WTN: Alto Adige SB, Yakima Merlot, Columbia Valley Organic Port

2006 Kellerei/Cantina Terlan Südtirol/Alto Adige Terlaner Sauvignon Winkl (Südtirol-Alto Adige Terlaner DOC, Trentino-Alto Adige, northeastern Italy) 13% – appears medium dark gold, super reflective, smell fresh interesting, apple/pear at first, after a couple of hours it moves toward more classic citrus, mouthfeel thick and viscous but still flows nicely, taste watery salt and lime on midpalate, beautiful long finish of playful yet rich and integrated spice, rather tame, not much acid, but no complaints at 9 euro a bottle. From producer: fermentation at controlled temperature in stainless steel vats; ageing and maturation on fine yeast for 8 months

2004 Chinook Yakima Valley Merlot (Yakima Valley, Columbia Valley, Washington, USA) 13% – appears see-through purple, bit hazy, smell bit of smoke, perhaps bacon, salty and savory, bit of chemical, taste background hint of barely perceptible fizz and perhaps volatile acidity, woodsy cherry, tartness, moves on quickly to really interesting garlic and green onion notes, I found this wine very different and very interesting, though I must admit the flavor profile was not something everyone would enjoy, I loved it as a wine that is rough around the edges but interesting and refreshing to drink, finishing the bottle was a pleasure for me, however $25 seemed a bit steep for what it was

2003 Badger Mountain NSA Columbia Valley Organic Port (Columbia Valley, Washington, USA) 18% – No Sulfites Added – appears intense black purple, bit see-through, bit cloudy, very viscous on sides of glass, smell tart skins, cinnamon, graham cracker, taste delicious prune, intense cranberry, gingerbread, freshly cooked spice, dense cool fruit, savory and spicy finish, nice stuff, certainly much better and fresher on day one than when I checked in again on day 3, good stuff for $18 for a 375 ml bottle. From producer: The concentration of fruit character at harvest of 25.5 Brix enabled me to use 100% Cabernet Franc for the wine. I chose fermentation in an open-top fermentor to give structure to the ripe berry fruit from this year's Cabernet Franc. To emphasize the desirable fruit qualities, I used Prise de Mousse yeast for fermentation. The fermentation was stopped by the addition of spirits at about 10% residual sugar, and put into French oak barrels for aging. This wine was bottled in July of 2006 after twenty-six months in barrels. 425 cases made

Was the Sauvignon really 'medium gold?' That sounds odd for the type.

Yes, that was pretty much what I recall. Not pale and no greenish tinges at all. But these are my scribblings and impressions . . . not exactly scientific in their veracity, I assure you . . .

I have had more arguments about the color of white wines that I would care to mention! One persons medium yellow is someone elses pale gold etc. I used to have trouble deciding but am getting better (after 40 yrs, wink).
Onion skin reflections is another eh.

2006 Kellerei/Cantina Terlan Südtirol/Alto Adige Terlaner Sauvignon Winkl (Südtirol-Alto Adige Terlaner DOC, Trentino-Alto Adige, northeastern Italy)

That's fine co-op. They never miss.

I have had more arguments about the color of white wines that I would care to mention! One persons medium yellow is someone elses pale gold etc. I used to have trouble deciding but am getting better (after 40 yrs, wink).

Indeed. And I actually find color the hardest thing to be precise about--but give me a few decades and I'll probably get my act together as well! But this wine did look a darker shade of gold that made it somewhat unusual to me for a SB--but things depend on the lighting, et cetera.

That's fine co-op. They never miss.

I agree completely. Though I am new to their wines, I have been and continue to be quite impressed. I opened up a bottle of Terlan's Weissburgunder last night (notes forthcoming) and noted a similar feature to the Sauvignon in that the wine took somewhere between 1 and 2 hours to really open up and strut its stuff--the change for both wines was amazing. Is this a common feature for Terlan's whites? I remember being told that they really craft their wines to last for the long haul and were pioneers in showing the potential for longevity for Terlaner area whites. I have rarely run into whites that are so young and need such a decant to open up. Is this a good sign for their aging potential?