Norm's Tasting Notes: January 2025

Thursday, January 23, 2025

2022 Ferrari-Carano Fume Blanc

Norm's Tasting Notes

by Norm Bentley

The North Georgia Wine Advisor

2022 Ferrari-Carano Fume Blanc

Dos January 2025

We had a wonderful dinner the other night, featuring a bottle of Ferrari-Carano Fume Blanc from the California North Coast. Next to it on the table was a Rigatoni Pasta in a creamy and cheesy mushroom sauce, topped with sautéed Scallops! We also added a fresh garden salad topped with Gorgonzola Cheese crumbles. Mama Mia what a delight!

This is a "Chardonnay Queen" favorite when she is not enjoying a Chardonnay.

The Ferrari-Carano opens with an aroma reminding one of a fresh breeze straight from the fruit orchard. The flavors explode on your palate, with Golden Delicious Apple, Meyer Lemon, and tropical fruit. The wine closes with a clean, polished finish, suggesting a little lemon zest. The alcohol content is 13.9%. and Norm's score is 91.

This is a great food wine which can be enjoyed with seafood, fowl, a multi-layered salad,

or on the back porch with just you, and the glass, at twilight time! This is a second tasting for this vintage, since I reviewed this one about a year and a half ago. The score is the same, but the wine is not quite the same, as it is more mature and the flavors come across in a slightly different light.

score: 91

price : $15 - $20

Now, that's just the way I see it, and you can tell them I said so!

Here's looking at you Kid!

Norm

normwine@bellsouth.net

Facebook/Norm's Tasting Notes

normwine.blogspot.com

AVAILABLE ONLINE AT:

Pine Island Eagle.com

ALSO AVAILABLE at: Dunwoody Patch

Dunwoody, GA Patch

Wine - God's Proof of his Love for Humanity

Wednesday, January 8, 2025

"Holiday Feasts"

Norm's Tasting Notes

by Norm Bentley

The North Georgia Wine Advisor

Holiday Feasts

Uno January - 2025

The tradition at our house for the holidays is to serve Seafood on Christmas Eve, and Beef on Christmas Day. So we had two great feasts, the first was a chilled seafood salad featuring lobster and shrimp, complemented by a wonderful white Burgundy. The second was a French entrée (Chateaubriand) with a Napa Cab! The French Chardonnay was the 2018 Olivier Leflaive Bourgogne Les Setilles, which was excellent with the cold shellfish. The Cab was the 2019 Pina Napa Valley Cahoots Cabernet Sauvignon which was perfect for medium rare beef!

Opening the Olivier Leflaive Les Setilles broadcast a fragrant bouquet of citrus and floral scents across the dining table. The flavors of apricot and pear were in the forefront, with a lemony mist in the background. Good structure, and a solid backbone held the wine in constant harmony with the cold shellfish. The alcohol content is 13%, and the wine "begs for another sip!"

The Pina Cab was a present from Christmas Past, and was exactly the right choice for our Chateaubriand, which, is of course, Beef Tenderloin with gravy, but the gravy makes the difference. This awesome Cab delivers with flavors of cherry, plum, and a heavy dose of raspberry, followed by smooth tannins, and a finish which sails off into the night! The alcohol content is 14.7%, and the wine is a great choice for any beef entrée, but I would also suggest it for Rack of Lamb.

score:

French White Burgundy = 92 ($25)

Pina Cahoots Cabernet = 94 ($65)