LUCKY SEVEN IN THE AFTERNOON

Our Tramonte rep Devon came by with some pretty groovy wines:

Rock Gully Dry Riesling Frankland River 2007. Grade=Amazing. I love the drier style of Riesling from Australia; almost always showing off flinty, slate-y characters alongside Rainer cherry, peach, apricot, kumquat, and honeysuckle notes. Finishes with the perfect amount of acidity.

Enotria Arneis Mendocino 2009. Grade=Outstanding. Winemaker Greg Graziano is truly off the rails with all of the Italian varieties he is growing in Northern California, yet the climate and soil suit their intricacies quite well. This ancient Piedmont grape is racy and sharp with peach, apricot, hints of orange zest and nutmeg, and an almost-dusty character that add to its cool complexity.

Enotria Cortese Mendocino 2009. Grade=Outstanding. Completely different than a Piedmontese Gavi, this white wine shows off very bright lemon, orange, guava and Ugli Fruit character. A hint of minerality and well-balanced acidity make this a very cool, very different white wine.

Ventana Sauvignon Blanc Arroyo Seco 2008. Grade=Outstanding. Grassy, herbaceous, with a bit of lemon meringue and grapefruit notes, finishing with a hint of kiwi, guava and gooseberry. Really nice.

Ventana Pinot Noir Arroyo Seco 2007. Grade=Outstanding+. Soft and supple with mild cherry and strawberry notes, hints of red plum, cola and black tea, plush tannins and well-balanced acidity.

Ventana Rubystone Arroyo Seco 2007. Grade=Outstanding. A blend of Grenache and Syrah, this California Cote-du-Rhone is soft and juicy with tart red berry notes, a hint of blueberry compote, white pepper, rhubarb pie and black olives. A nice value.

Rock Gully Shiraz/Viognier Frankland River 2007. Outstanding. Bold and expressive with the perfume from the Viognier giving it some violet and lilac notes in the nose. Displays a lot of blueberry pie, raspberry preserves, mint, olive tapenade and baking spices. A dose of black pepper and black truffles in the midpalate take it to a fairly ethereal place.