After the stress of the NEB#8, I decided I could use a glass of wine...or two...or three:
1. TablasCreekVnyds Vermentino AdelaidaDist/PasoRobles (13.0%; Rolle; SS Ferment; EB) PasoRobles 2017: Med.light gold color; very fragrant pear/apple/slight mango/Vermentino/bit spicy light chalky/perfumed talc quite attractive nose; fairly tart/tangy light/bright/zippy spicy/apple/pear/Vermentino bit rich/lush light chalky/perfumed talc flavor; very long tart/tangy pear/mango/apple/spicy bright/crisp light chalky/perfumed talc/stony finish; a very pleasant/4-square expression of Vermentino; a pretty Vermentino at a great price. $21.25 (VIN)
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2. LaStoppa Trebbiolo Rosso IGT: Emilia Rosso Triple "A" (13.0%; 60% Barbera/40% Bonarda; LouisDressnerSlctns) Elena Pantaleoni/RiverGaro 2015: Dark color; rather grapey/slight black cherry/licorice/spicy fairly earthy/loamy rustic/coarse some volatile/EA nose; soft bit metallic/tangy rather earthy/loamy/coarse light grapey/licorice/black cherry some hot/volatile flavor w/ light coarse/rough tannins; med.long quite earthy/loamy/coarse bit grapey/licorice/black cherry quite coarse/rustic bit goaty/hot-climate/bretty finish w/ some tangy/coarse/rough tannins; a rather coarse/rustic peasant red that speaks only quietly of Barbera w/o the usual high-toned character. $20.00 (BayGrape)
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A wee BloodyPulpit:
1. Tablas: I thought this was quite a pretty wine. However, I suspect, like many TCV whites, it will put on weight and really evolve in to something special w/ 4-8 yrs of age.
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2. LaStoppa: This is an historic in Piacenza in the Emilia region of Italy. Originally planted in the late 1800's by a lawyer interesting mostly in Bdx varieties. By 1996, the new owners decided to abandon all the non-native grapes and focus strictly on local varieties: Barbera/Bonarda/Malvasia.
The vnyd is farmed organically and the wines are made "natural".
Tom