Norm's Tasting Notes

The North Georgia Wine Advisor

2013 Fontana Candida Frascati

#nb-20-15

Are you looking for a nice cold, refreshing white wine to soothe your palate on a hot summer night? Well you don't have to look far, and you don't have to spend a lot of money. The 2013 Fontana Candida Frascati will fit the bill just as it has for years and years. Sometimes known as "the wine of popes and of the people", it hails from the hill country around Rome, and is sometimes called the "wine of summer". It is crisp and clean, and is perfect for one of those hot summer nights, or to enjoy with any seasonal light fare.

We recently served the Frascati at a reception for thirty people, and everyone seemed quite pleased. It is a blend of Malvasia and Trebbiano, and is a pale straw color, with just a light fragrance of flowers, leading to flavors of mellow apple paired with a subtle hint of peach. The finish is cleansing and pleasing. This wine shows well at any occasion, from the picnic grounds to the back porch. For me it is a true "Back Porch Sipper"! Norm's score is 87.

score: 87

price: $ 7 - $10

Norm

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WINE – God’s Proof of his Love for Humanity

Monday, May 25, 2015

2015 Norm's Pine Island Winners

Norm's Tasting Notes

by: Norm Bentley

The North Georgia Wine Advisor

2015 - Norm's Pine Island Winners

I always enjoy reading the "Best of Pine Island" results in the Pine Island Eagle every year. Since I am most interested in wine and food, the following are my choices for the best places to eat and drink on Pine Island for 2015.

1. Blue Dog Bar and Grill ---- "Best Breakfast" - Weekend Brunch

2. Bert's -------------------------- "Best Lunch" - Burgers out on the deck

3. Tarpon Lodge ---------------- "Best Dinner - Fresh Grouper

4. Sandy Hook ------------------- "Best Appetizer" - Cracked Conch

5. Lazy Flamingo ---------------- "Best Raw Bar" - Oysters on the half shell

6. Little Lily's -------------------- "Best Sandwich" - Triple Club

7. Pizza Bella --------------------- "Best Pizza" - Italian Sausage and Cheese

8. Island Grill --------------------- "Best Cup of Coffee" - Extra Cream

9. Blue Dog Bar and Grill ------ "Coldest Beer" - Local IPA

!0. Red's Fresh Seafood --------- " Best Bottle of Wine" - 2013 Ferrai-Carano Sonoma Chardonnay

If you have not found great food and drink in south west Florida, then you haven't looked in the right place. Try Pine Island, you won't be disappointed!

score: 100

price: Very Reasonable

Norm

Available online at:

WINE – God’s Proof of his Love for Humanity

Wednesday, May 20, 2015

2015 - 25th - Ruffino & LaGrotta

Norm's Tasting Notes

by: Norm Bentley

The North Georgia Wine Advisor

2015 - 25th - Ruffino & La Grotta

#nb-19-15

The Chardonnay Queen and I just celebrated our 25th Wedding Anniversary, and since we both love Italian Food and Seafood, we chose one of the best places in Atlanta to celebrate. We dined at La Grotta Ristorante Italiano, Ravinia, with a special feast prepared by Chef Michael Connolly, which we also made into a "Ruffino Evening" as well, by choosing two wines from that historic winery in Italy. It would be an understatement to say that we chose well!

As a small boy in California, the family's favorite restaurant was Ruffino's Italian, in downtown Napa, so Ruffino Wine is special to me, and Mary as well. We started with the 2013 Ruffino Orvieto Classico from Umbria, Italy. This is a wine we have enjoyed for years, and the 2013 vintage may be one of the best in several years. The Orvieto has a wonderful nose full of flowers, which leads to flavors of apple, and a little peach. The wine is highlighted by a strong lemon zest overtone which finishes crisp and clean. I would score it a 90. It was a perfect companion for the Arugula and Goats Cheese salad, and fantastic with the La Grotta Special Scallops and Linguini.

Next we opened a bottle of 2011 Ruffino Chianti Classico Riserva Ducale Tan Label from Tuscany, Italy, which is also a favorite of ours for many years. This is a lush big Chianti with lots of cherry and red berry fruit sailing into a dry pleasing finish with enough oak to help cleanse the palate for the next taste of food. My score on the Riserva Ducale Tan would be 91. We paired it with Chef Michael's masterpiece, Veal Scaloppini a la Grotta. This may be one of the best veal dishes I have ever tasted, and the Ruffino Chianti was made for it!

The Chardonnay Queen and I would like to extend our profound gratitude to Chef Michael Connolly and his staff at La Grotta for providing us with such a wonderful evening, one which will be one of the most memorable we have ever had! Also a tip of the hat to the folks at Ruffino for all of the great wines we have enjoyed over the years.

score: 100

price: Priceless!

Norm

THE "CHARDONNAY QUEEN"

Mary Bentley

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WINE – God’s Proof of his Love for Humanity

Thursday, May 14, 2015

2013 Tom Gore California Chardonnay

Norm's Tasting Notes

by: Norm Bentley

The North Georgia Wine Advisor

2013 Tom Gore California Chardonnay

#nb-18-15

I received a sample of the 2013 Tom Gore California Chardonnay, and had to do a little research about the wine since I had no previous knowledge concerning it. It seems that Tom Gore is a second generation grape farmer from Sonoma County, and is now having wine bottled under his own name. The label is fairly new to the market place, so of course the "Chardonnay Queen" was anxious to try it. Her comment after dinner was, "Pleasant".

We prepared an excellent dinner of grilled salmon, grilled zucchini and an avocado salad., to sample the wine with. The wine opens with a light breeze from the apple orchard in its nose. The opening flavors are of apple and peach with a strong presence of vanilla, and a nice buttery feel in the middle. The finish is clean, but needs a bit more acidity, as it fades away toward the end. The alcohol content is 14.5%, and there is no noticeable oak in the finish.

I would recommend this wine for light salad fare, or served cold, to be enjoyed on the back porch on a hot summer night. I would agree with the Chardonnay Queen, and describe the wine as pleasant.

score: 86

price: $12 - $15

Norm

Available online at:

WINE – God’s Proof of his Love for Humanity

Thursday, May 7, 2015

2013 Acrobat Pinto Gris

Norm's Tasting Notes

by: Norm Bentley

The North Georgia Wine Advisor

2013 Acrobat Pinot Gris

#nb-17-15

I had another delightful lunch the other day with my old friend the Wine Sales Manager, who works for one of the large wine distributors. We dined at one of Atlanta's better seafood restaurants, and enjoyed shrimp stuffed with crab, and Parmesan encrusted flounder. Of course the number one purpose of our meeting was to talk over old times, and discuss current trends in the Wine Industry. We always order a wine which is on his sales list, and I usually write about the wine, since he has a good palate and the wine is almost always a top scorer.

This selection was no exception, being a wine from the King Estates folks up in Oregon. It was the 2013 Acrobat Pinot Gris, a secondary label for King Estates. This one was scored a 90 by both "Wine & Spirits Magazine" as well as "The Wine Enthusiast". Because it is such a good value in its price range, I am going to up its score to 92. This a really good choice for most seafood dishes, and is a more polished wine than most of the Pinot Grigio or Pinot Gris wines you may have enjoyed in the past.

The wine opens with a flowery bouquet laced with a lemony citrus breeze, and a hint of melon. The flavors swirl with an abundance of green apple and melon, with a complex background suggesting lemon zest and a trace of vanilla. The wine highlights the perfect balance between big fruit and crisp acidity, and sails on into a clean and lingering finish. The alcohol content is a perfect 13.5%

This wine would be a good partner for diverse flavors such as blackened fish, or poached trout. As I said before, Norm's score is 92.

score: 92

price: $13 - $16

Norm

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