2006 Loosen Bros. Mosel-Saar-Ruwer Riesling Dr. L (Mosel-Saar-Ruwer, Germany) screwcap closure, 8.5% - imported to USA by Martignetti Companies of NG - appears golden, smell huge fragrant nose, honey and rocks, slight herbs on sweeter side, taste sweet entry, splash, splash, this tastes like drinking a waterfall, lots of lime, delicious and fun to drink, a bit heavier pear on the finish, but what a wonderful refreshing delight, fantastic wine for $10
2007 Finca La Linda (Luigi Bosca) Lujan de Cuyo Torrontés (Lujan de Cuyo, Mendoza, western Argentina) cork closure, 14.5% - imported to USA by William-Harrison Imports, Manassas, Virginia – my first Torrontés - appears pale straw with bit of greenness, smell banana-like, bit of mulled spice, rich and deep nose, bit of alcohol peeking through, mouthfeel only slightly viscous, taste rich banana, dry, but with rich deep fruit, some herbal, bit of alcohol coming through, but it doesn’t really hurt the experience, nonetheless this is a big big wine, lots of flavor and lots of oomph, it reminded me of the Falanghina I had recently which was another big wine, but this one seemed to pull off what the other didn’t for me, a fun wine in small doses to spread out over hours of drinking, at $10 I wouldn’t mind it putting it in the rotation again
2004 Barboursville Vineyards Virginia Cabernet Franc Reserve (Orange County, Central Region, Virginia, USA) cork closure, 13.5% – the nose on this one was weird, to the degree I can’t be sure there wasn’t something wrong with it, it was not offputting but kept making me pause to figure out what was going on with it, in any case it tasted quite good, so I think nothing was wrong, it had the characteristics of a very tart orange juice, but floating around within were all sorts of good savory elements and tasty spices that still made it very pleasant to drink, that being said, for me, it felt like it was in an awkward stage with better times both behind and ahead of it, interesting characteristics which I hadn’t noticed when I first drank it a couple of years ago were barely emerging as some of its youthful beauty had faded, it will be interesting to see where it goes from here, cost me $24
2006 Kellerei/Cantina Tramin Südtirol/Alto Adige Sauvingnon Montan (Alto Adige/Südtirol, Alto Adige-Trentino, northeastern Italy) cork closure, 13.5% - appears gold with green tinge, smell big fruity, little ammonia, more ripe orange fruit, mouthfeel viscous with obvious spice, taste full luscious fruit with spicy finish, delicious easy to drink fruit, loved it at first and it paired okay with grilled salmon, as it warmed however, the flavor profile became too heavy and too rich, half of a bottle of this would be enough for me
2006 Hans Wirsching Iphöfer Julius-Echter-Berg Silvaner Kabinett trocken (Franken, Germany) cork closure, 13.5% - appears deep gold, clear, tiny fizz of clingers, smell aromatic fruit, bright bit tropical, some dry intensity as well, mouthfeel slightly viscous, taste bright fresh, tangy on the edges, immediately welcoming, so bright, stony finish, bit of zip, didn't wear as well as many Silvaners I've had, but I enjoyed it quite a bit, especially with food
2003 Foradori Vigneti delle Dolomiti Granato IGT [Teroldego] (Vigneti delle Dolomiti IGT, Trentino-Alto Adige, northeastern Italy) cork closure, 14% – huge change between this one when I opened it and when I returned to the open bottle a full five days later when it was still drinking deliciously, appears intense purple, quite dark, smell smell fruit, hay honey, rich fruit, smell moves far in the direction of port by day 5, taste on first day was delicious but very, very firmly bound, to me it felt like drinking a tongue, slithery and finely tuned on edges yet bound up the middle as to be impenetrable, the fruit and mouthfeel were, however, amazing, by day five it had lightened up and was drinking deliciously with a cooling effect on the tongue, hay and curry, and rich rich fruit without being sweet, spicy and inviting, by day five however, the oak had become much more apparent, the wine is a beautiful thing but it feels like it might need 5 or more years to settle and integrate, fine stuff for 30 euro