Tried these two at dinner last night:
1. Ryme Vermentino "His" LasBrisasVnyd/Carneros/SonomaCnty (12.4%) 2015: Deep golden/burnished bronze color; very strong honeryed/orangey slight floral/gardenias/Vermen some resiny/phenolic/VM slight piney/musky/herbal/pungent Kansas hay mow quite complex lovely nose; fairly tart/tangy quite orangey/honeyed almost orange muscat passito some VM/resiny/phenolic some Verm/floral/gardenias bit musky/herbal quite complex flavor w/ slight tannic bite; very long/lingering quite honeyed/orangey some VM/phenolic/resiny quite complex finish; developing beautifully into a complex/mature VM w/ that honeyed/orangey character; the VM character is starting to fade into the background & not nearly as much hard/austere character it showed in its youth on release; probably will go on for another 5-10 yrs; a beautiful VM that speaks quietly of Vermention.
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2. Ch.Lascaux Garrigue AOC: Languedoc (14%; 60% Syrah/30% Grenache/10% Mourvedre; www.Chateau-Lascaux.com; MontaigneImprts/SanFrancisco) J.B.Cavaliero/Vacquieres/PicStLoup 2019: Very dark color; strong blackberry/Syrah/bit boysenberry/ripe some earthy/loamy rather rustic bit toasty/oak bit Rhonish/roasted attractive nose; lightly tart fairly strong blackberry/Syrah/ripe rather earthy/loamy/rustic/coarse light toasty/oak pretty classic rustic Languedoc red flavor w/ some rough/chewey tannins; very long some blackberry/Syrah/strawberry/Grenache fairly earthy/loamy/rustic finish w/ ample rough tannins; a pretty classic rough/rustic Languedoc red @ a very good price. $14.40 (PrimaIlC)/$18.00
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A wee BloodyPulpit:
1. Ryan & Megan Glaab consistently make (well..Ryan does) some of my favorite ViniMacerati in all Calif. They seem to always strike a good balance between fruit & VM character. They can be a bit austere/hard/severe in their youth, but they consistently age wonderfully. When it comes to VM, they seem to have mastered the technique.
Tom