Tried these two rancios over the last few weeks:
1. Terres des Templiers Rancio Sec Dry Amber Wine VdP: Cote Vermeille (Hors d'Age; GrenacheNoir; 16.5%; HausAlpenz; http://www.Alpenz.com; U/U; MeBalP) Banyuls sur Mer NV: Deep burnished bronze/golden brown color; very strong acetaldhyde/rancid/VA some earthy/dusty bit pencilly some alcoholic rather complex nose; very tart very acidic very astringent/bitter very aldehydic/rancio very austere complex w/ very astringent tannins; very long very aldehydic/astringent/bitter very tart bit dusty/earthy rancio complex finish w/ very astringent tannins; quite painful to taste on its own. $30.00 (CB)
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2. HarborWnry Calif Oloroso Criadera WW (22.4%; Palomino grape) WestSacramento NB: Very deep brown/oloroso sherry color; very piercing aldehydic high VA slight grapey some vanilla/pencilly/oak rather complex nose; very dry/austere (like fino sherry) extremely bitter/aldehydic bit alcoholic very astringent/austere slight grapey complex flavor w/ very bitter/astringent tannins; very long/lingering very dry/austere bitter/rancio/astringent/aldehydic rather oxidized/bit wet dog fur complex finish w/ very bitter/astringent tannins; fiercely austere and painful to taste. $39.00 (CB)
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A wee BloodyPulpit:
1. I was first introduced to rancio wines by DarrellCorti back in the late '70's when he imported a bunch of the rancios from deMueller in the Priorat. This was way back before the Priorat was "discovered" as the place to make old-vine Grenache over-extracted/over-oaked/over-the-top/high-alcohol reds. Then, the winemakers made a lot of rancios. Then they drove donkey carts to get around. Now, the rancio genre has almost disappeared and the vignerons drive Mercedes and BMW's. So sad.
Back then, the deMuellers were exceptional wines, very complex. I've not seen them imported for yrs.
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2. The story on the Harbor can be found in Darrell's newsletter:
HarborOloroso
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3. This rancio genre is not one that will appeal to many...or any. These two were extremely painful to taste on their owm. They absolutely must have food to accompany them and ameliorate the pain on the palate. Darrell's recomendation for Chinese food seem spot on. After tasting thru these two, I had them with a leftover samwich from DrFieldGoods Butcher Shop of smoked turkey/bacon, caramelized onions, and a slightly sweet green chili sauce. That seemed to work just fine.
Tom