Update: As my Facebook and Twitter buddies might have already heard, I’m leaving for Italy on June 4th. I’ll be there a week, exploring the food and wine of a number of different regions. I’m sure to come back with some great material to talk about, but while I’m there I do not plan on launching any new posts. I’ll do my best to keep my Facebook and Twitter updated as much as possible, which will depend on the availability of internet in the hotels where I’ll be staying. Today I’m getting ready for the trip, so there will be no new article. That said, I’m sure I’ll have plenty of time to get some writing done on the plane, and I’ll have lots of great material ready for when I get back. Wishing everyone a good week, and I’ll be back soon. – Cheers, Tyler (June 2, 2011)
Last month I wrote an article on Hart Family Winery and their reds wines. If you missed it, be sure to check it out here. In that post I mentioned that while I was at the winery I also tasted some white and rosé wines from the vats that were yet to be bottled. Well the wait is over and Hart’s Sauvignon Blanc, Roussanne, and Cabernet Franc rosé are available in the tasting room, which means that I can finally share my tasting notes on them. Each of these wines comes from the Hart family estate vineyards (except the Sauvignon Blanc, which is a blend of fruit from the estate and from Huis vineyard). All three have arrived just in time for summer, and they’re all perfect to enjoy on a warm, sunny day.
Wine #1: Hart Family Winery 2010 Temecula Valley “Vineyard Select” Sauvignon Blanc
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Crisp, fruity, and dense on the nose, this wine has excellent clarity and precision. This wine smells like an entire lime tree, with notes of the leaves, the fruit, and the flowers, with some interesting fig and passion fruit undertones running through it.
The palate is very crisp and spritzy, with the same precision that the nose suggested. Passion fruit, fig, and crushed minerals drive the core, with delicate notes of nectar and honey playing very lightly on the edges. There is an excellent balance of ripeness and freshness to its fruit tones and the flinty minerals. This is a very nicely refined wine. Well done.
Worth Trying. 91 points.
Wine #2: Hart Family Winery 2010 Temecula Valley “Estate Grown” Roussanne
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Very dense tones of tropical fruits drive the aroma of this wine. Mango, papaya, and guava all show at first, with some nectarine and quince appearing as well. A light spin in the glass reveals some faint pineapple tones as well as some tropical floral notes and a faint hint of stone.
Tropical fruit shows strongly on the palate, driven mainly by mango and pineapple. Crisp tones of white peach, pear, and orange also appear toward the mid palate, with some very faint notes of quince, honey, and limestone showing around the edges. This is a dense wine with impressive complexity and expression.
Worth Trying. 90 points.
Wine #3: Hart Family Winery 2010 Temecula Valley “Estate Grown: Blanc d’ Franc” Cabernet Franc Rosé
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The aroma of this wine is loaded with peach and crushed raspberries. It’s subtle and perfumed at once with a fragrance that seems to blossom from the glass. Faint herbal tones and light mineral notes combine with a pretty floral quality, creating a very inviting aroma.
This wine is crisp and flinty on the palate, but also shows an incredible ripeness that gives the illusion of a faint sweetness. White peach, nectarine, and textbook quince tones show initially. A bit of papaya, some orange slices, and a very faint herbal edge also appear on the mid palate, creating a very interesting and complex flavor profile. This is a very fresh, rich, and enjoyable wine that’s absolutely…
Worth Trying. 91 points.
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The Grapevine: What was the latest really great rosé you’ve had?
