On my visit to the Llano Estacado Winery last month, I was introduced to a new wine that they have just started making. Executive Winemaker Greg Bruni and I tasted the Llano Estacado Moscato wine in their tasting room, and I purchased a bottle to try here at home as well.
This is definitely not the kind of wine that I normally buy, but it is hard to argue that it isn't delicious. There is no doubt that this is a sweet wine, with the residual sugar coming in at about 10%. This wine is made from Moscato
Bianco, or White Muscat grapes, and has had fermentation stopped early to maintain the sweeter flavor. This stopped fermentation also causes the wine to have an effervescence due to higher CO2 levels than you would typically find in a still wine, but not quite high enough to be called a sparkling wine. The wine is also made from a combination of grapes grown in Texas, New Mexico, and California. Due to the fact that less than 75% of the grapes used in making the wine were grown in Texas, this wine is not a Texas appellation wine.
The way that Greg described this wine in the interview that I did with him was really spot on. It's like you squeezed a Mandarin orange or a tangerine, and the spritz from the fruit is wafting in front of your nose. Really nice aromas of orange and lime come across on the nose, and the palate leads to more of the same. There is a crispness to this wine, as well as a fruity sweetness. There is nothing terribly complex about this wine, but if you are looking for a nice Spring/Summer patio sipping wine, this is a great choice.
Given that I don't really drink a lot of sweet wines, this is probably not something that I will open often, but I would certainly buy more of this one for those occasions when I'm looking for something on the sweeter side, and I think that a lot of people will really enjoy this one. With Summer coming up, and the hot weather already starting to hit us here in Texas, I think that this is the right time of year to be enjoying this Moscato. You should be able to find this wine for around $11-$14, and I think that is a pretty good price for it.
Just the facts -
Wine Color – White
Sweet/Dry? Definitely Sweet
Balanced? Yes, the acidity and the sweetness balance each other out nicely, and nothing seems to stand out as being imbalanced.
Alcohol 10%
Primary flavors/aromas - Citrus
Note: I'm obviously playing around with a new format for my reviews, so feel free to give me your feedback in the comments. I'm always open to some constructive criticism.
This Moscato Bianco wine allowed me to check off another variety for
my Wine
Century Challenge. I now have reviewed 27 of 100 varieties, and
only have 73 to go!
My first thought: Just the facts was a cool addition. My second thought: I hope he’s making that a feature of his reviews. My third thought: The 1-5 ratings are gone?
Also, I absolutely love Frizzante wine, especially desserts and Rosés. It gives the wine an extra little kick in the flavor.
Josh, thanks for the feedback on the new format. My Palate Press post got me thinking quite a bit about how I do reviews, and I’m trying to feel my way through a new plan. Seems like giving people the facts about the wine in a concise summery could give people a nice little snapshot without doing a rating. Definitely a work in progress though.
Yeah, I think the Frizzante makes for an enjoyable wine. I think this one was right at the limit for CO2 in a still wine.
I really like the new format. I LOVE “just the facts” however I miss the rating scale too. I really trust your judgement on wine. I know of course its very subjective and everyone tastes differently but I think you come at it pretty neutral.
I got to try this Moscato before it was done fermenting right out of the tank.
I’m with Josh, the rating let me know definitively where you stood on a wine. Over time I can begin to relate to things you like and don’t
I don’t miss the rating. I would guess that skipping it makes you think more about conveying your opinion accurately with words, since you don’t get to slap a number on it at the end.
Also, I wanted to point out that sweet whites are my favorite pairing with mouth-numbingly hot Asian dishes, which would be another opportunity for a wine like this beyond the patio. Did you know you can bring a bottle of wine to Thai Pepper here in town?
Yeah, that was part of my goal. I’d like to focus more on describing the wine in words, and less on the number I’m giving it.
You are right about the spicy Asian dish pairing. I think this wine would be perfect for that. I think that the orange citrus flavors would really compliment a lot of Asian dishes. And I didn’t know that you could bring wine to Thai Pepper, but I will have to do that next time I go.
OK, I dig the “Just the Facts” section, but the formatting is a bit off… maybe put it in an HTML table? I’m not sure what kind of formatting options TypePad gives you, but I know WordPress has some WYSIWYG table-building, and it will make everything line up nicely (maybe right-align the bolded headings and left-align the answers)
As for the ratings, I don’t miss them if you don’t. They’re a tool, not a crutch, and if you don’t find them useful in your reviewing toolbox, getting rid of them will make your reviews better, period.
I haven’t decided for sure whether I will go add the ratings back in again. Glad you like the facts section. I’ll probably be sharpening that up a bit in the future. Thanks for the feeback.
Typepad doesn’t have a WYSIWYG table-builder, but I can add the HTML. I almost did add it today, and just decided to go without it this time. You are right, it would clean it up quite a bit to do with the table.
We will see on the ratings. I want my reviews to be as useful for people as possible, and if ratings are a part of that, so be it.
Hey Bro,
I like the “Just Facts” section of your post. This sounds like a nice summertime quaffing wine for those who prefer a dab of sweetness. I know one thing for sure, that style of wine would sell out fast at VA summer festivals – especially at that price. I may have overlooked this at my ripe old age, but is that a 375 or 750? BTW, I love the label!
Dezel
I’m glad you like the new section. I’m continuing to refine it, but I think it’s here to stay.
I think that this wine is probably selling really well here in Texas too. Texans love their sweet wine, and this is a really nice, sweet, summer wine. That price is for a 750, so really a pretty good value for a local wine.
That label is really nice. Those are bluebonnet wildflowers, which is the state flower of Texas. The bluebonnets are absolutely beautiful this time of year. I’m hoping to take a trip out to East Texas, where they are more plentiful, and I’ll have to post some pictures.