December 2006 Wine Tasting Notes: "Do y'all have any sweet wine?"
2005 Mandolina Malvasia Bianca, Santa Barbara County.
|
|
Lightly straw colored wine with a brilliant sparkle. The nose is intensely floral with gardenia, white flowers and hints of violets. The fruit is explosive with pear, mandarin peel, with a subtle honey and brown spice (clove, nutmeg, allspice) notes. Fruit flavors are ripe and succulent, displaying dominant pear and a light honey note with citrus and light mineral overtones. A good length finish repeats the pear-honey-citrus-spice-and-mineral chorus central to this wine. The mouthfeel is light. Bright acidity with a hint of CO2 effervescence and measured alcohol levels balance out the composition. Expected to hold up nicely for up to 5 years. |
|
RWB Score: 95 breakdown 14.0% Alcohol $16.00 Retail (from winery); 268 cases produced |
The 2005 Malvasia Bianca is a complex and sensual wine with racy floral notes that resonate throughout. The sexy, voluptuous composition of explosive fruit displays great harmony and balance. Beautifully integrated into a curvy, erotic wine that will entice more than just your taste buds. As the tasting notes state: this sumptuous wine shows its best only lightly chilled and paired with spicy Asian foods. |
| Detail | Tell a friend about this wine |
More Mandolina reviews More on Santa Barbara County |
100% Los Alamos Vineyard Malvasia Bianca. Steel tank fermented to complete dryness.
Malvasia Bainca originates from a Greek family of grapes but is best know as wines originating from Tuscany and Umbria in Italy where it is one of the most widely planted grapes. It is usually made into a lightly sweet style but it can be made into a sparkling or desert wines. In the case of the later, the grapes are first dried, then crushed and vinified. Malvasia Bianca is also used as a blending grape - usually with Trebbiano. Malvasia Bianca wines are typically floral and perfumed with flavors of honey, pears and spices.
The 2005 year saw an increase in crops over the preceding years. The year is being compared to the acclaimed 1997 vintage because of a very long and generally cool growing season without heat spikes. This long season resulted in extended hang times in even temperatures which gave the fruit good extraction but lower sugar levels. The slow ripening of the fruit is expected to make for elegance and balance in the wines of this vintage.
The Los Alamos Valley Vineyard is over a mile long, and runs along Highway 101 south of Los Alamos. This vineyard is planted with Rhône, Burgundy, Bordeaux and Italian varieties. Some of the vines, originating from cuttings brought over from Europe, are over 25 years old. The fruit from this vineyards is highly sought-after by many winemakers.
Louis Lucas is a key figure in Santa Barbara County and San Luis Obispo County viticulture as one of the area's first commercial wine grape growers. Along with a handful other growers, he has become an iconoclast of Central Coast Viticulture. Coming from a grape growing family in the Bakersfield area, he came to Santa Barbara County in 1970 when he formed Tepusquet Vineyards with his brother George and partner Alfred Gagnon. Through a passionate pursuit of knowledge he broke many long accepted rues of viticulture and defined many new ones for the Central Coast. Royce Lewellen, a retired judge joined forces in 1996 and Lucas & Lewellen have been making wines together since. Their wines sourced from their 30+ year-old vines wines have been winning awards for a long time. Their vineyards are located in Santa Maria, Los Alamos and Santa Ynez Valleys. Daniel Gehrs is the winemaker at Lucas & Lewellen. Another prominent figure in the world of Santa Barbara wine, he consults to many wineries in the area and produces wines under his own label.
|
4 points |
|
|
Nose |
5 points |
|
Palate |
5 points |
|
Finish |
3 points |
|
Astringency/Minerality |
5 points |
|
Acidity |
5 points |
|
Alcohol |
5 points |
|
Aging potential |
2 points |
|
Overall quality |
9 points |
Tell a friend about this wine!
Home | Contact Us | About Us | Feedback | Search | Tell a friend
Copyright © 2006 redwinebuzz.com All rights reserved.