Midnight Tasting September 15th, 2024
No. 1 • Azores Wine Company ‘Antonio Maçanita’ Arintos dos Açores 2022 • Arinto dos Açores • Pico Açores, Azores Islands, Portugal •
Inspiration : ‘lightening bolt striking a pillow’
Color : straw yellow, clean and pristine with noticeable tears/legs.
Aroma : bright citrus, lemon and grapefruit, minerals, salt and nuttiness.
Taste : tons of citrus, more pink and ruby red grapefruit, lemon to follow. Strong minerals, salt and pine nuts. Coats the mouth, lenghty flavors. Bright, strong but with a round finish.
Big Takeaways
Single white grape growing on young volcanic rock on an island 1,000 miles off the coast of Portugal.
Tons of fresh citrus, lemon and grapefruit with a slight nuttiness from the lees contact. Lots of minerals and salt.
Incredibly fresh, incredibly invigorating, super present wine to brighten your day.
Hints
The grape, Arinto dos Açores is not the same grape as Arinto that grows on the mainland of Portugal. While they share a very similar name, they are genetically different grapes.
No. 2 • Chateau Musar, Red 1997 • Cabernet Sauvignon + Cinsault + Carignan • Bekaa Valley, Lebanon •
Inspiration : ‘a splurge’
Color : semi-translucent with some red hue left however starting to bend into a tawny brown. No major sediment until you reach the bottom.
Aroma : lots of secondary aromas; woodsiness, preserved fruits, strawberry and plum, madeira and leather.
Taste : preserved fruits, strawberry jam, fresh leather, coffee and roasted espresso beans. Very soft and fine tannins that you feel in the end however the wine is mostly driven by acid.
Big Takeaways
Bordeaux’ish blend from vines in the Bekaa Valley of Lebanon. Fermented in concrete, lightly aged in French oak, most age has been spent in bottle.
Beginning to show age / oxidation. Semi-translucent, tawny brown with some red. Preserved fruits on the nose and palate, woodsy, coffee and leather with incredibly fine tannins.
Hints
Use a Durand when opening. Decant or vigorously swirl the wine to help open it up. You may even procede to taste the wine over the course of several days just to see how it evolves.
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