Mini-reviews 64: Muscadet, Stoller, Prosecco, Villa Maria

Labor Day wine reviewsReviews of wines that don ?t need their own post, but are worth noting for one reason or another. Look for it on the final Friday of each month. This month, four more wines for Labor Day.

? No l Bougrier Muscadet 2012 ($8, purchased, 13%): This French white wine, a private label for the Total Wine chain, was tart and sour, with little varietal character. Muscadet, made with the melon de bourgogne grape, should be light and refreshing. This reminded me of bad cheap French wine in the old days.

?Stoller Dundee Hills Pinot Noir 2012 ($25, sample, 13.8%): Delicious Oregon pinot noir, with berry flavors, zingy tannins, and as balanced as it should be. A fine value, even at this price. Highly recommended, and another example of the fallacy of scores. It scored 86 on CellarTracker, the blog’s unofficial wine inventory app, while the barely drinkable Bourgier scored 88.

? Deccolio Prosecco NV ($13, sample, 11%): This extra dry Prosecco is not too sweet, which is saying something. Extra dry is sweeter than brut, the most dry, and can be almost syrupy. It’s well put together with lemon fruit, a little minerality, and better bubbles than I expected. But extra dry cava will give you the same thing for a couple of dollars less, as will something like La Marca Prosecco.

? Villa Maria Pinot Noir Private Bin 2012 ($15, sample, 13%): A wine I desperately wanted to like, but that shows again Villa Maria’s fall from grace. This New Zealand red is nothing but sweet cherry fruit, without any pinot character.

3 thoughts on “Mini-reviews 64: Muscadet, Stoller, Prosecco, Villa Maria

  • By Bobby Cox -

    I sure was hoping the Muscadet would be good. If Texasans ever learn to DRINK wine it will be wines like Muscadet, crisp clean fruity. Up here on High Plains we can grow wine like that by the train load but someone must drink the wine.

    • By Wine Curmudgeon -

      Bobby, my friend, if you grow it and can get someone to make it, I’ll get them to drink it.

  • By Shimshon Welner -

    We are the producers of Deccolio wines.
    Thanks for your positive comments.
    I would like to let you know few more facts about our wines:
    All our wines are Vegan.Means we can’t use gelatin and other ingredients.
    All our wines are kosher. We produce our wines with our Jewish teams limited to many restrictions which do not exist to regular wines producers.
    In order to compare kosher wines prices on apple to apple method please take in expense that the kosher production is more expensive by about 25- 30%.
    Sincerely
    Shimshon Welner
    PS. please find more information about us at:
    You can log in into the web below and find link to the article copy which published in the Israeli Jerusalem Post Weekend edition and Wines Of Israel” blog.
    http://winesisrael.com/en/2773/credit-where-it-is-due/

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