WineSmith Petit Manseng, Yolo County, Novavine Nursery Vineyard, 375ml
Tasting Notes
This crazy grape produces a Sauternes-style dessert wine in southern France in the regions of Jurançon and Pecherenc du Vic Bilh, a white wine appellation superimposed on Madiran, where I received my tutelage in postmodern winemaking techniques from my guru, Patrick Ducournau.
This obscure ancient grape of the Muscat tree is highly aromatic and achieves very high sugars while retaining exceptionally high acidity. It was treasured by the ancients because it stops fermenting while still sweet, producing a luscious dessert wine without the need for modern sterile filtration.
To enhance its aromatic richness and complexity, we fermented in the presence of Acacia wood chips to add a honeysuckle element to the nose and some tannin structure
to the mouth. Each year we bottle two-thirds and return the rest to barrel for increased aged complexity before blending in the following yearâs new wine.
Use it as you would a Sauternes, with chocolate mousse, strawberry shortcake, or just by itself. The French like it with half-shell oysters or duck foie gras.
Specs
100% Petit Manseng
33% 2017 Hidden Springs Vineyard, Alexander Valley
Harvested 20 October 2017
31.6 Brix
12.6 gm/L TA
pH 2.90
67% 2018 Novavine Nursey Vineyard, Yolo County
Harvested 1 October 2018
31.0 Brix
11.8 gm/L TA, pH 2.95
Fermentation techniques:
Anchor NT 116 yeast inoculum
60o F fermentation
1.0 g.L aromatic Acacia wood chips
Stopped at 8% RS and 13% alcohol
Elevage details:
3 weeks microbĂźllage pre ML
33% aged 18 months in neutral French oak
8% RS and 12.9% alcohol
Silkscreen 375 ml bottle designed by Monvera
130 cases 375s produced.
WineSmith Any Gorilla, California, 375ml
Tasting Notes
In the wonderful feature film Wine Diamonds, which chronicles the struggles of five lovely Midwestern family wineries, noted wine judge Bob Foster declares âHell, any gorilla can make wine in California.â Ainât it the truth! So when we decided to make a forgery of vintage port and forbidden by the Fedsto call it that, we chose Bobâs observation as an appropriate proprietary name for our fortified sweet red.
In all candor, this wine is a mish-mash of pieces that failed as standalone dry reds whose flaws became virtues when married together. Our base was an overripe 2017 Lodi Cabernet whose dry tannins made it unacceptable for our graceful Eurocentric style. For age, we exhumed a single barrel of 2006 Meritage we somehow forgot to bottle a decade ago. In 2018, we threw these together, blended in two tons of glorious, freshly crushed Lake County Petite Sirah and two barrels of high proof neutral brandy and voilĂĄ!
It wasnât hard, and all happened in an hour. But Bacchus smiled on the project, and we ended up with a convincing port knock-off, albeit with a bit less alcohol.
Use it as you would a vintage port: Stilton cheese, glazed walnuts, dark chocolate, celery, Cuban cigars, and a roaring fire.
Specs
Blend: 48% Petit Sirah, 48% Cabernet Sauvignon, 4% Merlot
295 gallons 2017 Lodi Cabernet Sauvignon
60 gallons â06 left over from CheapSkate Miser Meritage
340 gallons 2018 Petite Sirah juice, skins and seeds
110 gallons 170-proof neutral brandy
Sugar at Harvest: 25% degrees brix
Fermentation: None.
Elevage details:
Cellared in very old French oak.
Bottled 45% and left the rest in wood.
Bottling:
16.9% alcohol
8% residual sugar
110 cases 375s produced.
88 cases 750s produced.
Included In The Box
4-bottles:
2x WineSmith Petit Manseng, Yolo County, Novavine Nursery Vineyard, 375ml
2x WineSmith Any Gorilla, California, 375ml
Case:
6x WineSmith Petit Manseng, Yolo County, Novavine Nursery Vineyard, 375ml
6x WineSmith Any Gorilla, California, 375ml
Price Comparison
$300 for a case/MSRP $25 for Petit Manseng (375ml), unable to order more than 4 at a time online
About The Winery
Winery: WineSmith Cellars
Owner: Clark Smith
Founded: 1993
Location: Sebastopol, CA
Clark Smith is an MIT drop-out who wandered out to California in 1972 and sold wine retail in the Bay Area for several years, where he acquired a love of Bordeaux, Burgundy and all things French and observed first hand the California winery explosion in the 1970s. After a three year stint at Veedercrest Vineyards, he secured enology training at UC Davis and spent the 1980s as founding winemaker for The R.H. Phillips Vineyard in Yolo County. In 1990, he founded WineSmith Consulting and patented a group of new winemaking techniques involving reverse osmosis, spinning off Vinovation, which went on to become the worldâs largest wine production consulting firm over its 17-year history.
Frustrated with Californiaâs winemaking trends, Clark started WineSmith Cellars in 1993 as a teaching winery to make Eurocentric wines to explore traditions beyond the mainstream, expanding for his winemaking clients the range of possibility for California fruit. Choosing to create long-term partnerships with committed growers rather than growing his own grapes, Clark has become a renowned expert on Cabernet Franc, having vinified twenty vintages from a wide variety of sites.
Teaching at Napa Valley College gave him access to the Student Vineyard for Faux Chablis and his Pauillac-style $100 âCrucibleâ Cabernet Sauvignon. From Renaissance Vineyards in North Yuba County, he has made a sulfite-free Roman Syrah and also produces a Pinot Noir from Fiddlestix Vineyard in the Santa Rita Hills in a delicate, age-worthy CĂ´tes de Beaune style. These wines are vinified in an ancient beat-up warehouse in Sebastopol, California.
WineSmith wines are noted for their longevity, classic balance, structural integrity, minerality, and understated soulfulness. They often are aged extensively prior to release. When drinking a WineSmith wine, always ask yourself âWhat is this wine trying to teach me?â Clark is a vocal advocate of living soil and graceful longevity, and generally avoids excessive oak, alcohol, or extended hang-time. He is not shy about employing new tools when they are needed, such as alcohol adjustment to bring fruit into balance or micro-oxygenation to build refined structure, but always fully discloses techniques which are controversial and is outspoken in explaining his rationale.
His book, Postmodern Winemaking, is the culmination of four decades of reflection on wineâs true nature.
Available States
AZ, CA, CO, CT, DC, FL, GA, ID, IL, IN, IA, KS, LA, ME, MD, MA, MI, MN, MO, MT, NE, NV, NJ, NM, NY, NC, ND, OH, OR, PA, RI, SC, SD, TN, TX, VT, VA, WA, WV, WI, WY
Greetings, everyone! This time around we have a unique holiday offering of half-bottles of forgeries of two European dessert wines.
First we have a Petit Manseng made in the style of Pacherenc de Vic-Bihl, a sweet white wine appellation which has the same geographic delineation as Madiran, the Tannat region where I was trained in micro-oxygenation by my guru, Patrick Ducournau and his team at Oenodev. This is a real loony-tunes grape which achieves 31 brix while maintaining very high acidities and pHs below 3.0, naturally arresting its own fermentation at 13% alcohol and 80 grams per liter of sugar. Each year we make a cross-vintage blend and retain a barrel and bottle the rest. This combination of young and old wine presents complex development in a vehicle far more delicate than botrytised wines such as Sauternes. We further enhanced this complexity by fermenting with some aromatic Acacia wood chips which impart a honeysuckle aroma and firm up the mouthfeel. Serve with crème brČlĂŠe, chocolate mousse, strawberry shortcake or tiramisu.
The second wine is a Port forgery. Some of you will remember my 2006 Lodi Cabernet Sauvignon, a magnificent wine I tried to reproduce in 2017. I made a mistake in purchasing a couple tons from what turned out to be a poorly farmed vineyard resulting in a wine with a dry, oxidized edge and green aromatic notes. I knew I couldnât bottle it as a dry wine, so I tried an old trick. Many elements that are defects in dry wine â oxidation, dry tannins, even vinegar â can be virtues in dessert wines. Accordingly, I bought two tons of wonderfully fruity Petite Sirah from Diamond Ridge Vineyards in Lake County and a couple drums of neutral brandy and threw them all together, tossing in also a barrel of 2006 Meritage I had lying around to contribute some aged complexity. The whole process took about an hour and what emerged was a very convincing Vintage Port knock-off, albeit with a moderate 16.9% alcohol.
Since European place names are forbidden on American wines, I had to come up with a whimsical name for the wine. I immediately thought of wine critic Bob Fosterâs remark at the beginning of the wonderful film Wine Diamonds: âHell, any gorilla can make wine in California.â So thatâs what we called it.
I strongly recommend you stream the full feature-length film, which follows five midwestern families that represent the invisible yet explosive growth of tiny Mom and Pop wineries making wines far more interesting than anything youâll find on a retail shelf. These are the kinds of wineries I consult for.
@GatorFL Yes, thatâs a good observation, given the alcohol content. Iâd say itâs got more fresh cassis and less pruniness than your average dessert Banyuls, but itâs in the same wheelhouse.
@winesmith Good grief. Mistake 1 was watching your videos as you described the wine. Mistake 2 was reading all the LabRat reviewsâŚ
And those mistakes lead me to the smart decision to order! I am absolutely NOT into dessert wines. But then again I doubt Iâve had good dessert winesâŚso, looking forward to being educated!!!
You know, Iâve been half-assedly following along and not buying anything this whole time, but Iâve wanted to even though I have no taste in wine, and this â10 Days of Christmasâ thing seems fun. And yesterday I said to myself the last offer had better be a candy-sweet white wine or a port, because thatâs all I know I like. And you managed both?! Your powers are strange and impressive.
/giphy crimson-resplendent-laughter
Iâm presuming Clark in his candor will put up his TNâs and how this came to be, but suffice it to say;
It worked.
This concoction is surprisingly light, with lots of dark fruits, but itâs only 16.9% AbV, with itâs sweetness balanced by the PS skins and seeds tannic addition, or was it the CS from the notes?
Would like to know where the sweetness is coming from. In a Port style I seem to recall itâs from the halted fermentation with the addition of brandy. That happen here with the PS, or just the sweetness of un-fermented juice?
Didnât work so well with some smoked apple-walnut Beehive that just arrived, but some chocolate truffles lit it up.
So, this was a sowâs ear to a silk purse? Pretty well done.
Petit Manseng
I really wanted to work on this one first, but it just wasnât working at room temp, so into the freezer for a bit of a chill while I worked on the Gorilla.
Well, this is a difficult one to describe, as Iâve not had anything much like it before. Nose is a bit woodsy, but not oak, cedar or others Iâm familiar with, and Acacia is one of those. Sauternes-style, I think a bit of viscosity, perhaps from the Botrytized bottles Iâm more accustomed to where the sugar just shouts at you. Not here, again the TA and low pH seem to keep any cloying well in check. This one worked really well with some flatbread and pâtĂŠ, as well as those truffles. Pretty long finish here, with what must be the Acacia taking the lead.
Pleased to have been able to try these, just wish my vocabulary could better describe what Iâm unfamiliar with. Wish these would make it in time for gifts, as I would be gifting to other wineau just to expand their horizons as well.
Iâll revisit tomorrow, in hopes there may actually be some left for purchase for those that havenât already depleted the inventory.
[edit] And for those of you that have already purchased, you wonât be disappointed.
[edit-2] Need to addâŚ
Some of the offers Iâve been given the opportunity to Rat have been difficult. At times itâs just plain hard to tease out the good stuff from what otherwise is meh or less. Here the difficulty was just finding words; I enjoyed both, and for me both are atypical of my norm; I like that. It gives me a chance to try something a bit different that wonât be plucked from some supermarket shelf, or likely even from a well appointed merchant.
Thanks again Clark, Sandra, WD and Ariana for making this happen.
@rjquillin Thanks Ron. I like pushing the descriptive envelope. In the case of the PM I got to make a forgery of an obscure French wine and at the same time a varietal oddity. In answer to your question, all the sugar comes from 25 brix Petite Sirah which was thrown together with the dry wines and 171 proof neutral brandy so it didnât even ferment.
@rjquillin nice job Ron!
If weâd had tasty bottles to sample we could add to this. By the numbers these sound amazing to me and your notes are convincing as well.
Might be splitting with a friend or might want to do the normal SoCal split. Iâll find out in the morning.
@klezman I did grab a case. As mentioned some will be gifts, but some could be available. Given how many are near you, likely you could kill off a case easily as well.
A word about packaging. Itâs not legal for us to actually state a direct reference to a European place name such as Port, which must come from Oporto. So we have to toss hints. Any Gorilla states on the back label states âA classic accompaniment to Stilton cheese, grilled walnuts and celery. Cigar fanciers will find uses and would also be forgiven to pair it with fine chocolate.â The wine also comes in a very cute port-style bottle in both this 375 as well as the 750 ml size, in a further attempt to signal, without actually saying so, âYo! This is a Port!â
We decided to do something really special for the Petit Manseng, which just as in France is only bottled in 375 ml. We worked with Monvera Glass to design a label permanently silk-screened onto the bottle, resulting in a beautifully elegant stocking stuffer with a silky texture that feels good in the hand and hints at the delicacy inside. I sure hope you guys appreciate this art. It wasnât cheap!
Break Break Break Break
Un-Offical Rat Reporting In (Sort Of)
It was a dark cold night when we heard the scratching on the front door, no big deal we have cats; but this was coming from the outside?? I peaked out the window just as a small clocked figure was darting away, I noticed what looked like something stenciled on âItâsâ back which read, Postmodern Winemaking, and I swear I heard some music. I opened the door, carefully place by the wall was a box, and it wasnât tickingâŚâŚâŚ
Full disclosure we are YUGE WineSmith/Clark fans, to steal a term from RPM, WineSmith is an AutoBuy in this house. We know what we like, and what we donât; we donât command the vocabulary to express the finer nuances, caricature or descriptors of a wine. For us itâs either one and done, or itâs a repeat order. Thatâs way I passed on being a Rat. I felt I/we couldnât artfully contribute to the CaseMateârs wondering if this or that particular wine would be a good fit for them.
Out of our vast respect for Clark, Ruth-E and Sandra, I/we would simply say this, we loved both of the offerings. I would direct you to RRQuillinâs very comprehensive and outstanding Rattage, I wish I could be so eloquent in describing wine, but alas itâs not to be, I just get to enjoy it.
Thanks Clark for the opportunity to preview what is yet again, a great offering from the WineSmith crew!! shimmering-spiced-friendship
So far, the Casemates transition to UPS is working for me ⌠(knock wood). Lo and Behold (seems appropriate in the Holiday Season), yesterday afternoon I found not one, but TWO (2) specimens from Clark Smithâs fascinating, sometimes off the beaten path, winemaking journey nestled down for a Cold Winterâs tasting.
As Clarkâs description suggests, these are not your everyday California wines. Theyâre not even your everyday California dessert wines (which have a long history of being worse than plonk) or even your everyday high quality California dessert wines. High quality California white dessert wines in recent years have tended to be variations on induced botrytis late harvest wines, often Riesling, sometimes Gewurztraminer or SĂŠmillon, and occasionally other varietals. And, the high quality red California desert wines are almost always fortified wines primarily of Zinfandel (historically) or the various port varietals. OK, you probably knew that⌠but itâs a way of contrasting the two wines here with what you might be expecting from California dessert wine.
Petit Manseng
This is a rare varietal in California, but one that has been showing up in Eastern US vineyards in recent years and is often harvested late as a dessert wine. Having recently tasted a 2012 Linden Late Harvest Petit Manseng (Virginia), we were especially excited to try this wine.
SWMBO, a friend of hers with a background in food tasting, but not wine tasting, and I tasted it this afternoon immediately after opening the bottle. As is my wont, we scored using the modified Davis 20 point scoring scheme, and for the benefit of our friend, we used a Wine Aroma Wheel. I wonât bore you with the technical score breakdowns, but I will cut to the chase and tell you both SWMBO and I liked the Petit Manseng very much.
The wine was too cold to begin with - when you serve this make sure itâs just cool, not cold, and give it some time to breathe - but our consensus was the wine had a very subtle and aromatic nose. SWMBO got hints of peaches and apples, I got apricot, light floral/earl grey notes, a hint of violets and something almost, but not quite citrusy. The description doesnât really convey how delightful and fresh the very subtle aromas were.
A very well balanced wine, with a very nice light sweetness that was absolutely charming. Fairly light body. Flavors were pretty much what youâd expect from the nose, but with a spiciness I didnât expect, but found integrated well with the whole.
Based on our recent experience with the Virginia Petit Manseng, which was made as an ice wine with frozen grapes (not clear if they harvested frozen or froze the grapesâŚ), SWMO and I were expecting more unctuousness in the wine. She would have preferred a bit more of that richness, I was happy with the wine the way it is.
Once the wine warmed up a bit (and especially after tasting a couple of hours later), the finish lingered to be savored. Overall, the wine very much benefited from a little time open on the table: as we approached it in the early evening, the aromas had opened up and were more pronounced, but not fundamentally different or less subtle. Flavors were easier to identify.
Clark suggests with with food - and that works - but I think I prefer to drink it by itself. Absolutely shines as a dessert wine when the weather is pleasantly cool, but not cold.
Final scores (out of 20): rpm 18.5-19; SWMBO 18- .
These score are based on finding the wine delightful and very much a winemaking success, and reflect our view that this is a wonderful example of whatâs possible with Petit Manseng. Both of us recommend the wine highly. Without knowing pricing, itâs hard to describe QPR. The Linden from Virginia was $28 for a 375ml at the winery, and was a good QPR at that price. Different wine, but playing in the same sandbox.
Any Gorilla
I found Clarkâs spec sheet reference to Bob Fosterâs comment about âany gorilla can make wine in Californiaâ both amusing and apt. Looking at the varietals, you know this is something that sort of happened (and I really want to hear that storyâŚ) rather than something he set out to grow (or buy) the fruit for. Most of you know I love Cabernet Sauvignon, and like Petit Sirah, but also that I have a low tolerance for overripe wines.
But, we tried to approach this with an open mind and to evaluate it in its own context: that is, given the grapes in it and what Clark was trying to do, was it a success? And, is it any good?
We both found the color very good - deep but clear. The aromas were very distinctive and very identifiably fruit (which is not the same as fruit forward). SWMBO got prunes and figs and a distinctive black currant jam aroma. I got both prunes and figs and hints of cassis - the liquor Cassis, not so much black currant fruit. There was no tarriness, which sometimes happens in these big fortified wines, and almost no sensation of the high alcohol. What I did get - not constantly, but from time to time as I sniffed - was a sense of pure Petit Sirah. As if the blend hadnât completely melded the two base wines together. It wasnât unpleasant or off-putting, but it was unusual.
Body and balance were good, it was appropriately sweet for its type: a success.
Both SWMBO and I got strong cassis flavor, she also go overripe berries. Beyond that, I found some tarriness I associate with very ripe Pets. Both of us commented that the wine was not as rich as the best Zinfandel ports or port varietal ports from California - but the Zinfandel ports were vintage ports fully aged and this is more like one of the early Ficklin ports.
The wine definitely improved and opened up with air and time. Iâd give this at least 2-3 hours open before serving.
This is a wine thatâs ready now, which will enhance a Winter evening.
Scores: rpm 18-, SWMBO 16+
We both agreed it was an interesting wine which would be quite good with cheese or dark chocolate. I think Clark did make a silk (well, maybe a satin) purse out of a couple of sowâs ears. Very successful wine and I donât think anyone is going to do much better putting together a port based on Cabernet Sauvignon and Petit Sirah.
How much more are you saving by buying a full case?
(Note: Tax & Shipping not included in savings calculations)
WineSmith Cellars Dessert Wines - $15 = 9.09%
Of course I had to order. Câmon, itâs Clark, thereâs a new varietal I havenât tried before, it comes well recommended from trusted rats, whatâs not to love?
Any Gorilla
I recently returned from gorilla trekking in the mountains of Uganda, so Iâm guessing Clark and Sandra think I know a little about gorillas and wine. They send me a bottle of Any Gorilla, and with a planned NE Ohio Casemates wine swap I decided to bring it along to let the experts (@chipgreen, @pjmartin, @boatman72) help me rat it. They may post their thoughts, but here are mine.
This isnât just any gorillaâŚâŚ
This guy is Mwirima, the silverback of the Rushegura family in the Bwindi Impenetrable Forest.
And this isnât just any wine. Clark has taken some âfailed winesâ and blended them together with petit sirah to create a very tasty wine.
Looking at the info on label on brix, residual sugar and ABV, I guessed this would lean towards a dessert wine or port. After popping the cork I was surprised how clean the cork was indicating maybe I was wrong in that the wine inside could be much lighter than a port. Pouring it into the glass confirmed my initial thoughts. As you can see, itâs a pretty dark purple.
On Day 1 (with my fellow tasters) on the nose I detected ripe fruit, cherries, maybe some berries. With residual sugar of 80 grams per liter this wine would definitely be classified as sweet. One of my fellow tasters described it a syrupy, which to me is a big negative. I wouldnât describe it as syrupy, but would say it had a nice mouthfeel with a little heavier viscosity, but not overly sweet as syrupy would indicate. IMHO I think the higher alcohol and RS balance themselves out quite well.
Tasting the wine, I picked up the same ripe cherries, and ripe berries, both raspberries and blackberries. It seemed like a fun wine, fruit forward, nice balance, medium tannins, medium finish. To me it seemed like a wine to introduce new wine drinkers to the port style. Nice, and fun, nothing too serious.
I corked the bottle and said goodbye to my fellow Casemate friends, saving the balance of the bottle for Day 2. I got home and asked SWMBO if she would like a taste, and without giving her any details I poured her a sample, and her response was âthat tastes like port.â
Day 2- the wine has evolved overnight. Today the nose is richer, more complex. Scents of dried fruits have joined the ripe fruits, and a touch of vanilla. The taste has changed considerably too. It has gone from a âfunâ wine to something more serious, or complex. Ripe fruits are still present, but layered with dried fruits (cherries? raisins?) a touch of vanilla and maybe cocoa nibs. On both days tastings I would say the 16.9% alcohol is not present, no heat or noticeable burning in the back of the mouth; probably due to the relatively high RS.
As is the case with everything Clark has brought our way, itâs delicious, I wouldnât hesitate to buy this in the $20 range, and I certainly wouldnât hesitate to pour it with new or serious wine drinkers.
Hereâs to a healthy, happy and wine filled 2020 to everyone here on Casemates! Cheers!
@mrn1 and fellow CasematesâŚClark hit a home run with the Any Gorilla!! I LOVED IT!! I just wanted to describe my comment about the wine being âsyrupyââŚWhen I made that statement, I wasnât describing the sweetness, but my âperceptionâ of the mouthfeel. Gorilla was silky smooth and as it rolled over my tongue and around my mouth, I perceived the viscosity of this initial taste as a very, very light maple syrup type viscosity (not taste). The sweetness was a pleasant factor along with the initial hints of cherry, red berries, and later dark fruit! Maybe a better term for my perception could have been ânicely bodied and port-likeâ. Gorilla provide this great mouthfeel along with the fruit and sweetness that the Ratâs have mentioned. This was an AUTOBUY for me and I purchased a case around 1:00 AM EST this morning.
Thanks to @mrn1 for bringing the Gorillaâs to our Fest and Bottle Exchange! Your pics of your trip were outstanding!! Clark, GREAT JOB ON YOUR GORILLA!!
@mrn1 Nomination for Rat report of the year with the Gorilla theme; that was genius! The Any Gorilla was very enjoyable. I would put it as a great introduction to Port as it is much easier drinking than most other Ports I have had, maybe due to the lower alcohol. Your notes captured things well. I almost brought some chocolate truffles which would have been killer. Now that we know @chipgreenâs secret place and how accommodating they are, I wonât make that mistake again. Great times.
We had a bottle of âAny Gorillaâ show up out of the blue from Clark about a week or so ago, and were really warmed by the gesture. Thanks, Clark!
Figuring it was some sort of dessert wine, but not sure how âportishâ it would be, I cracked it open a few nights ago, and we had some small glasses. Mine is the 750ml bottle, so it will last a few tastings.
My wife and I loved it right away, even right after being opened. Itâs not as overtly rich as vintage port, but the wine just works. Nice acidity and fine tannins to balance the sweetness, and a sense that I find in all of Clarkâs wines that it you can give it some air it will become more and more interesting. That is definitely the case here.
I wonât take the time to do tasting notes- those have been covered really well already in this thread and are consistent with our experience. I will just paste the text I sent to Clark after tasting: (and how cool it is to be able to text the actual winemaker to tell them you enjoy their wines!)
"Cracked open my âAny Gorillaâ tonight.
First, thanks!
Second, how the heck do you make such awesome wine out of scraps? Shannon and I are totally loving this. Will it be for sale?"
There it is. And it is for sale, so Iâm buying a case.
Kudos to Clark for the # of rats (although this is likely one of the safest bets around). Happy to add this one to our growing cache of wine that should last us well through retirement (and thatâs still a bit down the road for us). And looking like a nice way to wind down the 10 Days of Christmas as well.
Rooting for a sellout on this offering!
Post note: Just now got our first UPS box- arrived safely and on time, even though it never showed up in the UPS My Choice.
Normally not a sweet wine type of gal, but with the Rattage and the rare varietals Iâm in for 4. Do enjoy an occassional nice glass of Port by a roaring fire.
blinking-enriching-wassail
@bolligra The Petit Manseng should be served slightly chilled, but not ârefrigerator coldâ. The Any Gorilla should be served at a cool room temperature. Both should be allowed to breathe - the PM for an hour or so, the AG for 2-3 hours.
@bolligra@rpm Iâm in complete accord. The aromas of the PM are quite delicate, so itâs not a good idea to overchill it unless you are enjoying it by itself on a hot day.
Got my case this week already- tried only the Petit Manseng so far, on Friday, and I have to say OMG, that is delicious! We let it breathe a while as suggested, and SWMBO and I loved it. Thanks Clark.
WineSmith Petit Manseng, Yolo County, Novavine Nursery Vineyard, 375ml
Tasting Notes
Specs
WineSmith Any Gorilla, California, 375ml
Tasting Notes
Specs
Included In The Box
Price Comparison
$300 for a case/MSRP $25 for Petit Manseng (375ml), unable to order more than 4 at a time online
About The Winery
Winery: WineSmith Cellars
Owner: Clark Smith
Founded: 1993
Location: Sebastopol, CA
Clark Smith is an MIT drop-out who wandered out to California in 1972 and sold wine retail in the Bay Area for several years, where he acquired a love of Bordeaux, Burgundy and all things French and observed first hand the California winery explosion in the 1970s. After a three year stint at Veedercrest Vineyards, he secured enology training at UC Davis and spent the 1980s as founding winemaker for The R.H. Phillips Vineyard in Yolo County. In 1990, he founded WineSmith Consulting and patented a group of new winemaking techniques involving reverse osmosis, spinning off Vinovation, which went on to become the worldâs largest wine production consulting firm over its 17-year history.
Frustrated with Californiaâs winemaking trends, Clark started WineSmith Cellars in 1993 as a teaching winery to make Eurocentric wines to explore traditions beyond the mainstream, expanding for his winemaking clients the range of possibility for California fruit. Choosing to create long-term partnerships with committed growers rather than growing his own grapes, Clark has become a renowned expert on Cabernet Franc, having vinified twenty vintages from a wide variety of sites.
Teaching at Napa Valley College gave him access to the Student Vineyard for Faux Chablis and his Pauillac-style $100 âCrucibleâ Cabernet Sauvignon. From Renaissance Vineyards in North Yuba County, he has made a sulfite-free Roman Syrah and also produces a Pinot Noir from Fiddlestix Vineyard in the Santa Rita Hills in a delicate, age-worthy CĂ´tes de Beaune style. These wines are vinified in an ancient beat-up warehouse in Sebastopol, California.
WineSmith wines are noted for their longevity, classic balance, structural integrity, minerality, and understated soulfulness. They often are aged extensively prior to release. When drinking a WineSmith wine, always ask yourself âWhat is this wine trying to teach me?â Clark is a vocal advocate of living soil and graceful longevity, and generally avoids excessive oak, alcohol, or extended hang-time. He is not shy about employing new tools when they are needed, such as alcohol adjustment to bring fruit into balance or micro-oxygenation to build refined structure, but always fully discloses techniques which are controversial and is outspoken in explaining his rationale.
His book, Postmodern Winemaking, is the culmination of four decades of reflection on wineâs true nature.
Available States
AZ, CA, CO, CT, DC, FL, GA, ID, IL, IN, IA, KS, LA, ME, MD, MA, MI, MN, MO, MT, NE, NV, NJ, NM, NY, NC, ND, OH, OR, PA, RI, SC, SD, TN, TX, VT, VA, WA, WV, WI, WY
Estimated Delivery
Monday, Jan 6 - Thursday, Jan 9
WineSmith Cellars Dessert Wines
4 bottles for $54.99 $13.75/bottle + $2/bottle shipping
Case of 12 for $149.99 $12.50/bottle + $1/bottle shipping
Petit Manseng
Any Gorilla
Greetings, everyone! This time around we have a unique holiday offering of half-bottles of forgeries of two European dessert wines.
First we have a Petit Manseng made in the style of Pacherenc de Vic-Bihl, a sweet white wine appellation which has the same geographic delineation as Madiran, the Tannat region where I was trained in micro-oxygenation by my guru, Patrick Ducournau and his team at Oenodev. This is a real loony-tunes grape which achieves 31 brix while maintaining very high acidities and pHs below 3.0, naturally arresting its own fermentation at 13% alcohol and 80 grams per liter of sugar. Each year we make a cross-vintage blend and retain a barrel and bottle the rest. This combination of young and old wine presents complex development in a vehicle far more delicate than botrytised wines such as Sauternes. We further enhanced this complexity by fermenting with some aromatic Acacia wood chips which impart a honeysuckle aroma and firm up the mouthfeel. Serve with crème brČlĂŠe, chocolate mousse, strawberry shortcake or tiramisu.
The second wine is a Port forgery. Some of you will remember my 2006 Lodi Cabernet Sauvignon, a magnificent wine I tried to reproduce in 2017. I made a mistake in purchasing a couple tons from what turned out to be a poorly farmed vineyard resulting in a wine with a dry, oxidized edge and green aromatic notes. I knew I couldnât bottle it as a dry wine, so I tried an old trick. Many elements that are defects in dry wine â oxidation, dry tannins, even vinegar â can be virtues in dessert wines. Accordingly, I bought two tons of wonderfully fruity Petite Sirah from Diamond Ridge Vineyards in Lake County and a couple drums of neutral brandy and threw them all together, tossing in also a barrel of 2006 Meritage I had lying around to contribute some aged complexity. The whole process took about an hour and what emerged was a very convincing Vintage Port knock-off, albeit with a moderate 16.9% alcohol.
Since European place names are forbidden on American wines, I had to come up with a whimsical name for the wine. I immediately thought of wine critic Bob Fosterâs remark at the beginning of the wonderful film Wine Diamonds: âHell, any gorilla can make wine in California.â So thatâs what we called it.
I strongly recommend you stream the full feature-length film, which follows five midwestern families that represent the invisible yet explosive growth of tiny Mom and Pop wineries making wines far more interesting than anything youâll find on a retail shelf. These are the kinds of wineries I consult for.
@winesmith Is the Any Gorilla more like a Banyuls? Unofficial lab rat below sounds kind of like that instead of a port.
@GatorFL Yes, thatâs a good observation, given the alcohol content. Iâd say itâs got more fresh cassis and less pruniness than your average dessert Banyuls, but itâs in the same wheelhouse.
@winesmith Good grief. Mistake 1 was watching your videos as you described the wine. Mistake 2 was reading all the LabRat reviewsâŚ
And those mistakes lead me to the smart decision to order! I am absolutely NOT into dessert wines. But then again I doubt Iâve had good dessert winesâŚso, looking forward to being educated!!!
/image pumpkinspiced-lucky-gala
because well, itâs a desert wine
and iâm waiting for bloody F***ing UPS for a gourmet.woot delivery of cheese and itâs after 9 PM those bastiches (and already a day late)
I think if someone could make a company that delivered undamaged goods in a reasonable time theyâd put fed-ex and UPS out of business.
@winesmith@winedavid49 Thank you both very much. So excited! No hesitation.
I am so happy to see both of these on Casemates. Thanks, Clark and WD.
/giphy toasted-jolly-menorah
Couldnât resist
/giphy droll-symbolic-santa
No way this makes until noon tomorrow!
/giphy spectacular-traditional-tidings
You know, Iâve been half-assedly following along and not buying anything this whole time, but Iâve wanted to even though I have no taste in wine, and this â10 Days of Christmasâ thing seems fun. And yesterday I said to myself the last offer had better be a candy-sweet white wine or a port, because thatâs all I know I like. And you managed both?! Your powers are strange and impressive.
/giphy crimson-resplendent-laughter
@mossygreen
Yes, they did!
But donât expect over-the-top âcandy sweetâ
@rjquillin So, not a rebottled wine cooler: got it!
NV Any Gorilla
Iâm presuming Clark in his candor will put up his TNâs and how this came to be, but suffice it to say;
It worked.
This concoction is surprisingly light, with lots of dark fruits, but itâs only 16.9% AbV, with itâs sweetness balanced by the PS skins and seeds tannic addition, or was it the CS from the notes?
Would like to know where the sweetness is coming from. In a Port style I seem to recall itâs from the halted fermentation with the addition of brandy. That happen here with the PS, or just the sweetness of un-fermented juice?
Didnât work so well with some smoked apple-walnut Beehive that just arrived, but some chocolate truffles lit it up.
So, this was a sowâs ear to a silk purse? Pretty well done.
Petit Manseng
I really wanted to work on this one first, but it just wasnât working at room temp, so into the freezer for a bit of a chill while I worked on the Gorilla.
Well, this is a difficult one to describe, as Iâve not had anything much like it before. Nose is a bit woodsy, but not oak, cedar or others Iâm familiar with, and Acacia is one of those. Sauternes-style, I think a bit of viscosity, perhaps from the Botrytized bottles Iâm more accustomed to where the sugar just shouts at you. Not here, again the TA and low pH seem to keep any cloying well in check. This one worked really well with some flatbread and pâtĂŠ, as well as those truffles. Pretty long finish here, with what must be the Acacia taking the lead.
Pleased to have been able to try these, just wish my vocabulary could better describe what Iâm unfamiliar with. Wish these would make it in time for gifts, as I would be gifting to other wineau just to expand their horizons as well.
Iâll revisit tomorrow, in hopes there may actually be some left for purchase for those that havenât already depleted the inventory.
[edit] And for those of you that have already purchased, you wonât be disappointed.
[edit-2] Need to addâŚ
Some of the offers Iâve been given the opportunity to Rat have been difficult. At times itâs just plain hard to tease out the good stuff from what otherwise is meh or less. Here the difficulty was just finding words; I enjoyed both, and for me both are atypical of my norm; I like that. It gives me a chance to try something a bit different that wonât be plucked from some supermarket shelf, or likely even from a well appointed merchant.
Thanks again Clark, Sandra, WD and Ariana for making this happen.
@rjquillin Thanks Ron. I like pushing the descriptive envelope. In the case of the PM I got to make a forgery of an obscure French wine and at the same time a varietal oddity. In answer to your question, all the sugar comes from 25 brix Petite Sirah which was thrown together with the dry wines and 171 proof neutral brandy so it didnât even ferment.
@rjquillin nice job Ron!
If weâd had tasty bottles to sample we could add to this. By the numbers these sound amazing to me and your notes are convincing as well.
Might be splitting with a friend or might want to do the normal SoCal split. Iâll find out in the morning.
@klezman I did grab a case. As mentioned some will be gifts, but some could be available. Given how many are near you, likely you could kill off a case easily as well.
/giphy droll-cheerful-cupid
/giphy frozen-delectable-vixen
A word about packaging. Itâs not legal for us to actually state a direct reference to a European place name such as Port, which must come from Oporto. So we have to toss hints. Any Gorilla states on the back label states âA classic accompaniment to Stilton cheese, grilled walnuts and celery. Cigar fanciers will find uses and would also be forgiven to pair it with fine chocolate.â The wine also comes in a very cute port-style bottle in both this 375 as well as the 750 ml size, in a further attempt to signal, without actually saying so, âYo! This is a Port!â
We decided to do something really special for the Petit Manseng, which just as in France is only bottled in 375 ml. We worked with Monvera Glass to design a label permanently silk-screened onto the bottle, resulting in a beautifully elegant stocking stuffer with a silky texture that feels good in the hand and hints at the delicacy inside. I sure hope you guys appreciate this art. It wasnât cheap!
Break Break Break Break
Un-Offical Rat Reporting In (Sort Of)
It was a dark cold night when we heard the scratching on the front door, no big deal we have cats; but this was coming from the outside?? I peaked out the window just as a small clocked figure was darting away, I noticed what looked like something stenciled on âItâsâ back which read, Postmodern Winemaking, and I swear I heard some music. I opened the door, carefully place by the wall was a box, and it wasnât tickingâŚâŚâŚ
Full disclosure we are YUGE WineSmith/Clark fans, to steal a term from RPM, WineSmith is an AutoBuy in this house. We know what we like, and what we donât; we donât command the vocabulary to express the finer nuances, caricature or descriptors of a wine. For us itâs either one and done, or itâs a repeat order. Thatâs way I passed on being a Rat. I felt I/we couldnât artfully contribute to the CaseMateârs wondering if this or that particular wine would be a good fit for them.
Out of our vast respect for Clark, Ruth-E and Sandra, I/we would simply say this, we loved both of the offerings. I would direct you to RRQuillinâs very comprehensive and outstanding Rattage, I wish I could be so eloquent in describing wine, but alas itâs not to be, I just get to enjoy it.
Thanks Clark for the opportunity to preview what is yet again, a great offering from the WineSmith crew!! shimmering-spiced-friendship
PS> By the way, what does that thing eat??
/giphy crimson-eventful-heart
/giphy freezing-delectable-vixen
I hope they can brighten up my evening.
So far, the Casemates transition to UPS is working for me ⌠(knock wood). Lo and Behold (seems appropriate in the Holiday Season), yesterday afternoon I found not one, but TWO (2) specimens from Clark Smithâs fascinating, sometimes off the beaten path, winemaking journey nestled down for a Cold Winterâs tasting.
As Clarkâs description suggests, these are not your everyday California wines. Theyâre not even your everyday California dessert wines (which have a long history of being worse than plonk) or even your everyday high quality California dessert wines. High quality California white dessert wines in recent years have tended to be variations on induced botrytis late harvest wines, often Riesling, sometimes Gewurztraminer or SĂŠmillon, and occasionally other varietals. And, the high quality red California desert wines are almost always fortified wines primarily of Zinfandel (historically) or the various port varietals. OK, you probably knew that⌠but itâs a way of contrasting the two wines here with what you might be expecting from California dessert wine.
Petit Manseng
This is a rare varietal in California, but one that has been showing up in Eastern US vineyards in recent years and is often harvested late as a dessert wine. Having recently tasted a 2012 Linden Late Harvest Petit Manseng (Virginia), we were especially excited to try this wine.
SWMBO, a friend of hers with a background in food tasting, but not wine tasting, and I tasted it this afternoon immediately after opening the bottle. As is my wont, we scored using the modified Davis 20 point scoring scheme, and for the benefit of our friend, we used a Wine Aroma Wheel. I wonât bore you with the technical score breakdowns, but I will cut to the chase and tell you both SWMBO and I liked the Petit Manseng very much.
The wine was too cold to begin with - when you serve this make sure itâs just cool, not cold, and give it some time to breathe - but our consensus was the wine had a very subtle and aromatic nose. SWMBO got hints of peaches and apples, I got apricot, light floral/earl grey notes, a hint of violets and something almost, but not quite citrusy. The description doesnât really convey how delightful and fresh the very subtle aromas were.
A very well balanced wine, with a very nice light sweetness that was absolutely charming. Fairly light body. Flavors were pretty much what youâd expect from the nose, but with a spiciness I didnât expect, but found integrated well with the whole.
Based on our recent experience with the Virginia Petit Manseng, which was made as an ice wine with frozen grapes (not clear if they harvested frozen or froze the grapesâŚ), SWMO and I were expecting more unctuousness in the wine. She would have preferred a bit more of that richness, I was happy with the wine the way it is.
Once the wine warmed up a bit (and especially after tasting a couple of hours later), the finish lingered to be savored. Overall, the wine very much benefited from a little time open on the table: as we approached it in the early evening, the aromas had opened up and were more pronounced, but not fundamentally different or less subtle. Flavors were easier to identify.
Clark suggests with with food - and that works - but I think I prefer to drink it by itself. Absolutely shines as a dessert wine when the weather is pleasantly cool, but not cold.
Final scores (out of 20): rpm 18.5-19; SWMBO 18- .
These score are based on finding the wine delightful and very much a winemaking success, and reflect our view that this is a wonderful example of whatâs possible with Petit Manseng. Both of us recommend the wine highly. Without knowing pricing, itâs hard to describe QPR. The Linden from Virginia was $28 for a 375ml at the winery, and was a good QPR at that price. Different wine, but playing in the same sandbox.
Any Gorilla
I found Clarkâs spec sheet reference to Bob Fosterâs comment about âany gorilla can make wine in Californiaâ both amusing and apt. Looking at the varietals, you know this is something that sort of happened (and I really want to hear that storyâŚ) rather than something he set out to grow (or buy) the fruit for. Most of you know I love Cabernet Sauvignon, and like Petit Sirah, but also that I have a low tolerance for overripe wines.
But, we tried to approach this with an open mind and to evaluate it in its own context: that is, given the grapes in it and what Clark was trying to do, was it a success? And, is it any good?
We both found the color very good - deep but clear. The aromas were very distinctive and very identifiably fruit (which is not the same as fruit forward). SWMBO got prunes and figs and a distinctive black currant jam aroma. I got both prunes and figs and hints of cassis - the liquor Cassis, not so much black currant fruit. There was no tarriness, which sometimes happens in these big fortified wines, and almost no sensation of the high alcohol. What I did get - not constantly, but from time to time as I sniffed - was a sense of pure Petit Sirah. As if the blend hadnât completely melded the two base wines together. It wasnât unpleasant or off-putting, but it was unusual.
Body and balance were good, it was appropriately sweet for its type: a success.
Both SWMBO and I got strong cassis flavor, she also go overripe berries. Beyond that, I found some tarriness I associate with very ripe Pets. Both of us commented that the wine was not as rich as the best Zinfandel ports or port varietal ports from California - but the Zinfandel ports were vintage ports fully aged and this is more like one of the early Ficklin ports.
The wine definitely improved and opened up with air and time. Iâd give this at least 2-3 hours open before serving.
This is a wine thatâs ready now, which will enhance a Winter evening.
Scores: rpm 18-, SWMBO 16+
We both agreed it was an interesting wine which would be quite good with cheese or dark chocolate. I think Clark did make a silk (well, maybe a satin) purse out of a couple of sowâs ears. Very successful wine and I donât think anyone is going to do much better putting together a port based on Cabernet Sauvignon and Petit Sirah.
Again, highly recommended.
rpm
@rpm I thought I liked these, but I had no idea why.
Thanks for letting me know.
How much more are you saving by buying a full case?
(Note: Tax & Shipping not included in savings calculations)
WineSmith Cellars Dessert Wines - $15 = 9.09%
Of course I had to order. Câmon, itâs Clark, thereâs a new varietal I havenât tried before, it comes well recommended from trusted rats, whatâs not to love?
@coynedj How many did you end up ordering? If you can spare any, I might be interested in 1 of each.
Iâm so glad Iâve been making space in my cellar. Itâs hard work, but someone has to do it! (c=
@drhellknow Yeah, but the bottles are small and donât take up so much space.
@winesmith so youâre saying I should have ordered two cases?
But seriouslyâawake at 3am EST and ordered on sight. As they say, âNo regerts.â
/giphy relaxing-treasured-lore
Any Gorilla
I recently returned from gorilla trekking in the mountains of Uganda, so Iâm guessing Clark and Sandra think I know a little about gorillas and wine. They send me a bottle of Any Gorilla, and with a planned NE Ohio Casemates wine swap I decided to bring it along to let the experts (@chipgreen, @pjmartin, @boatman72) help me rat it. They may post their thoughts, but here are mine.
This isnât just any gorillaâŚâŚ
This guy is Mwirima, the silverback of the Rushegura family in the Bwindi Impenetrable Forest.
And this isnât just any wine. Clark has taken some âfailed winesâ and blended them together with petit sirah to create a very tasty wine.
Looking at the info on label on brix, residual sugar and ABV, I guessed this would lean towards a dessert wine or port. After popping the cork I was surprised how clean the cork was indicating maybe I was wrong in that the wine inside could be much lighter than a port. Pouring it into the glass confirmed my initial thoughts. As you can see, itâs a pretty dark purple.
On Day 1 (with my fellow tasters) on the nose I detected ripe fruit, cherries, maybe some berries. With residual sugar of 80 grams per liter this wine would definitely be classified as sweet. One of my fellow tasters described it a syrupy, which to me is a big negative. I wouldnât describe it as syrupy, but would say it had a nice mouthfeel with a little heavier viscosity, but not overly sweet as syrupy would indicate. IMHO I think the higher alcohol and RS balance themselves out quite well.
Tasting the wine, I picked up the same ripe cherries, and ripe berries, both raspberries and blackberries. It seemed like a fun wine, fruit forward, nice balance, medium tannins, medium finish. To me it seemed like a wine to introduce new wine drinkers to the port style. Nice, and fun, nothing too serious.
I corked the bottle and said goodbye to my fellow Casemate friends, saving the balance of the bottle for Day 2. I got home and asked SWMBO if she would like a taste, and without giving her any details I poured her a sample, and her response was âthat tastes like port.â
Day 2- the wine has evolved overnight. Today the nose is richer, more complex. Scents of dried fruits have joined the ripe fruits, and a touch of vanilla. The taste has changed considerably too. It has gone from a âfunâ wine to something more serious, or complex. Ripe fruits are still present, but layered with dried fruits (cherries? raisins?) a touch of vanilla and maybe cocoa nibs. On both days tastings I would say the 16.9% alcohol is not present, no heat or noticeable burning in the back of the mouth; probably due to the relatively high RS.
As is the case with everything Clark has brought our way, itâs delicious, I wouldnât hesitate to buy this in the $20 range, and I certainly wouldnât hesitate to pour it with new or serious wine drinkers.
Hereâs to a healthy, happy and wine filled 2020 to everyone here on Casemates! Cheers!
@mrn1 and fellow CasematesâŚClark hit a home run with the Any Gorilla!! I LOVED IT!! I just wanted to describe my comment about the wine being âsyrupyââŚWhen I made that statement, I wasnât describing the sweetness, but my âperceptionâ of the mouthfeel. Gorilla was silky smooth and as it rolled over my tongue and around my mouth, I perceived the viscosity of this initial taste as a very, very light maple syrup type viscosity (not taste). The sweetness was a pleasant factor along with the initial hints of cherry, red berries, and later dark fruit! Maybe a better term for my perception could have been ânicely bodied and port-likeâ. Gorilla provide this great mouthfeel along with the fruit and sweetness that the Ratâs have mentioned. This was an AUTOBUY for me and I purchased a case around 1:00 AM EST this morning.
Thanks to @mrn1 for bringing the Gorillaâs to our Fest and Bottle Exchange! Your pics of your trip were outstanding!! Clark, GREAT JOB ON YOUR GORILLA!!
@mrn1 Nomination for Rat report of the year with the Gorilla theme; that was genius! The Any Gorilla was very enjoyable. I would put it as a great introduction to Port as it is much easier drinking than most other Ports I have had, maybe due to the lower alcohol. Your notes captured things well. I almost brought some chocolate truffles which would have been killer. Now that we know @chipgreenâs secret place and how accommodating they are, I wonât make that mistake again. Great times.
/giphy furry-nostalgic-bonfire
Unofficial labrat report (quick variety!)
We had a bottle of âAny Gorillaâ show up out of the blue from Clark about a week or so ago, and were really warmed by the gesture. Thanks, Clark!
Figuring it was some sort of dessert wine, but not sure how âportishâ it would be, I cracked it open a few nights ago, and we had some small glasses. Mine is the 750ml bottle, so it will last a few tastings.
My wife and I loved it right away, even right after being opened. Itâs not as overtly rich as vintage port, but the wine just works. Nice acidity and fine tannins to balance the sweetness, and a sense that I find in all of Clarkâs wines that it you can give it some air it will become more and more interesting. That is definitely the case here.
I wonât take the time to do tasting notes- those have been covered really well already in this thread and are consistent with our experience. I will just paste the text I sent to Clark after tasting: (and how cool it is to be able to text the actual winemaker to tell them you enjoy their wines!)
"Cracked open my âAny Gorillaâ tonight.
First, thanks!
Second, how the heck do you make such awesome wine out of scraps? Shannon and I are totally loving this. Will it be for sale?"
There it is. And it is for sale, so Iâm buying a case.
Happy Holidays, Clark!
Kudos to Clark for the # of rats (although this is likely one of the safest bets around). Happy to add this one to our growing cache of wine that should last us well through retirement (and thatâs still a bit down the road for us). And looking like a nice way to wind down the 10 Days of Christmas as well.
Rooting for a sellout on this offering!
Post note: Just now got our first UPS box- arrived safely and on time, even though it never showed up in the UPS My Choice.
/giphy sharing-warm-outing
in for a case. Happy to split some with anyone who desires in Denver area.
Normally not a sweet wine type of gal, but with the Rattage and the rare varietals Iâm in for 4. Do enjoy an occassional nice glass of Port by a roaring fire.
blinking-enriching-wassail
I canât not buy a Clark offering, so Iâll show a modicum of restraint and only go for the 4-pack. Really looking forward to trying this out!
/giphy gratifying-singing-luge
Weâre in - question is whether for 4 bottles or more. Any SoCal people want a few?
@klezman @PLSemenza was making some noise on the topic.
OK, I give up- in for a case!
singing-happiest-donkey
Resistance is futile.
@winesmith âŚevidently!
/giphy edwardian-caring-krampus
/giphy frosted-jovial-turkey
If the wine is anywhere near as sexy as this twerking turkey (twerkey?) iâm in for a real treat!
great
/giphy flashy-nice-mistletoe
Should these be served chilled?
@bolligra The Petit Manseng should be served slightly chilled, but not ârefrigerator coldâ. The Any Gorilla should be served at a cool room temperature. Both should be allowed to breathe - the PM for an hour or so, the AG for 2-3 hours.
@bolligra @rpm Iâm in complete accord. The aromas of the PM are quite delicate, so itâs not a good idea to overchill it unless you are enjoying it by itself on a hot day.
@rpm @winesmith Thanks!
Got my set of 4! Yum!
Had to add a second case.
Co-workers are the best!
@rjquillin Truly the ultimate stocking stuffers!
Got my case this week already- tried only the Petit Manseng so far, on Friday, and I have to say OMG, that is delicious! We let it breathe a while as suggested, and SWMBO and I loved it. Thanks Clark.
How did I miss this? I guess Iâve been working too muchâŚ