Tried these two last night w/ dinner:
1. Celler Pinol PortalBlanc N.Sra Portal DO: TerraAlta (70% GarnachaBlanca/20% SauvBlanc/5% Viog/5% Macabeo; 13.5%; www.OleImports.com; PatrickMata/AlbertoOrte) Batea/Catalunya 2011: Light gold color; very attractive floral/carnations/honeysuckle/pear/peach/apple blossoms slight mineral/stoney quite high-toned/perfumed nose much like GB/Viog w/ little SB character; rather tart/metallic/tangy/grapefruity quite floral/carnations/peach/GB/honeysuckle fairly rich/textured/balanced light stony/mineral quite perfumey flavor; very long quite perfumey/carnations/floral/peach/apple blossoms light stony/mineral rather tart/clean/tangy/vibrant finish; speaks strongly of GB & Viog; a beautiful bright white at a great price. $14.39 (Prime/IlC)
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2. Buehler Zin NapaVlly (13%) 1987: Med.dark color w/ some browning; slight brett/horsecollar strong cedary/pencilly/old Zin bit earthy/HowellMtn slight blackberry/Zin complex/mature nose; soft rather cedary/pencilly/old Zin light toasty/smokey/oak slight leather/horsecollar/brett bit blackberry/Zin fairly smooth/elegant/polished complex flavor; med.long strong cedary/pencilly/old Zin bit earthy/HowellMtn light toasty/pencilly/oak very light blackberry/Zin complex finish w/ light/smooth/polished tannins;lost a lot of fruit but lovely old Zin character and still clings to life w/ a vengeance. $9.00
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And a wee BloodyPulpit:
1. PinolPortal: I hate...absolutely hate...wines like this. My typical MO at dinner is to cast about for what I should try for wine, crack that sucker open, taste it and take a TN (unless it's absolutely dullsville...then I don't bother), and then decide what to eat...usually around 9:00pm. As I cook away, I'll go back and try the wine again. Sometimes/occasionally the wine will be so good that I'll go back for another glass...and then another. All of a sudden, as dinner is about to mise en place, I'll glance at the btl and realize that sucker is almost drained. This was such a wine...hate it when that happens.
I belong to the Prima (WalnutCreek) IlConsorzio club. Once a month, I'll get a shipment of three, seasonally influenced, btls that Frank thinks are interesting and good values. Sometimes they leave me scratching my head wondering what the heck Frank was thinking on this wine. Mostly, they're good/pleasing wines that are interesting to try. And, occasionally, Frank hits it outta the park. This PinalPortal was just such a homerun.
Tom