July Wine Roundup: Top 10 from my Last Tasting
This tasting included 18 wines from California and Italy. We toggled between a selection of Proseccos from Mionetto and a selection of California wines. Here’s the top 10 list:
Italy
Sparkling
Mionette Prosecco Luxury Cartizze – a very nice dry sparkling wine with notes of apple, pear, flowers and baked bread. It had a bit of sweetness to it, but was a nice expression.
Mionette Prosecco Superiore Valdobbiadene Millesimato – this had green apple, tropical fruit and some citrus. Another nice expression of Prosecco with a bit of nuttiness.
Mionette Prosecco Cuvee Luxury Valdobbiadene Superiore — this was elegant and creamy with apple, pear and floral notes. This was my personal favorite of the proseccos.
California
Rose
Cornerstone Cellars Corallina Rose 2013 — for someone who is not typically in love with roses, this was my kind of rose. It had vivid notes of strawberry and raspberry, but avoided what I call the “jolly rancher” syndrome. It had great minerality, dryness and fruit. Another delightful wine.
White
J Pinot Gris 2013 – this is the wine that saved an otherwise crappy birthday due to a work crisis that started my day at 5 a.m. Full of pear, orange blossom and citrus with a great minerality. One glass of this (and my sweet family) made my day much better.
Zenato Lugana di San Benedetto DOC 2012 – stone fruit, citrus, tropical fruit and herbal notes. This was a great summer refresher.
Oberon Sauvignon Blanc 2013 – this was hands down the favorite white wine of the bunch. Full of tropical fruits, citrus, orange blossom and minerality, this was a fantastic expression of Sauvignon Blanc. Yum!
Red
Byron Pinot Noir 2012 – cherry cola, black cherry, cinnamon and mocha with a nice earthiness made this a Pinot Noir that merited a (quick) second sip. I enjoyed the Burgundian style.
Edmeades Mendocino County Zinfandel 2012 – blackberry, black pepper, vanilla, chocolate, cherry and I think I even got graham cracker. I liked the richness of this wine and the different layers I uncovered as I sipped.
July Wine Roundup
Stepping Stone Cabernet Franc 2011 – meaty, green pepper, tobacco, basil, spice and blackberry with a great sense of balance. This wine can be enjoyed with food, without food, with friends… but once you take a sip, you may want to keep it all for yourself. I want to age this bottle and see the magic that happens.
