by Tom Hill

A self-admitted wine geek, Tom lives in Northern New Mexico and works as a computational physicist at Los Alamos National Laboratory doing numerical neutron transport & large scale code development. He has been tasting wines since 1971, participates locally with a couple of large tasting groups in his area, and is practically a fixture at most California wine festivals, such as the Hospice du Rhône, Rhône Rangers, and ZAP. Other interests: Tom is heavily into competitive sport fencing (foil & epee), biking, cooking, basketball, skiing, backpacking, mountain climbing.

 
1. Joseph Phelps Napa Valley Viognier (14.1%) '98: Light gold color; fragrant/minerally/ appley/spicy light pear/Viognier nose; tart/lean/narrow light spicy/pear/Viognier light minerally/appley flavor; med.short lean/tart light pear/Viognier finish; rather lean & narrow Viognier.
2. Domaine de Montvac Vacqueras Cuvee Vincila (13%) '93: Med.light color; spicy/ strawberry/Grenache fragrant slight earthy nose; tart/thin/metallic/earthy slight barnyardy/unclean very light strawberry/Grenache flavor; short thin/metallic/ earthy finish w/ little tannins; pleasant enough nose but hurtey on the palate.
3. Byrd-Cooper Napa Valley Grenache (14.6%) '98: Very dark color; ripe jammy/strawberry/ Grenache rather spicy/cinammon/smokey/light toasty/oaked rather French-like nose; tart some jammy/strawberry/Grenache spicy/cinnamon/toasty/Fr.oaked/cloves flavor; med.long spicy/cinammon/light toasty/oak/smokey some jammy/strawberry/Grenache finish w/ light tannins; a rather niice Rhonish-style Grenache w/ fair amount of oak; not a lot of richness & lushness like an Alban but quite nice; probably from a less then great clone of Grenache.
4. Cascabel Grenache et al McLarenVale (13.0%; Grenache/Shiraz/Mataro) '98: Med.dark color; rather bretty/horsecollar some blackberry/strawberry/Grenache nose; tart/ sharp/shrill some bretty/horsecollar weak blackberry/strawberry/cranberry flavor; med.long bit bretty/horsecollar light cranberry/blackberry/Grenache finish w/ light tannins; bit on the bretty side & bit too lean &  spare.
5. Torbreck Barossa Vally The Steading (70% Grenache, 20% Mataro, 10% Shiraz; 14.0%) '98: Med.dark color; rather pungent/licorice/blackberry/cranberry/spicy nose; tart spicy/ cranberry/blackbery some lush bit old vines/dusty flavor; med.long tart rather pungent/licorice/blackberry/cranberry finish w/ some tannins; rather narrow & angular on the palate; nice $20 Grenache but just that.
6. Rosenblum Cellars Napa Valley Petite Sirah PickettRoad (13.6%) '98: Med.color; fairly lush Zin-like/raspberry licorice/dusty light oaked nose; tart spicy/bright/raspberry light licorice/pungent light oak flavor; med.long tart/spicy/raspberry/licorice light vanilla/oak finish w/ some tannins; lots of ripe/bright fruit w/ some sweet oak; has the classic Rosenblum lushness.
7. Carlisle Cellars Dry Creek Vlly Petite Sirah (14.3%; 81% PS, 19% Zin; 75 cs) '98: Med.dark color; very spicy/fragrant aromatic/raspberry light toasty/Fr.oak nose; soft some toasty/Fr.oak very spicy bright fruit/raspberry flavor; long bright/spicy/raspberry/ fruit light Fr.oak/pencilly finish w/ light tannins; the Zin really gives this wine a lift; lots of bright fruit & Dry Creek spice; not a typical Calif PS; more like how Doug Nalle would make PS if he did; very nice drinking forward PS.
8. Franus Mt.Veeder Brandlin Vnyd Mourvedre (13.5%) '97: Very dark color; deep/smokey/ pungent/licorice perfumed/fragrant some gamey/dusty/spicy nose; rich licorice/tarry/ spicy/brambly some pungent/gamey light oaked flavor; very long pungent/gamey/licorice/ plummy bit dusty/smokey light oaked finish w/ fair tannins; needs several yrs; lots of depth; very intriguing wine; terrific Mourvedre.
9. Carlisle Cellars Russian River Valley TwoAcres RW (65% Mourvedre, 20% PS, 9% Valdepenas, 4% Refosco, 2% AlicanteBouchet; 15.4%; 78 cs) '98: Med.dark color; lovely fragrant/ toasty/Fr.oak gamey/plummy/some Alicante spicy/dusty old vine complex nose; lush very spicy/blackberry/licorice some pencilly/troasty/Fr.oak earthy/dusty/gamey/plummy complex bit tannic flavor; very long very fragrant/aromatic plummy/licorice/gamey/Alicante/ blackberry light pencilly/toasty/Fr.oaked finish w/ some tannins; the alcohol not at all obvious; a really lovely/aromatic/complex that's tough to describe; wonderful stuff.
10. Domaine Tempier Bandol '95: Med.color; earthy/dusty .ow fruit slight plastic/hybridy bit bretty slight rustic/gamey nose; soft/elegant bit rustic/bretty/gamey dusty/earthy slight plastic flavor; med. dusty/earthy rather bretty/rustic slight gamey finisdh w/ some tannins; rather light/gamey rustic Mourvedre.
11. Marcel Juge Cornas Cuvee C (13%) '96: Med.light color; beautiful/fragrant toasty/roasted/ espresso/coffee/mocha slight green olive complex nose; tart slight herbal/green olive elegant roasted/charred/smokey/espresso bit lean/tight flavor; med.long roasted/espresso/pungent/mocha bit herbal/green olive elegant finish w/ light tannins; terrific NorthernRhone nose but rather lean/elegant on the palate.
12. Foxen Santa Barbara Cnty Syrah (13.8%) '97: Med.dark color; rather earthy/toasty/pungent/pencilly Fr.oaked slight herbal low fruit nose; tart strong toasty/pungent/charred/pencilly/Fr.oaked herbal/green olive almost vegetal flavor; long toasty/charred/pencilly/Fr.oaked finish w/ light tannins; not much fruit & loaded w/ charred/toasty oak.
13. Terre Rouge Sierra Foothills Syrah (14.5%) '97: Very dark color; big Amador/jammy/Syrah/black- berry/briary slight volatile/alcoholic/aromatic some toasty/oak nose; soft ripe/jammy/briary/ blackberry spicy very lush some toasty/Fr.oak flavor; long soft/lush briary/blackberry/jammy light toasty/oak finish w/ some tannins; a classic big/ripe Amador Syrah.
14. Jade Mountain Napa Valley/Carneros Syrah Hudson Vnyd (14.5%) '97: Black color; pungent/toasty/Fr.oak/ charred earthy/blackberry/Syrah tobaccoy/complex nose; rich blackberry/boysenberry/Syrah strong toasty/charred/pungent/Fr.oaked bit Carneros/earthy/mushroomy flavor; very long charred/Fr.oak/ toasty/pungent/smokey rather blackberry/Syrah/boysenberry finish w/ ample tannins; easily the best JadeMtn/Hudson Syrah yet. $27.00 and a steal at $23.00
15. Dehlinger Russian River Valley Syrah Gold Ridge Vnyd (14.5%) '97: Black color; beautiful/blackberry/ Syrah pencilly/Fr.oaked aromatic/fragrant perfumey/complex/gamey nose; rich very lush intense/ blackberry/boysenberry/Syrah/licorice rather pencilly/Fr.oaked complex very spicy flavor; very long pencilly/Fr.oaked spicy loads of blackberry/Syrah aromatic finish w/ fair tannins; loads of Syrah/blackberry w/ nice touch of pencilly oak; terrific Syrah.
16. Gilles Robin Crozes-Hermitage (13%) Cuvee Alberic Bouvet '96: Very dark color; beautiful smokey/roasted/toasty/NorthernRhone very gamey lots of spicy/Syrah fruit/lush sone toasty/oak nose; tart coffee/espresso/roasted slight wet dog fur/oxidized some gamey/Syrah/blackberry flavor; very long fairly lush/ripe gamey/Syrah/blackberry bit green olive smokey/coffee/ roasted/toasty finish w/ some tannins; needs several yrs; lots of roasted/NorthernRhone character; great buy at $18.70

1. Phelps Viognier: Craig Williams style w/ Viognier is different from most others in Calif. Not as fat & rich & ripe & lush as most; more on the lean/elegant/ minerally side. Less of Dolly Parton and more of Twiggy in style. I generally like Craig's Viognier simply because they're a different expression of Calif Viognier. However, I found this '98 version just a bit TOO narrow & lean & spare, even at the 14.1% level should have displayed more richness & lushness. This one was not just a Twiggy.... it was positively anorexic. Maybe some age will help it develop.
2. Franus Mourvedre: The BrandlinRanch  is one of the vey few non-ContraCosta old vine Mourvedre vnyds (in addition to the Zin there). These terrific grapes previously went to Steve Edmunds and was the backbone of his LesCotesSauvages. When Peter Franus bought BrandlinRanch for the Zin, Steve lost access to those grapes. They are, apparently, in good hands. This Franus is very well-made, very-interesting Mourvedre that I thought pretty impressive. Distinctly made in the Franus style.
3. The Carlisle prices are the futures prices bought last November.
4. Carlisle TwoAcres: I was very taken by this wine. Loads of perfumey character; lots of things going on in the wine; it was difficult to come up w/ descriptors for it. One of the best Calif Rhone-blends (if you'd call it that) I've had. Terrific wine; shoulda bought more.
5. Dehlinger Syrah: They just keep getting better and better. The first Dehlinger Syrahs tasted like Syrahs made by a Pinot producer; lots of Burgundian oak & rather elegant character. They have been putting on weight & intensity over the yrs and are now some of the best Calif Syrahs being made. Alas, not much of it.