Sunday, September 20, 2009
Taking Flight at Montaluce (at last, Georgia Wines part 4 of 4)
Furthermore, I feel compelled to write about the wines being produced on the Dahlonega Plateau. These guys put in a lot of hard work and- do I even need to say it?- into what they're doing, especially at Montaluce. The folks there dropped everything to speak to some inquisitive boob from Woodstock, GA, so the least I can do is write about it. If you want to read my article about Montaluce, click here. For the purposes of this post, I'm sticking strictly to the wine:
2008 Risata: Three cheers for good winemaking. This Sangiovese-based effort was originally intended to be a red wine. When the grapes didn't come in the way the winemaker wanted, he turned it into an intriguing Rosé. Nice move. I was met with a very pleasant nose of roses, orange peel, herbs, that Georgia "grassiness", and rainbow sherbet. Yeah, the red, green, and orange stuff. It was dry and crisp in the mouth, with good acidity. A really nice wine.
2008 Chardonnay: A nice, buttery, earthy nose (maybe "grassy" again?) with some telltale Chardonnay aromas of green apple and citrus. In the mouth, there was once again good acidity (which you'd expect in a cool-climate, but not in the Deep South...nice). This wine also had a nice, long finish. It was not my favorite of the bunch, but that could be a personal problem. Why am I saddling you with my problems? You've got enough on your plate, and I respect that, valued reader.
2008 Viognier: A variety of grape that I'm seeing a ton of in Georgia, for which I am very happy (Viognier is SOOO good when done well). Montaluce's- yet again- had a very interesting nose...extra virgin olive oil (or "EVOO" if you're into terrible Rachael Ray references) was the first thing that jumped out at me. I also got apricots, peaches, and honey in my snout. Nice tangerine and spice in the mouth. Bought a bottle; what else can I say?
2008 Merlot: Another good nose. Herbs, green pepper, and berries dancing around in the glass. As I swished it around in my cheeks, this light-to-medium bodied red had a huge kick of strawberries, which never sucks. Really, what's impressive about the Montaluce wines is the depth of flavor that I haven't really seen in the other Georgia wines I've had. They're more complex, and this Merlot is no exception.
2008 Cabernet Sauvignon: I think by this point, I was jaw-jacking with Rob Beecham, and I didn't write down any notes. Nice one, Joe. Anyway, what I do remember is that it was pretty good: medium-bodied, good fruit, that signature Georgia "grassiness" (which may sound bad, but it's not. It's the "Georgia" in the wine). Sorry, Cab. I meant well, but failed to give you the respect you deserve.
So, there it is. This edition of my Georgia wine oddyssey is closed- for now. There's a lot more going on up in the hills, so I'm sure I'll be back...
...just like I'm sure I'll be sitting on the couch again on a Sunday night, trying to avoid writing a post. But if they keep busting their butts to make the best wine possible, I'll get off mine and write about it.
To dedication, even when it's not the easy thing to do: Cheers, Sláinte, L'Chaim, Salud, Prost, Skål, Konbe, and Kampai!
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