Outstanding Spanish White
Vineda de Nieva, Pie Franco '07
Along w/ Do Ferreiro’s Cepas Vellas this is yet another ancient, pre-phylloxera northwestern Spanish gem; coming from Rueda, in the form of 100 plus year old Verdejo vines. A slightly spritzy haze accompanies the straw robe, revealing an idiosyncratic nose of wintergreen, salt, apple, citrus peel and a leafy, almost arugula like note chiming in to add intrigue to the fabulous bouquet. The attack is wispy, almost weightless in nature, w/ a nice fleshy edge to frame the seashell-mineral core. This is fascinating, complex stuff and yet another reason for me to believe that vineyard maturation does indeed make a difference in determining a wine’s ultimate quality, 90 points.
posted by Brad Coelho at 3/21/2009
4 Comments:
Brad,
I know you are a follower of Doug W. from Vinfolio. Have you tried the Auteur wines that he rated pretty highly? Was wondering how you thought of them. Love to get your opinion. I've tried the Chardonnay twice now and don't think it ranks up there with the Ramey's, Peter Michael and Kisters that we have discussed on eParker before. Tried the Pinot over the weekend. Let it decant for about 2 hrs and it was still pretty tight to start. I liked it but found it hard to identify the aroma. Brother in Law said it was charcoal, my mom said floral. As it opened up it got extremely floral almost painfully so I thought. Compared to the Williams Seylem which had a classic Pinot nose and just opened up beautifully, the Auteur just lost me over time. For the Chard, bright yellow, strong pear nose for me. I've just become a fan of the Peter Michael crisper, I'd say lighter and sharper flavor profile. Let me know what you think. Hoping you have tried it and can flesh out what I experienced
sorry about the off-topic post... nothing wrong with Spanish White! just have not tried very many.
Norman,
I haven't checked out Auteur...but throwing it w/ said company is lofty praise. What do you think of Rhys and Peay Chardonnay?
I'll make it a point to grab a bottle of Auteur if I see one & I'll let you know.
Have not had those two but have them on my list. Got a Roar Pinot that I've got on the list for tomorrow night. Will search eParker to see if you have reviewed that one.
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