Happy Halloween Happening Now Tasting: Granny's Precious

 

Like in the previous years I'd like to indulge my tongue with straight forward palatal confrontations in Happening Now style! This year with a little selection straight out of Granny's cellar! Let's just survive ... my tongue, I mean ;-)

Cono Sur Ocio Pinot Noir 2016, Valle de Casablanca

Nach Chile hat sich meine neugierige Zunge nicht all zu oft verlaufen. Dafür gehe ich heute mal in die Vollen! Der Ocio von Cono Sur im Valle de Casablanca wenige hundert Kilometer südlich von Santiago dürfte einer der wenigen „Icon“ Pinot Noir Chiles sein. Cono Sur als eine nicht all zu kleine Weinunternehmung – auch für chilenische Verhältnisse – legt schon seit einigen Jahrzehnten ein besonderes Augenmerk auf Pinot Noir! Der Ocio, das Flaggschiff des Weinguts, wird seit Anfang des Jahrtausends regelmäßig produziert. Die Ausgabe des Jahres 2016 besteht zu 85% aus Pinot Noir Trauben vom El Triangulo Weinberg. Der Rest stammt aus dem San Juan de Huinca Weinberg. In beiden Weinbergen herrschen sandig-rotlehmige Böden mit Granit im tiefen Gestein vor. Die Trauben seit zwei Jahrzenten nach biologischen Richtlinien kultiviert. Sowohl die Vergärung als auch der 14-monatige Ausbau im neuen französischen Holz machten sich recht eindeutig bemerkbar. Dazu nun ein wenig mehr ...

J.J. Leitz GmbH Zero Point Five Pinot Noir Alcohol Free

No Dry January, nor some sort of Damp January Drinking Scheme – whatever that might mean – can make me try wine... umm let's say a beverage like the following one. Only altruistic „venturism“ or just silly curiosity – sober curiosity in this case - has such a confusing impact on me! Throughout my dauntless “drinking career” I was brave enough to tried a very few alcohol free wines. All of them were disturbingly sweet, as flat as Salar de Uyuni and as intellectually challenging as the movie Frogs from 1972. Today's wine was produced by the highly solid Riesling producer J. J. Leitz from Rheingau region aaaand more importantly it is goinig to be my very first alcohol free Pinot Noir! Let's hope this is going to be a bit more entertaining ...

Happy New Year with Gusbourne Estate Brut Reserve 2018, Kent

English sparkling wine! It's been a while. Unfortunately my good old Winston … ahh, Wiston of course – I know, this one is getting old - is still locked away in an inaccessible dungeon in bleeding Oxford. Hence, my thirst for English fizz had to be quenched by an equally attractive bubbely. Gusbourne's Brut Reserve from 2018 is a classic champagne'ish mix of Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier from chalk. It's hue showed bright adolescent radiance with little pink'sh sparkle. In the nose I got plenty of white roses and elder flowers, shy brioche, red apples, plenty of ripe strawberries, assorted nutty pastries and traces of orange oil. The ripe strawberries showed their bounty of shimmering aromas even more eloquent on my tongue. Same for the red apples – paired with some yellow pears. There was a fine portion of salt, restrained brioche and a bit more open hazelnutty pasteries with strawberries on top. The chalky mineral characteristics were accentuating this really convincing impression. Its body was quite refined and toned. Not all to big! However very fairly long. The mousse was very vital, perhaps almost a bit too oral cavity invigorating – okay, this 2018 was obviously far too young! I was perfectly aware of this … I just wanted to go for it! Who cares! I don't! It was a lot of fun combined with serious substance (for the future)! Downright very decent*****! Happy New Year Everybody!

"Confrontational Therapy" Protocol 2022

Throughout the past year I confronted my palate with grape varieties I usually do not enjoy all too much. Diplomatically put! Yes, I very much “enjoy” to confront myself with personal prejudice or other not all too pleasurable matters. In case of fermented grape juice, it might be a rather easy undertaking. In case other engagements, objects, affairs etc it is most certainly much more challenging. Anyway, I digress ... as always! For my palatal confrontation 2022 I've tried to select wines very carefully. Most of them have been consumed fully and over several days. A few were limitedly consumed over at least two days and subsequently these ones continue their rest-existence elsewhere. For instance the existence in a not all too shabby sauce or just venturing out into world of the discharge pipes and beyond. Furthermore I do not wish to bore the engaged reader longer than absolutely necessary – hence this time I will try to keep my tasting notes as concise as possible. Sometimes probably insufficiently short. I suppose a correlation between enthusiasm towards a specific wine and the length of the corresponding tasting note might be rather evident. Enough! Let's get it over with ...

Merry Christmas with William Downie Cathedral Pinot Noir 2020, Gippsland

Time for a quick Christmas Pinot Sip from Victoria! Ultra transparent sundrenched rubiness with a mildly murky veil around the shoulders of its temporary Zalto Burg body. In the nose a certain flintiness – not sure why, radiant violets, perhaps a clove or two, some traces of pickled gherkins and of course tons of ripe strawberries – later stronger on the raspberry side - and lush plums on the rocks. Very vital, lively and welcoming nose indeed! On the palate quite lean, acid driven and packed with cool aromas of strawberries as well as spicy plums. On the second day much more dominated by raspberries. All in all a little bit warmer fruit on the tongue than in the conk. Super sappy throughout the entire tasting! Very well adjusted touch of assorted spices including shy cinnamon, definitely much more juniper, black pepper and an almost nonexistent whiff of nutmeg paired with few dried roses and a little bit of fresh blood. There might be one or two roasted peanuts as well! Not sure though – doesn't sound all too appealing to me anyway - I hope not! Very convincing structure with decent tannin'ish ruggedness thanks to it's undeniable youth. Just the perfect entry level Pinot Noir with plenty of statement potential. Not really: in the face natural style - which was absolutely fine for my tongue! It presented its qualities in a more refined manner! Downright very decent***** Pinot fun! Drink now or over the next one or two Christmas'es! Speaking of which: Merry Christmas Everybody!

Manon Farm Pinot Nori Pinot Noir 2018, Adelaide Hills

Vor einigen Wochen habe ich meine Zunge endlich mal wieder auf einen Ausflug in die Ferne geschickt. Dieses mal ging es nach Südaustralien. In eine Ecke Südaustraliens, die mir nicht sonderlich vertraut ist, und ich so auch nicht in diesem mir sonst durchaus vertrautem recht hitzigen Bundesstaat erwartet hätte. In der mit auenländischer Lieblichkeit durchzogenen Hügellandschaft der Forest Range Ridge der Adelaide Hills betreiben Tim Webber und Monique Milton seit einigen Jahren die Manon Farm. In der direkten Einflusszone des Great Australian Bight kultivieren die beiden auf ca. 600 m Höhe mit Vorliebe europäische Klassiker wie Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, Savagnin, Pinot Gris, Cabernet Franc und einige andere dem Cool Climate zugeneigten Rebsorten. Die Trauben meines Pinot Noir namens Pinot Nori aus dem Jahr 2018 stammen aus kleinteiligen Weingärten die auf rotem Ton und Glimmerschiefer vor ca. 30 Jahren angelegt wurden. Ausbau erfolgte in gebrauchtem französischem Holz und die Weinbergs- und Kellerarbeit wurde nach naturalistischen – oder wie auch immer man das nennen möchte – Gesichtspunkten betrieben. Dies wurde schon beim Einschenken mehr als klar ...

Happy Halloween Happening Now Tasting: Viñedos del Jorco „El Jorco” 2017, Cebreros

After almost an entire year packed with palatal confrontational therapy – meaning confronting myself with plenty of wines made from grape varieties I am not particularly fond of – today aka tonight is the perfect time to give myself another (confrontational) one. And which grape could be more suitable than my good old palatal arch enemy: Grenache (don't take it all too serious please, but I haven't had all too many enjoyable wines produced from Grenache, even less I was able to "manage" or "handle") … aaanyway, let's hop off all the way to extendet metro Madrid to Cebreros and see what kind of Grenache aka Garnacha I will challenge my tongue this time.