bought CORNER INSURANCE.
SP: Let me see your contract.
OTWN: Here.
SP: Ah yes, you’re covered.
Follow the signs to the 45th
parallel. You’ll find EVE doing
her stand up routine and
serving Monastrell.
OTWN: Great. Hang in there.
SP: Say what?
OTWN: I’m sorry. Have a nice day.
OTWN (aside): Saints!
SP: I heard that.
OTWN: God bless ’em.
SP: Thank you brother.
OTWN: Maybe WE should team up
and serve Monastrell.
SP: Don’t be silly.
OTWN: I’ll need instructions
for that.

One incarnation later…

Saint Peter: OMG, it looks like
you starved to death!
OTWN: I did.
SP: What happened?
OTWN: I became a vegetarian.
SP: What did you eat?
OTWN: Wine.
SP: Didn’t you know that you
needed solid food?
OTWN: Yes, but the corks were
indigestible.
SP: Well, the good news is that
you don’t need ANY nourishment now.
OTWN: Wait a minute!
SP: It’s OK, libations are
considered “spiritual” here.
OTWN: Thank Heavens!
SP: That’s the point.

If you are still reading this
“missive” then EITHER you
are a really silly person OR
you REALLY LIKE WINE and are
interested in SOMETHING DIFFERENT.

READ THIS…

https://www.brazoswine.com/wine/ver-sacrum-monastrell-chacayes-2016

C-O-N-C-R-E-T-E E-G-G
A-N-D N-O O-A-K

How divinely inspired is that?

Hang in there.

Domaines Sumeire Les Nageurs Rosé Cotes de Provence 2017

On By optiontraderswinenotesIn RoséLeave a comment

2018-11-18 Domaines Sumeire Les Nageurs Rosé Cotes de Provence 2017.jpg

I assume that the winemakers were
fish in a previous incarnation.

Due to circumstances beyond
my control, my brain hurts
and I haven’t even started
to drink this morning.

I decided that today was a good
day for ANOTHER rosé, opened the cooler,
and discovered THIS WINE.

Just a few days ago I was “daydreaming”
about about Provence rosé as I drank
that SA Cinsault rosé.

Unbelievable.

I didn’t know I had this one.

My wish was for something
“a little drier” than the
SA wine.

Check.

As “luck” would have it, this wine
has a respectable amount of
Cinsault in it.

https://www.elixirwinegroup.com/france-1/domaines-sumeire-2017-rose

In a nutcase, the wine is just
STUNNING.

Every rosé that I drink reduces
my tolerance for BOLD reds.

I don’t like being “confined” but
that’s just the way it is.

Maybe the middle is “more comfy”
than the extremes.

BOLD whites.
PALE reds.
ALL rosés.

And a light meal.

How delicious is that?

Quite.

Y mañana, lo mismo.

Hang in there.

La Rioja Alta “Viña Alberdi” Reserva Rioja 2011

On By optiontraderswinenotesIn RiojaLeave a comment

2018-11-16 La Rioja Alta Viña Alberdi Reserva Rioja 2011.jpg

Saint Peter: You look sad.
OTWN: I’m dead DUDE.
SP: What was your top card?
OTWN: Queen of Hearts.
SP: Normally that’s good.
OTWN: I traded it away.
SP: Go stand in the corner.
OTWN: But they’re drinking Rioja
over there.
SP: It’s all you can drink, no cover.
OTWN: Jumpin’ Jehoshaphat!
SP: Not again?

I TRY to avoid the OAK, but
it’s HARD.

I should NEVER take home a
RESERVA no matter what the
experts say.

It’s just me.

The wine is wonderful.

I just don’t need no stinkin’ OAK.

Now that I’m thinking about it,
I would like to taste some
Rioja Nouveau.

I would miss the vanilla, but
at least I could taste the wine.

This one is “tolerable” in the
OAK department and “pleasurable”
in the VANILLA department.

I’m having trouble “sensing” the
wine because it is SO GOOD.

Dark red fruit.

Silky smooth vanilla.

Just enough OAK to get your
attention.

A favorite in purgatory.

I would never drink another
Rioja if it weren’t for the fact
that I won’t quit till I find
one that hits my bull’s-eye.

Saint Peter: You’re sober, what happened?
OTWN: I found the perfect Rioja.
SP: Really? I thought you were born after
HIS time.
OTWN: I was, another earthling made it.
SP: So why didn’t you continue drinking
other wines?
OTWN: I died when I took my first sip
of the perfect Rioja.
SP: Have you been talking to The Devil?
OTWN: How would I know?
SP: Well he’s… Oh, just go stand in
the corner.
OTWN: But I’m sober!
SP: Here, take this Crianza. It’s
not OAKy enough for US.
OTWN: Oh-oh.

Hang in there.

Radley & Finch Summer Sessions Cinsault Rosé 2018

On By optiontraderswinenotesIn Cinsault, Rosé, UncategorizedLeave a comment

2018-11-14 Radley & Finch Summer Sessions Cinsault Rosé 2018.jpg

I’m tasting the grapefruit-
honey-almond thing in this
one I think.

I can never remember the ingredients,
but this reminds me of a Scorpion mixed drink.

The goofy label and the fact
that this comes from SA had me
skeptical that this would be
“good enough”.

It’s good enough.

Delicious in fact.

The ALC is way down there at a
dancing-in-the-street 12% so
I assumed that there might be a
little sugar in there.

Maybe, but it doesn’t distract.

I’m pretty sure that this is
my first Cinsault rosé.

Now I’m wondering if “The French”
might make Cinsault rosé and if it might
be “drier”.

Let’s see what we can find in
“The Languedoc”.

OK, so that was a “no-brainer”.

Now I have something SPECIFIC
to shop for.

If I can remember.

Wife: Are you talking to yourself
again?
OTWN: No, Binks is channeling
a South African Sommelier.
W: You shouldn’t keep listening
to that dead Weimaraner.
OTWN: But she has great insights.
W: Like what?
OTWN: Like shopping for rosé
in Provence.
W: I’m already packed.

I should be able to remember this now.

Right Binks?

Hang in there.

P.S.

As it turns out, just four days
after drinking this wine, I had
a Provence rosé that I didn’t know
I had in the cooler when I was
drinking this one.

Pretty nice.

Brokenwood Semillon Hunter Valley 2015

On By optiontraderswinenotesIn SemillonLeave a comment

2018-11-09 Brokenwood Semillon Hunter Valley 2015.jpg

This one doesn’t have
much of that “oiliness”
that I associate with
Semillon.

The sensation is more
like a “smoothness”.

And it doesn’t get in the
way of that wonderful
citrus acidity.

Since this wine has a
10.5% ALC level, I wonder
if they “pick the grapes
early” or something.

I’ll have to study up
on Hunter Valley.

This will do…

https://www.wineaustralia.com/what-s-happening/stories-of-australian-wine/december-2016/australian-semillon-the-sleeping-giant-of-australian-wine

One amazing THING that I’m
experiencing in this one
is the “subtleness of flavor”.

There’s plenty of flavor.

It just doesn’t bash you
over the head.

Pick your flavor quality.

You’ll probably find it here.

Amazing.

Maybe this is the ultimate
“chameleon wine”.

2018-11-09 Semillon Chameleon.jpg

Hang in there.