Airy

• November 2009

  If you must wear any fragrance, it should be very light and airy as to be polite to your fellow tasters and your date. The overall proper etiquette I believe, is to spit. Some like to swallow, but spitting ensures you can taste a lot more wines across a broad range of varietals... Read moreIf you must wear any fragrance, it should be very light and airy as to be polite to your fellow tasters and your date. The overall proper etiquette I believe, is to spit. Some like to swallow, but spitting ensures you can taste a lot more wines across a broad range of varietals without tainting your palate with imbibing all the wine you're tasting. I find that spitting really allows a more diverse and accurate tasting and especially when you're driving, it's the smartest decision. It's one time when it's not rude to spit out what you're tasting! That being said, it might not hurt to practice at home at the sink in front of a mirror to avoid spraying or splashing or some other embarrassing event since you'll be on a date. In the end, don't worry too much and don't over think things so that you can both have a good time. Listen to what he has to say, ask questions, learn and enjoy!    (hide)

  Forum post in the topic Help...going to my first wine... by VegasOenophile

  
  
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  September 2009

  Valentines Day Wishes

  Snoothrank: Starting at $80^.00

  This wine is very airy and light in color. It has a very light flowery aroma and suttle taste. It should not be drink too cold otherwise the full flovor does not come out..

  Wine review by fasteddy

  
  

• July 2009

  California’s Sierra foothills appellation spans across some of the least ... light with an attractive airy quality even though the wine is noticeably viscous with obvious RS., but it is well balanced by the integrated acidity. Lovely honied flavors of quince, candied lime and... Read moreCalifornia’s Sierra foothills appellation spans across some of the least ... light with an attractive airy quality even though the wine is noticeably viscous with obvious RS., but it is well balanced by the integrated acidity. Lovely honied flavors of quince, candied lime and peach round out thee mouth. The finish is a bit gentle but with nice feathery complexity and a very friendly disposition. The sweetness is a bit much for a table wine but this finishes fairly read more...dryly so it can work but is better suited as a very light dessert wine particularly well structured for a cheese course. 90pts   Deaver Vineyards NV Orange Muscat Amador 12.5% Gorgeously fragrant nose full of black tea, orange blossom, light passion fruit and pink grapefruit tones. Really intense and fresh and gently frizzante with a honied tone to the warm citrus fruit tones and  an easy appeal. Some tea notes add a bit of depth but this is a rather sweet and slightly rich style of Moscato with long honied flavors yet not much detail. 85pts ~ ~~ ~~~ ~~ ~ Ironestone Vineyards - A pioneer growing premium grapes in the Foothills. Ironstone Vineyards is one of the Sierra Foothill’s premium producers of Bordeaux blends. By intelligently adding small amounts of blending grapes and allowing the wines time to age in barrel in the deep, cool caverns under the winery, Ironstone has created nuanced wines in a satisfyingly smooth style. Ironstone 2006 Cabernet Franc Reserve Sierra Foothills 14.5% Dark, toasty, grilled fruit notes with spicy herbs lurking, and something very meaty about this wine, Nicely gamy smells like grilling lamb over eucalyptus. Lush in the mouth with lots of rich fruit, plums, cassis, black cherry with hints of dried tomato, herb, mint, and oak,. Very nicely balanced both texturally and favor wise with there is a touch of barbq sauciness on the backend but the bright cherry tones and light vanilla note power through and dominate the long finish. A big velvety richly fruited yet fresh wine with a touch of earth at its core, and just a hint of mint chocolate shavings helping read more...to frame the fruit. Certainly is ripe Cab France 89pts ~ Ironstone 2006 Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve Sierra Foothills 14.5% Reticent and minty with an interesting mineral edge to the nose, smells granitic.  A touch leaner and more transparent than the CF with a redder fruit profile. Bright acids and nicely measured tannin yield a firmly medium plus bodied wine with a touch of cola/root beer spice helping to frame the astringent red fruits. The wood is really well integrated here and while this is neither super complex or super rich (a good thing) it is very well behaved in the mouth. Not particularly varietal either but rich, polished and fruity. A well-made and enjoyably drinkable wine that finishes a touch short with a Mexican cocoa note.87pts. ~ ~~ ~ Morse Wines -  A leader in Rhone varieties from the Sierra Foothills Morse Wines is a new label being utilized by the Il Gioiello Winery to differential their Rhone Varietals from their Italian bottlings. Determined to make a name for both schools in the Foothills, Morse offer carefully crafted small lots of wines that offer a new interpretation of French Classics. Morse 2007 Ensemble Blanc 55% Viognier/45% Roussanne Sierra Foothills 15.1% A bit slow to open with soft floral tones married to deep, almost honied, quite smoky baked banana peel, and preserved lemon tones, Gains a big acacia tone with air. Rich with good acidity and a nice mineral edge to the deep orchard fruit tones. Real snap to the flavors and fine balance with rather restrained kwi and goosebbery notes that gain the upper hand on the back end with an interesting candied floral top note and lingering sweet/mineral tension on the moderate finish. Excellent complexity and balance in this very solid wine. 90pts  ~ ~~ ~ Shenandoah Vineyards- A pioneering winery in California’s Shenandoah Valley With a broad array of small lot reserve wines, Shenandoah Vineyards offers a complimentary line-up to the Sobon family’s eponymous winery. Actually the first of the 2 brands Shenandoah Vineyards continues as a leading producer of wines that represent a classic style that can only be associated with California’s Shenandoah Valley. Shenandoah Vineyards 2007 Special Reserve Zinfandel Amador 14.4% Subtle and soft blackberries, peach and black plum skins contrast with a hint of baking spice and coconutty oak tones on the nose.   Very sweetly fruited entry, nice balance with good acidity and very soft tannins give the moderately spicy but very fruity style with a soft, friendly feel.  Full of sweet, vanilla toned black plum and blackberry fruit, on the short finish. Classic Amador Zin though. 86 pts ~ ~~ ~~~ ~~ ~ Sobon - a family affair dedicated to sustainable farming, and great wine! The Sierra Foothill’s forte has always been their deep, flavorful old vine Zinfandel. Many of these hillside vineyards were originally planted to supply the 49ers and now are gloriously mature. Sobon has consistently captured the wonderful fruit of these vines, allowing them to express themselves in classic style. Sobon Estate 2008 Roussanne Amador 14.1% Great nose, lots of boiled chestnuts and toasted chestnut shells, intense with a noticeable yet integrated oak backdrop. Lilacs, white pepper and very light mangosteen fruit.  Decidedly soft in the mouth with a rich, viscous feel and initial honied fruit note that yields to an almost strawberry tinged mid-palate with rich orange tones and a touch of butter cream.  The finish returns to a more citrussy vein with a nicely floral inner mouth perfume of almost tropical orange blossoms. Big rich balanced and different this is a winner 90pts ~ ~~ ~ Sobon Estate ReZerve 2008 Rose Amador 13.6% Mineral, strawberry, herb and roast pork with a hint of rosemary and a hint of flowers on the nose give this a succulent and savory appeal.  Dry and crisp with good focus in the mouth. This is a touch tight even with a subtle richness and lovely, slightly tannic red berry and sweet pomegranate tones with a touch of papaya and papaya seed spice. Wonderful fruit and subtle spice tones linger on the moderately long finish. Great balance and freshness here make this really lovely. Grenache/Syrah/Carignan 90pts ~ ~~ Sobon Estate 2007 Old Vines Zinfandel Amador 14.9% A touch of fudge and moist earth with lovely brambly notes of sapwood, herb and wild black raspberry fruit edged with a touch of pipe tobacco. Pure black raspberry fruit on entry, very good acids, lots of sweet fruit here, nice top notes of briar and bramble. Nice purity of well-expressed yet uncomplicated fruit. A wine for drinking, not for thinking about. Finishes with a slightly jammier tone and more wood spice but still nicely balanced and fresh 87pts ~ ~~ ~ Story Winery - A lovely white surprise from a great Zin producer. Story Winery has made a name for themselves producing small lots of old-vine Zinfandel from great vineyard sites in Amador county.  In true pioneer spirit they have also explored several white wines enjoying the fruit from these unusual head-pruned and dry farmed vineyards. Story Winery 2007 Chenin Blanc Shenandoah  15% A touch funky right out of the bottle with notes of caramel, butterscotch and quince paste over a funky chalky earth, seashell and herb base. Deceptively light bodied with gentle flavors of apple, apple butter and pressed flowers slowly building in the glass. Holds its 15% amazing well. The subtle flavors power through on the medium length finish adding notes or biter orange marmalade and a light cashew brittle tone. Before gaining a nice mouth grabbing chalky tone again. A very subtle wine that will rise to the occasion pairing well with a wide variety of foods. 87pts ~ ~~ Story Winery 2006 Picnic Hill Old Vines Zinfandel Shenandoah  Valley 16% Light vanilla tones are backed by lots of astringent red fruits, red currant and pomegranate, with a hint of herb and roast meatiness.  Enters with sweet red fruits, slightly exotic berries fruits, fruit di bosco, nice freshness and good balance that help to hide it’s 16% Very candied but in a fresh way, sugared raspberries with a peppery cinnamon edge for balance, Nice crisp tannins and a lovely stemmy tone add length to the finish.  88pts ~ ~~ ~ Story Winery 2006 Creekside Vineyard Old Vines Zinfandel 16% Really briary aromas in the glass are joined by smoky earth tones and reduced wild raspberry notes with hints of lightly spiced cranberry and orange rind.  Rich and velvety, this has power and depth with a slightly sweet character that accentuates the rich wild cherry and astringent, spicy red fruit tones. A mouthfilling wine that is a touch minty and medicinal on the finish with a nice tannic bite that helps balance the RS. This is a monster wine; serve it with cheese or instead of dessert. Really spicy notes gain prominence on the midpalate.  Finishes with a really intense red hots tone. A divisive wine for sure but it’s pretty cool. 90pts ~ ~~ ~ Story Winery 2006 Alitia Vineyard Zinfandel Shenandoah Valley 16% Smells like leather and ass and not in a bad way. Slow to open, with slightly buttery licorice tinged tight black fruit. Tight concentrated and velvety with a deep savory core folded up with black currant and dry, not terrible sweet mulberry fruit. This is reticent yet with excellent balance that gives it an elegance that their other wines lack. Shares a touch of that peppery cinnamon with lovely dried herb notes and lots of potential but this needs another year to express itself. 88pts ~ ~~ Vino Noceto - This Tuscan styled estate is a relative newcomer to the region. Recognizing that the climate of Amador County’s Shenandoah Valley was Mediterranean in nature, family owned Vino Noceto took a brave and unique path, choosing to focus on premium Sangiovese based wine as opposed to sticking to the Zinfandel roots of the region. Noceto 2008 Pinot Grigio Clarksburg/Amador 13% Light rainwater, clay and floral tones on the nose give this an airy note before they are joined by fragrant pear fruit with a hint of dried pineapple.  Round and soft but not flabby, in fact nicely balanced on a rich if medium bodied frame that supports soft, juicy fruit flavors with grace notes of mint and almond and herb that lead to a slightly sweet finish that hints at baked apple with a nice almond tone. 86 ~ ~~ ~~~ ~~ ~ Noceto 2006 Sangiovese Shenandoah Valley 14% Very intense sweet cherry, vanilla and soft toast notes greet the nose.  There is a slight medicinal note that combines with the black cherry fruit to give this a slight cough lozenge note. A nice hint of herb adds complexity.  Big, rich sweet cherry fruit with just a hint of oak is well supported by tannins are a touch astringent, as they should be, and good acidity giving this a refreshing feel. Very medium bodied and with lightness that keeps this centered in the mouth despite the intensity of the rather simple yet pure cherry fruit. On the backend it turns a bit spice with a nice flourish of strawberry and herb adding to the long finish.  Very solid wine and great for the bar-b-q this summer. 90pts   Noceto 2008 Frivolo Moscato Bianco California 7.1% Delicious smelling with note of lemon, lime leaf, powder sugar and hints of angelica root and white tea, with a gently biscuit note. Just ever so softly frizzante with good acidity balancing the rather light, fresh citrus driven flavors. Plenty sweet but with a touch of lightness on the palate, really attractive flavors of subtle ginger inflected candied citrus fruits, with good length, lovely and freaking delicious 88pts  ~ ~~ ~~~ ~~ ~ Gregory Dal Piaz Community Manager Snooth    (hide)

  Forum post in the topic Strike it rich in the Sierra... by Gregory Dal Piaz

  
  
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  July 2009

  Noceto Pinot Grigio 2008

  Snoothrank:

  Light rainwater, clay and floral tones on the nose give this an airy note before they are joined by fragrant pear fruit with a hint of dried pineapple. Round and soft but not flabby, in fact nicely balanced on a rich if medium bodied frame that supports soft, juicy fruit flavors... Read moreLight rainwater, clay and floral tones on the nose give this an airy note before they are joined by fragrant pear fruit with a hint of dried pineapple. Round and soft but not flabby, in fact nicely balanced on a rich if medium bodied frame that supports soft, juicy fruit flavors with grace notes of mint and almond and herb that lead to a slightly sweet finish that hints at baked apple with a nice almond tone. 86    (hide)

  Wine review by Gregory Dal Piaz

  
  
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  July 2009

  Deaver Viognier Amador County 2007

  Snoothrank:

  Smells sweet with a leather fruit tone that recalls dried apricot, a hint of ... light with an attractive airy quality even though the wine is noticeably viscous with obvious RS., but it is well balanced by the integrated acidity. Lovely honied flavors of quince, candied lime and... Read moreSmells sweet with a leather fruit tone that recalls dried apricot, a hint of ... light with an attractive airy quality even though the wine is noticeably viscous with obvious RS., but it is well balanced by the integrated acidity. Lovely honied flavors of quince, candied lime and peach round out thee mouth. The finish is a bit gentle but with nice feathery complexity and a very friendly disposition. The sweetness is a bit much for a table wine but this finishes fairly dryly so it can work but is better suited as a very light dessert wine particularly well structured for a cheese course. 90pt    (hide)

  Wine review by Gregory Dal Piaz

  
  
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  July 2009

  Promenade Wines Iprima Pinot Noir Rouge 2006

  Snoothrank:

  Fruit is lovely with warm strawberry and rasberry notes and is full on the palete. A light and airy taste with subtle oak and a trace of vanilla. The wine is nice complement to grilled portabella mushrooms and roast pork tenderloin.

  Wine review by djsully

  
  
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  July 2009

  Cavit 2007

  Snoothrank:

  Ive drank alot of white wine and this was by far the worst $10.49 I've ever ... the loot. It taste very airy and rye. It was punishment to my taste buds

  Wine review by Menage a trois

  
  
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  April 2009

  Chateau de Candale St.-Emilion 2003

  Snoothrank:

  Of course after we finish the bottle, I see that this wine is rated by the ... The nose is light, crisp, airy, and full of fruit. I have sensations of apples, pears, and early picked grapes. The initial taste is that this is a medium bodied wine with light tanins that envelope... Read moreOf course after we finish the bottle, I see that this wine is rated by the ... The nose is light, crisp, airy, and full of fruit. I have sensations of apples, pears, and early picked grapes. The initial taste is that this is a medium bodied wine with light tanins that envelope with the same fruit taste as the nose depicts. This wine is spicy and sweet, but just a little bitter to make the consumer ponder the complexity. The follow-through is quick and light. The mouth coat dissolves instantly and leaves a tingle in the throat. This wine is a pleasure to consume. I have rated the wine as a '4', mostly due to the fact that I opened it too soon, but know that a little more time and this wine will open up even more. As the wine stands at the moment, I would have no reservations serving it with a dish such as veal parmesan    (hide)

  Wine review by coryhwhite357

  
  
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  April 2009

  Zaca Mesa Syrah 2002

  Snoothrank:

  soft, gentle tannins and airy balance lend this red to warm, outdoor weather and light snack accompaniment.

  Wine review by joss

  
  

• March 2009

  Well it’s been a year since I last had dinner in New York with Luca Currado. ... with polished tannins and airy red fruits. At first this had a sexily supple mouthfeel with rich red fruit and great length but it lacks a bit of precision and gets a little muddy across the back end... Read more Well it’s been a year since I last had dinner in New York with Luca Currado. ... with polished tannins and airy red fruits. At first this had a sexily supple mouthfeel with rich red fruit and great length but it lacks a bit of precision and gets a little muddy across the back end before leading to the finish which is just a touch coarse. There are masses of fruit here but this does trade some precision for that richness. Still excellent. 2009-2017 92pts. And then we had the chance to revisit the 1989 Vietti Barolo Rocche. Last year’s bottle was absolutely great, open and giving. This bottle started out with a touch of jammy raspberry on the nose and smelled very taut and sinewy with slowly growing notes of berry fruits, iron, turmeric, fenugreek and a touch of green anise seed. In the mouth this was zesty, precise and incredibly well balanced. A bit closed and decidedly youthful this bottle none-the-less thrilled with it’s balance and vibrancy. It opened somewhat over the course of the evening revealing a nice floral tone with hints of rosehips and dried raspberry fruit. The finish is long with a lovely stony minerality and echoes of used pipe and soil. This is going to be a fantastic bottle when it’s mature. 2010-2030 96pts and going to improve! Our next bottle was the inaugural Vietti bottling from an excellent vineyard in Serralunga. The 1989 Vietti Barolo Lazzarito offered up a curious nose that combined rather evolved tones of chocolate, earth, old leather books and salted Japanese plums with a very subtle acetic whiff adding lift and a deceptive freshness.   In the mouth this is dark and brooding with great acids but intense tannins. It’s a dark, muscular, very masculine wine with dark fruit edged in bitter fudge and deep licorice tones but it does not have the fruit to outlast these strapping tannins. The finish is very long and lightly medicinal with more licorice but at the same time almost painfully tannic. For the masochists out there! I don’t know if you should drink this now or wait, either way it’ll have issues! 89pts We came to our final bottle of the Vietti line-up, the 1989 Vietti Barolo Riserva Villero needing to end on a high note. The nose quickly turned things around! What a seductive nose, absolutely fresh with wonderfully ripe red cherry fruit, and soft subtle perfumes of herbs, flowers, menthol and sandalwood. In the mouth this saw simply silken elegance. The tannins are polished; they are like tiny buckyballs in the mouth forming a virtually seamless presence that tastily completely engulfs your mouth. There is lovely fruit and a huge rose element but that texture is phenomenal. I expect this to age rather slowly but I’m not sure it can get any better than it is now. 2009-2019 96pts We did have one other bottle on the table, a 1989 Cavallotto Riserva San Giuseppe and being the wine geeks that we are we wasted little time in reviewing it for, umm, your pleasure.  This really has a wonderful nose with intense aromatics of tar, earthy, smoke, oystershell, licorice, coffee and roses. In the mouth this is very smooth yet packed with tannins. With air the tannins become a touch abrasive giving this a bit of a rustic feel. The flavors are slightly evolved with a nice core of chunky cherry fruit and a dense, lingering finish but this was outclassed this evening by the Vietti line-up. 2010-2022 90pts We ended our evening with a 1971 Baumard Quarts de Chaume. Showing fairly freshly on the nose this had notes of exotic flowers and mint over quincy fruit with a lanolin edge. In the mouth there were notes of golden raisins and blond tobacco. This was curiously both soft and steely with not much fruit left. I returned to the dregs of the Barolo instead! As always it was a pleasure to spend a few hours with Luca and my friends and if I might quote Luca “After many days ... Talking and trying to promote Piemontese Wines ... It was Just perfect the nice evening with all of you ! Specially with one of my favorite vintage ! Is really a pleasure to share an evening with persons that appreciate what we ( we = all piemontese producer ) do here ... You do not have an idea how much make us happy !” Luca, thanks to you and all Piemontese producers for doing so much to make us happy! Photos by Brad Kane Gregory Dal Piaz Community Manager Snoot    (hide)

  Forum post in the topic 1989 with Luca Currado by Gregory Dal Piaz

  
  

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