TN: Two Outstanding CO Reds...(short/boring)

WINE TALK
1

Tried these pre-Thanksgiving wines this week:
7. RedFoxCllrs Teroldego AVA: Grand Vlly/CO (13.5%; www.RedFoxCellars.com) Palisade/CO 2016: Very dark/
near black color; very strong blackberry/black cherry cola/classic Teroldego/very spicy light toasty/
oak bit floral/licorice/pungent slight earthy lovely nose; bit soft slight metallic/tangy/earthy strong
Teroldego/black cherry cola/blackberry/boysenberry/ripe light toasty/oak bit earthy/licorice/pungent
flavor w/ modest tangy/bracing tannins; very long/lingering very spicy/boysenberry/black cherry cola/
classic Teroldego light earthy/pungent/licorice bit soft light oak finish w/ light tangy tannins;
needs 2-5 yrs; speaks strongly of Teroldego and reminds me a lot of the excellent Bevella; an absolutely
lovely expression of Teroldego that I’d be proud to share w/ Elisabetta; one of the best CO reds I can
recall. $nc (KS)/$40.00

  1. MonkshoodCllrs Syrah WhiteWaterVnyd/GrandVlly/CO (13.8%; Grown in the Escarpment of GrandMesa;
    www.MonksHoodCellars.com) NathanLittlejohn/MonkshoodCllrs/Minturn/CO 2016    : Dark color; very strong
    blackberry/boysenberry/Syrah/very spicy/bit black pepper very light toasty/oak slight earthy/dusty/
    licorice very aromatic nose; bit soft/fat very strong blackberry/boysenberry/Syrah/spicy/peppery light
    toasty/oak structured flavor w/ some hard/crunchy tannins; very long/lingering very strong Syrah/very
    spicy/black pepper/blackberry/blueberry/boysenberry slight earthy/dusty light toasty/oak structured
    finish w/ ample chewy/crunchy tannins; tannins really stand out now but should moderate w/ some 3-7 yrs
    of age; best Syrah I’ve yet had from CO; reminds me a lot of a very good SantaBarbara Syrah, particularly
    the Jaffurs Thompson, but w/o the lushness that Syrah shows; another outstanding CO red. $nc (KS)/$44.00

More trobapsell from TheBloodyPulpit:

  1. The two CO wines came to me compliments of KyleSchlachter. They were two that particularly interested
    me from the recent Governor’sCupCase.
    RedFoxCllrs is the project of Scott & Sherrie Hamilton. They make an interesting tableau of wines,
    including Dolcetto/Tempranillo/and Nebbiolo, plus the obligatory Merlot (aged in Bourbon barrels) and
    CabSauv. I was quite impressed by this Teroldego…as good an expression of Teroldego as you can find in
    Trentino, except for that of ElisabettaForadori. But this is a Teroldego that I would happily show her
    w/ no apologies necessary. It’s the embracing of these alternative varieties that the CO wine industry
    must do to escape the doldroms of being a State that just produces another set of the CabSauv/Merlot/
    Chard paradigm. Sure would make Kyle’s job a lot easier!!
    MonkshoodCllrs is the effort of NathanLittleJohn. He makes a few interesting wines (CheninBlanc and
    St.Vincent) and some ciders. I can’t tell if he embraces the “natural winemaking” philosophy or not,
    but this outstanding Syrah showed none of the earmarks/problems that “natural wine” can often show.
    StVincent is a mystery grape whose origins are in Missouri. I’d love to try it to see what Nathan can
    do w/ a native grape variety. He has a winemaking background at Mayacamas, plus others. This was easily
    the best Syrah from CO I’ve yet tried.
    Tom
2

Tom, sounds like a no-nonsense time frame of : receive shipment, open shipment, open wines, drink wines, write TNs for wines . . . Bravo!
I enjoyed reading your TNs on the two CO wines, as well as the background info. I am now especially interested in tasting that same Syrah. My shipment arrived a few days ago, I will let the two bottles rest a bit from their traumatic travel to the cold northeast. May have to take them south to FL with us as we leave the first of Dec. Cheers. -Jim

3

Well, Jim…sometimes I show a bit more patience. But not this time. They arrived about mid-week last week.
Tom

4

I had the Teroldego at the winery. Stood out from the rest of their offerings which included tiny lots of other Italian varietals. Nice to see Colorado wineries branching out from the Boudreaux grapes that seem to do well here.

5

Eggsactly, Michael… as I mentioned in the BloodyPulpit. They need to embrace these alternative varieties if they’re
going to stand out from just anuther Iowa Merlot or Missouri CabFranc or a Texas Chard.
And with all the cherries they have on the WestSlope, a Visciola would seem like a no-brainer. Who knows…
it could be the highest calling for their Merlot!! :slight_smile:
Or maybe even a similar wine made from their extraordinary peaches.
Tom

6

There are fruit wines out there. These guys seem to make some including a peach. Not my cup of tea…er, wine.
https://www.carlsonvineyards.com

7

Yup, Michael…I’m aware of them. Sometimes, like Muscat or Concord, they can be too much of a good thing.
Visciola speaks strongly of cherries, but is much more winey than a mere cherry wine.
Tom

8

Glad you enjoyed the wine, Tom!