Edited: Thought I'd better put this in the proper forum!

Sorry for the delay, folks. Mrs. K and I were negotiating a deal on a new house that took somewhat longer than expected; things are looking good, though!

For those who participated, the two wines were '01 Vinum Africa Chenin Blanc, and '00 Guado al Tasso Bolgheri Vermentino. Here's what I think:

'00 Guado al Tasso Vermentino: Pale golden-yellow color, not a lot of legs. Aroma of caramel, bread dough, and sweet pear; flavors of pineapple, spiced pear, apple and slate. Tons of acidity, maybe a bit out of balance there. Full bodied, yet very dry. Very nice white from a grape I've never heard of. 90 pts., $21, "A-" QPR. 1,400+ cases imported.

'01 Vinum Africa Chenin Blanc: Again, a pale-golden colored wine, with a lot of legs. Aromas of sweet apples, maybe a touch of lemon, and spices. On the palate, more sweet crunchy apple, lemon, a hint of spicy ginger, and a bit of an alcoholic bite. 14% alc. content became more evident as the wine warmed a bit, almost took on a kerosene-like taste. Spicy ginger and white fruit on the zingy, acidic finish. I liked it a lot, but it definitely requires proper serving temp for it to hit its 'comfort zone'. A good wine from a boutique producer; only 400 cs. imported. $9.50, solid "A" QPR, 90 pts.

Hope your weekend was as eventful as ours! Tell me what y'all think and we'll put this ugly puppy to bed!

[ 08-20-2002, 04:49 PM: Message edited by: kybo ]

I didn't find the TAA wine, but I thought I'd congratulate you on your Little League team's win. I told OJEFFSO I'd try to bring 4 bottles of the '99 Truchard Syrah, and he cursed at me.

Sorry you couldn't find either wine, and thanks for the Louisville plug. Those kids look pretty sharp, especially the two pitchers.

I think I've found a way to kill a post - begin it!

Good luck with the new house. If you want to kill a thread, you could always try my method. Post tasting notes on Canadian wines. Works like a charm.

Board-O,

I just want to let you know that I was enjoying the tranquility of my back yard, my "sanctuary", listening to the chorus of crickets and watching a family of raccoons chowing down on the sunflower seeds I put in the far back corner of the yard for whatever critter might come along.

Then I read your exchange with Kybo. I laughed so loud that I scared the poor little bandits away.

They were probably rabid anyway.

I found the 2000 Antinori Bolgheri Guado al Tasso Vermentino for $19. I opened it on Saturday evening with appetizers in the backyard. Blue Oval and Frankie came over with their dates before we went to dinner. My wife made stuffed Mushrooms, endive with cream cheese & sprouts, shrimp and assorted cheeses.

This wine is 100% Vermentino (a grape indigenous to Liguria and Tuscany). The 2500 acre Gaudo al Tasso estate has been in Piero Antinori's wifes family since the 1200's and is not only used as vineyards but also as the family's summer retreat (talk about a nice dowry). Antinori has been experimenting with Vermentino and his 1st vintage of this wine was 1996.

This wine was a pale straw color. It had a nose of pear and grassy notes. It was a dry wine with medium body. This wine was quite interesting. I found that it was not fruity but tended more to the herbal and vegetal side. It had a pleasant bitterness on the finish. Suckling said that it would match seafood very well and I agree. I had a second try of this wine the next day and it lost much of its prowess. 89 points.

VM

Luckily I was pointed to one of this month's choices since I didn't participate in last month's TAA.

Antinori Tenuta Guado al Tasso Bolgheri Vermentino

This has a bit more golden hue than I anticipated. A golden-straw appearance. At first I think I had this too cold because I didn't get much off the nose and the taste was underwhelming. A little ripe red apple and apricot was all. The taste was even less fruity.

After warming up a bit, it had a larger red apple, apricot and honey smell. It went well with the orange-rosemary-ginger chicken and potatoes I ate for dinner.

I found it mildy acidic and thought it was a welcome change from some SB's I've tasted lately that felt like the enamel was being dissolved from my teeth. I thought this month's wine was very pleasant and appealing.

I would buy this again. 88 points.

Kybo- Try listing the names of the wines in the title after "TAA".

Blue Oval and Frankie- I know both of you had this wine because I served it to you. Post something!!!

VM

Sorry for the delinquency in posting. VM paired off this wine against the Isabel. Personally, as a fan of Antinori, until last Saturday, entirely their red offerings, I was anxious to taste this. This wine is an example of why my favourite Italians come from the Antinoris, either brother, both are excellent!

I didn't take notes, but to my less than well tuned white palate, i will be searching for further offerings. Talk about a pleasant white summer wine. This drank extremely well, with or without food. My impressions were "seat of the pants", but this white provides a nice acidic bite on the tongue and palate, but unlike kybo, I didn't feel too much. Not heavy either. Like several of the posters, I rated it informally at 90. Given the price, definitely high on QPR.

Again, sorry for the late posting. I have others to catch up on as well.

Kybo,

You will probably go done as the worst TAA leader in history. You may have singlehandedly killed TAA. You tasted the Vinum Africa all by yourself and there are only 4 notes on the Antinori. If you didn't already resign from your position I would have you impeached.

VM

PS. It was a nice wine though.

[ 08-22-2002, 08:06 PM: Message edited by: Vino Me ]

VM;
Do you have any idea how REALLY BAD I feel about August's TAA?

...I need a hug.....

Kybo,

I am as baffled as you are by the low turnout. You may have noticed that I even put on a last minute advertising blitz in the week before the tasting (I posted 2 new topics about the TAA and kept the info at the top of the board). Perhaps members are just getting tired of the tasting and it is fading out. We'll see how Stemor does with September.

Can't help you with the hug but when you get yourself to Chicago we can open some nice bottles which might cheer you up.

VM

VM - I know you were just kidding, weren't you? Anyway, I don't think it the TAA thing is fading out, I just think its been a cruel, hot summer and for the majority of us red-wine drinkers, we've had enough of the blazin' heat! Bring on the zins!!!

Buddy, I am all for a Chicago-land wine adventure. Just as soon as we close the Atlanta project we'll be following our client to Aurora, I'm looking for you, Blue Oval, otis, and whoever else wants to pop a few to have a get together. Hmmm, dinner at Rosebud's sounds great!

Shhhhhsh....Just between you and me....stemor's in for a surprise! I've secretly bought all the '01 Pine Ridge Chenin Blanc-Viognier in the country! That ought to fix his little red wagon.

Hey kybo,

It was a nice effort - I tried to find these wines but my search was futile. Sometimes these wines just don't want to be found.

On a side note, I've already got a bottle for stemor's Sept. TAA (my first). That should be fun.

Cheers to the weekend,
jaimetown

Dear, dear kybo:

I was lucky enough to find more of the Antinori for $15 this today. Even if the turnout was bad, I'm glad you picked this wine kybo.

VM

Thanks, VM. For $20 (here) it is quite tasty. FYI if you're looking for another drop-dead bargain find some '99 Au Bon Climat 'Hildegard'. Labeled as an 'estated bottled white table wine' it is a blend of 55% Pinot Gris, 40% Pinot Blanc, and 5% Aligote. I've found it here for $19 and it's fantastic - huge backbone, citrus fruit, acidity, serve it w/cream-based soups and you'll not go back to plain old chard.

...hey, chief - you gonna finish that bottle?

In one word..."YUMM"!!! This is my new favorite seafood wine, and a fantastic alternative to Chablis. Just cracked my second of four bottles over the weekend, with similar tasting notes. Served on Fri. with Spaghetti with Mussels and Oysters on the 1/2 Shell. Finished on Sat. with Trout Baked in Parchment with Bay Leaf and Olives.

The color is a light, pretty gold. You can see the freshness in the wine, with the "appearance" of carbonation bubbles. (My shop told me it would start to lose this freshness after 2003.) The first aroma impressions are of tropical fruit--perhaps slightly underripe pineapple, followed by some freshly cut celery (how's THAT for compleixty!!). Pine forest and fresh sea air also made strong appearances. The full-bodied tastes again tend toward just slightly underripe pineapple, along with fresh herbs--especially fresh rosemary on the delicious finish.

I continue to be impressed with some of the white Italian finds I've been making, including this one, the Bucci Verdechio dei Castelli di Jesi, and of course, the Pieropan Soave Classico. (#41 on the 2002 Top 100. Who says the Italians can't make interesting whites?? Not I! You just have to know where to look. On the world-famous "MBD scale", give the 2000 Antinori Vermentino Bolgheri a well-deserved "91", but drink within the next year. Then, pick up the 2001!!

I brought another bottle of this wine to a Bruna's restaurant in an old Italian neighborhood in Chicago on Saturday. Corkage was $15. My notes and rating on this wine are the same as my August TN's. My wife who had fish said it was a very good match. Still 89 points.

VM

VM:

what'd ya have? i love that ristorante, did you happen to try his eponymous Vino Nobile di Montapulciano from 1998. At $19 in the restaurant it's not too bad. last time there we had opened up an ornellaia and a luce. bruna stopped by our table shortly after. had a nice chat. he offered up his vino nobile, said if we didn't like it, we didn't have to pay for it. we liked it, bought a case, and it makes for a nice daily drinker. corking if $15, i'll have to remember that. does it have to be vino not on the list?

I think it goes without saying that it should be wine not on their list but I did not ask. I have brought wine to this restaurant more than once. I did not order anything off the list this visit.

VM

Oh kybo, you've done it again!

I think it goes w/o saying that my TAA choices were clearly WAY ahead of the times, given this new smattering of interest.

Tonight I'm springing some of the '02 Vinum Africa CB on the Memphis crowd - it's wonderful as an apperitif or w/seafood, and @ $8.99 an absolute steal.

...hey, chief - you gonna finish that bottle?