After some brutal business travel, friend and I grabbed some bottles and hit a Chilean tapas place to unwind. Free corkage. No hotties tonight. Quick notes.
Three Sticks, Gap's Crown Vineyard, Chardonnay, 2019, 14.1% abv.
Nose: wow this has lemons, limes, pears, and vanilla-caramel. Nice, great start!
Palate: medium body, the vanilla and caramel are upfront, creamy, delectable, backdrop of lemons and pears, a bit savory, light non-green spices. Back palate really shows the sweet caramel and vanilla, butter, bit of chalk. This is my type of white. Spectacular.
Finish: short, dry, vanilla syrup, bits of rock and citrus, no alcohol.
Vernacular: nose of secondary then primary, medium body, fat, light to medium acidity, dominant secondary/strong oak, light to medium minerality. Short finish, dry, no alcohol.
Spectacular. Online tasting notes don't seem to be as sensitive to the oak on this than I was. Got this for about KRW₩109k, or about USD$78, in Changwon, South Korea. On the hunt.
Grade: B-
Au Bon Climat, Santa Maria Valley, Knox Alexander, Pinot Noir, 2018, 13.5% abv.
Nose: mostly leather and earth, accompanied by cherries and light bramble fruit. Am I getting a hint of brown mushrooms? Not really in-sync with this, definitely matured but not very attractive at this point.
Palate: light to medium body, there is some decent red and darker colored fruits here with light to medium tartness, and more intense than on the nose. Again bits of earth and leather, but seems younger. Luckily no alcohol.
Finish: short, dry, earthy cherries, no alcohol.
Vernacular: nose showing all three phases for a PN. Light bodied, medium acidity, tertiary has been set, no alcohol. Short finish, dry, reflects palate fruit.
Not better than their standard 2022 PN. Got this for about KRW₩109k, or about USD$78, in Changwon, South Korea.
Grade: C+
by starvinggigolo