D'Arenberg Whites?!
D'Arenberg Whites?
As any wine professional would notice I'm a fan of d'Arenberg Wines, however "The Hermit Crab" and "Money Spider" not available in my area.
Any opinions on d'Arenberg White Wines?
Is it worth a road trip to obtain some?
Are they an easy drinking style wine?
Answers:
No, I don't think these are 'easy drinking' -- and what is more, I think you'd be disappointed if they were. They are enjoyable, complex and deserve some slow appreciation.
Hermit Crab is a Viognier Marsanne blend, and Money Spider is Roussanne. Neither Marsanne or Roussanne are mainstream varieties (and neither was Viognier when I started with wine :)
Chester says Roussane is "racier, more wildly perfumed and tauter" than Marsanne of which he says " immediately luscious with those tropical fruit, honeysuckle and stone fruit flavours balanced by fresh grapefruit and light butter tastes, before a long persistent fruit finish. The wine shows vibrant freshness with enjoyable hints of hazelnut and slight mineral boney-ness, characteristic of Marsanne."
Enjoyable drinking -- oh yes!
But it'd be a shame to quaff them without taking the time to appreciate these uncommon varieties and wines.
So, yes. Make that road trip :)
d'Arenberg do make some easyier drinking whites tho'.....
(I love d'Arenberg -- have they ever released a wine that wasn't worth drinking? The name alone guarantees quality !)
Source(s):
see my profile
I've not yet tried those wines but both are available here in Alberta.
Parker's review of the 2004 Money Spider Roussane:
Rating: 88
The 2004 Money Spider (100% Roussanne) exhibits a delicate perfume of rose petals along with medium body, fine depth, and crisp, honeyed citrus and orange marmalade flavors. Drink it over the next 1-3 years.
Parker's rating of the 2004 Hermit Crab Roussane-Viognier:
Rating: 88
The knock-out, medium-bodied 2004 The Hermit Crab Viognier/Marsanne (70% and 30% respectively) possesses exotic notes of litchi nuts, apricots, and honeysuckle. Dry and fresh, with no evidence of wood, this fruity, character-filled white will provide plenty of pleasure over the next 1-2 years.
One of the winery representatives, Claire (I can't recall her last name) was in town recently and I had a chance to attend a free tasting of their porfolio, but I only had time to taste two wines before I had to leave. One was the 2004 Dead Arm Shiraz (surprisingly approachable at this young stage) and the other was the Daddy Long Legs Extremely Rare Tawny Port. This was a truly remarkable dessert wine, rich and sweet but with a truly extraordinary balance of acidity that is often lacking in Aussie tawny style stickies. Apparently this is an extremely rare bottling and the six pack Claire brought in is likely the only one Alberta will see for a while. Still available at $299.99 for 375 mL!
Anyway, I hope that helps. I'm not sure if the two whites would be worth your road trip, but perhaps the Daddy Long Legs?
Cheers!