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. Jory Santa Clara Valley Calif Chard Lion Oaks Ranch Selected Clone/CortonClone (13.9%) 1999: Med.dark gold color; very lovely/fragrant Chard/melony very spicy some nutmeg/butterscotchy/oak nose; soft/rich very spicy/cloves/nutmeg ripe/floral/ melony/Chard flavor; very long soft/rich very spicy/nutmeg ripe/melony/Chard lingering finish; one of the lovliest Calif Chards I've had in some time and reasonably priced. $35.00
2. Babcock Pinot Noir (45% SantaBarbaraCnty, 30% SonomaCnty, 25% MendocinoCnty; 14%; Optimum Quad Possum); 1999: Med.color; fragrant cherry/Pinot spicy light floral  light toasty/oak nose; tart bright/clean/cherry/Pinot light toasty/tobaccoy flavor; med.short bright/fruity/cherry/Pinot light toasty/oak finish w/ light tannins; a pleasant little simple Pinot. Overpriced at $30.00. 
3. David Bruce Santa Cruz Mtns Pinot Noir (Estate; SplitRail, BiancifonteCreek, Bery  and RBarR Ranch; 13.7%); 1999: Med.dark color; classic SCM/earthy pungent/smokey/ oaked bit black cherry/licorice nose; tart SCM/earthy floral/violets black cherry/ Pinot spicy smokey/pungent/oak flavor; very long tart SCM/earthy licorice/pungent  some smokey/oak finish w/ light tannins; needs a yr or two; lots of sweet oak; a classic SCM Pinot; one of the better David Bruce Pinots in some time.
4. Dry Creek Vineyard Dry Creek Valley Reserve Zin (15.0%); 1998: Med.dark color; lovely  classic Zinberry/spicy/raspberry/framboise bright/DCV light Am.oaked slight pungent/licorice dusty/old vines nose; tart very spicy Zinberry/raspberry light/ toasty/oaked light dusty flavor; very long bright/raspberry/Zinberry very spicy light pungent/oak finish w/ light tannins; the wine has an incredible spiciness to it; one of the best '98 Zins I've had; a classic DCV Zin.
5. Hidden Cellars Mendocino Heritage Mendocino Zin Stone's Throw Vineyard (15.5%); 1997: Dark color; rather earthy/mushroomy bit tomatoey slight volatile/hot spicy/blackberry/ Zin nose; soft/lush blackberry/boysenberry/tomatoey/Mendocino/Zin lots of ripe fruit light pungent oak flavor; long soft/lush blackberry/boysenberry/tomatoey some dusty/earthy finish w/ light tannins; one of the better Mendocino Zins of late.
6. Hidden Cellars Mendocino Heritage Sorcery Mendocino RW (78% Zin, 15% PS, 7% Carignane; 14.5%); 1998: Med.color; earthy/dusty/old vines rather tomatoey/blackberry/Zin  light oaked fairly complex nose; soft bit flat tomatoey/blackberry/earthy/Zin flavor; med.short soft tomatoey/blackberry finish w/ light tannins; typical '98 and lacking in structure; pleasant Zin but just that. Overpriced at $27.00. 
7. Wild Hog Vineyard Sonoma Coast Zin (EB; 13.3%); 1999: Dark color; intense blackberry/ boysenberry very dusty/old vines almost Italianate complex nose; very tart hard/ dusty/old vines floral/violets/blackberry/Zin complex flavor; very long very tart/ hard dusty/old vines floral/blackberry/blueberry finish w/ some tannins; a rather hard/austere old vines Zin that needs 2-5 yrs; a bit light for a WildHog Zin but should be a great one down the road. Very good price at $23.00.
8. David Bruce Paso Robles Petite Syrah Shell Creek Vineyard (13.9%); 1999: Black color; strong pungent/charred/toasty/oak bit skunky/stinky rather earthy/Lodi-like little fruit nose; soft/flat/fat/flabby earthy/pungent smokey/oaked/charred bit Lodi/Sardinia/ Morrocco-like coarse flavor; med.short pungent/charred/oaked earthy/funky/coarse finish w/ light tannins; lots of hot-climate bit skunky/earthy character; not my cup of tea but interesting.
9. Hidden Cellars Mendocino Heritage Mendocino Petite Sirah Eagle Point Ranch (13.5%) 1998: Black color; little fruit Mendocino/tomatoey earthy light oak nose; very hard/tannic coarse/rough little fruit some charred/toasty/oak flavor; med. short hard/tannic little fruit rough/coarse finish; needs much age and may actually evolve into an interesting wine despite the lack of fruit; a classic old Calif-style of Petite.
10. Noon Winery Eclipse Grenache (14.9%); 1999: Black color; intense blackberry/ boysenberry rather gamey/meaty some toasty/pencilly/jammy/oaked very ripe/jammy nose; tart very intense jammy/boysenberry bit gamey rich/mouthfilling flavor;  long intense blackberry/boysenberry very ripe/jammy finish w/ some tannins; loads of intense jammy fruit; not quite as good as the '98. Not worth the $51.30.
11. Hope Estate Shiraz Hunter Valley (13.5%); 1999: Black color; rather gamey/meaty some  bretty/unclean strong blackberry/licorice smokey/toasty/oak spicy nose; rather gamey/meaty earthy/dusty blackberry/boysenberry bit bretty somewhat hard/austere flavor; med.long gamey/meaty hard/tannic rich blackberry/boysenberry/Syrah finish; needs several yrs; has a hard/mean/austere streak but plenty of Syrah fruit; great Syrah for $14.15. 
12. Jory Central Coast Syrah Calif (ChapoutierClone from LockVineyard on WestSide Paso; GimelliVineyard ShirazClone from CienegaValley; BeaucastelClone from MassaVineyard in lower SantaLuciaHighlands); 2000: Very dark color; very intense FrenchRoast coffee/very pungent bit skunky/charred/roasted/toasty oak some blackberry/boysenberry/Syrah nose; tart rich very intense FrenchRoast coffee/pungent/charred/toasty/oak some blackberry/boysenberry flavor; very long very intense FrenchRoast coffee/toasty/ smokey/pungent some blackberry/boysenberry finish w/ some tannins; needs 1-3 yrs; a very bizarre kind of Syrah that I really liked; much like sticking your nose into a bin of fresh FrenchRoast/Espresso coffee beans; loaded w/ this roasted  character but plenty of fruit underneath; not for the faint of heart; great value at $22.00 if you like the style (some won't).
13. Jory Central Coast Syrah Costal Mtn Syrah (53% DeRoseVineyard in CienegaValley; 47%  MassaVineyard BeaucastelClone in Monterey; 13.8%); 1999: Black color; slight bretty very intense blackberry/blueberry/Syrah some roasted/toasty/oak complex some French-Rhone-like nose; tart intense blackberry/boysenberry slight bretty some toasty/roasted/pungent very complex/French flavor; long complex/pungent/roasted intense blackberry/Syrah/blueberry finish w/ some tannins; a beautiful Syrah w/ lots of French/Rhone character; this wine has really improved since its release a yr ago; terrific Syrah if a bit pricey at $35.00.
14. Justin Vineyard & Wnry Paso Robles Syrah HalterVineyard (30% BeaucastelClone, 70% Chapoutier Clone; 14.1%); 1999: Black color; intense pungent/roasted/toasty strong black- berry/boysenberry/Syrah very licorice some pungent/roasted/oaked nose; soft intense blackberry/boysenberry/Syrah very intense fruit some roasted/pungent bit earthy/dusty tannic spicy/licorice flavor; very long pungent/roasted/toasty intense/ripe/blackberry/licorice/Syrah bit gamey/spicy finish w/ some tannins; needs several yrs; a terrific Paso Syrah; a steal at $24.40. 
15. Jory Santa Clara Valley Lion Oaks Ranch "Sangre de Donohoe" Syrah (13.9%; 7 brls); 1999: Black color; intense gamey/meaty very French/Cornas rather roasted blue- berry/Syrah some toasty/oak complex earthy nose; rich very intense Fr.oaked/toasty pungent spicy/blackberry/blueberry roasted complex flavor; very long slight bretty intense blackberry/blueberry pungent/roasted toasty/Fr.oak slight Rhonish/funky finish w/ fair tannins; needs several yrs; best Jory red yet; loads of roasted/ French/Cornas character; pricey but maybe worth it. $55.00
16. Ravenswood Sonoma Valley Zin OldHillRanch (14.8%) 1993: Med.dark color; strong oaked some blackberry/Zin spicy bit stemmy very peppery/basil complex nose; tart slight stemmy light blackberry rather oaked very peppery/basil slightly dried out  flavor; med.long very peppery/spicy some toasty/oak light blackberry complex; a lovely/mature drinkable Zin; ready to drink or slightly beyond. Howard&Rhoda's mystery wine.

1. Not quite sure what the "Optimum Quad Possum" on the Babcock label stands for but I assume it's some sort of tribute to the four possums that drowned in the fermentation vat for this wine. My Latin's a bit weak.
2. I've followed the David Bruce Pinot's from the very start (the '68's). He is one of my favorite Calif Pinot producers. During the late'80's-early '90's; his wines seem to plummet in quality & I lost interest in them. Over the last 5-6 yrs, I've been quite impressed by their resurgence in quality. Maybe not always the best from Calif, but always interesting.
3. I've followed Dave Stare's DryCreekVineyard wines from the very start, the '72 Gamay. He is one of the most consistent producers of quality wines over all these yrs; quite rare for longevity in Calif. The wines are all reasonably priced and never seem to garner the accolades from the critics I think they deserve. Since the hiring of Jeff McBride some 4-5 yrs ago, the quality just seems to keep getting better and better.
4. Mendocino Zin: Mendocino Zins seem to have been real underachievers over the last 10-15 yrs. Back in the '70's; Jed Steel made some terrific Zins at Edmeades. The boys at Milano (Jim Millone and Rick Dove) made some equally great Zins. Ridge made some pretty terrific ones in the early '70's. Even ol' Barney Fetzer made some very good ones. There are some terrific old-vine vnyds up there that should be producing some great wines. They aren't, though. I've been most impressed by the Hidden Cellars Zins that I've had over the last few yrs. Maybe Mendocino is due for a revival???
5. Terroir: Shell Creek Vineyard is located way out on the EastSide Paso Robles towards Shandon. Not a primo area for growing grapes, especially one like PS that tends to lack acidity. I've never had a PS from here that I really liked. Yet the wine displays all the terroir that comes from these grapes, so you have to credit it for that. Therefore, I guess the terroirists say I must like this wine 'cause it shows its terroir. Hmmmmmmm..... just doing a little trolling here!!!
6. Jory Syrahs: The Jory wines were given to us by Dan Lewis of New Mexico and of the winery to try. I've been pretty impressed by their Syrahs over the yrs. Their Red Zep blend has been one of me favorites all along. The '98 Sangre de Donohoe (named for the blood of the vnyd foreman who top grafted the vines to Syrah with a carelessly weilded grafting knife) was very good, but overpriced at $55 IMO. The '99 is even better and may be worth it; a great Calif Syrah.
7. Justin Syrah: This is a producer best known for his Cabernets.... ho hum. But his Syrahs are the wines that really excite me. The '98 Estate was good, just that. The '98 MacGillivray (now Halter) was much better. But this '99 Halter is as good a Syrah as comes from Paso. Jeff Bronco is a winemaker to watch.
8. Paso Syrah: As more & more plantings are coming on-line in WestSide Paso; I am becomming more & more impressed with these wines. The last few yrs I've had some WestSide Syrah that's as fine as anything in Calif Syrah. Lots of new plantings over there and lots to look forward to.