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. Alban Vineyard Edna Valley Roussanne Alban Estate Vineyard (13.6%) 1999: Deep gold color; strong toasty/  tobaccoy/charred/Fr.oak slightly reduced intense hazelnutty/ smokey/figgy/ripe/ floral/honeysuckle very fragrant/ spicy/bacon fat complex nose; tart very rich/glycerined smokey/honeysuckle/floral/  perfumed/figgy loads of smoky/toasty/oak flavor; very long/lingering toasty/charred/Fr.oaked  very spicy/floral/honeysuckle/figgy finish; loaded w/ toasty Fr.oak but an intense core of  fruit underneath; will be interesting to watch this age.
2. Sine Qua Non Tarantella (39% Roussanne, 33% Chard, 28% Viognier; 15+%) 1999: Deep gold color;  light pungent/toasty/oaked beautiful/floral/aromatic/very fragrant some honeysuckle nose;  soft very lush floral/perfumed/honeysuckle/ripe graceful light toasty/oak flavor; very long/  lingering honeysuckle/floral/aromatic light toasty/oak finish; a really lovely/graceful wine. 
3. Indian Springs Vineyard Nevada County Syrah (13%) 1997: Very dark color; very grapey/dusty almost cherry/  Cheracol slight meaty/gamey nose; soft bit thin cherry/grapey/Cheracol/chocolaty some oaked/  woody flavor; med.short soft/thin grapey/cherry/Cheracol finish w/ light tannins; a pretty  strange lightweight rendition of Syrah but a few interesting things therein.
4. Powers Columbia Valley Syrah (13%) 1999: Very dark color; totally corked/musty nose; same in the  flavor; one of the most intensely corked wines I've ever had.
5. Rosenblum Cellars Lodi Syrah Abba Vineyard (15.0%) 2000: Med.dark color; strong blackberry/rubarb some  gamey/chocolaty slight Lodi/earthy nose; tart ripe licorice/chocolaty/blackberry/grapey slight  Lodi/earthy flavor; med.long ripe/grapey/blackberry/rubarb light Lodi/earthy finish w/ light  tannins; great drinking wine for the price w/ plenty of Syrah character.
6. Qupe Santa Maria Valley Bien Nacido HillSide Estate Syrah (13.5%) 1999: Med.dark color; slight  musty/corked(?)/funky some green olive bit pungent/smokey/dusty light blackberry/Syrah nose;  tart attractive green olive/pungent light smokey light blackberry/Syrah bit subdued flavor;  med.long light green olive some dusty/pungent/smokey slight musty/funky finish w/ some tannins.  This wine was a bit subdued and may have been border-line corked but it had some interesting  things therein. Will try another bottle soon.
7. Novy Sonoma Cnty Syrah (14.5%) 1999: Very dark color; intense blackberry/boysenberry/Syrah slight  gamey/meaty some pencilly/Fr.oaked nose; soft big/lush ripe/blackberry/Syrah bit licorice/  pungent some pencilly/oaked bit simpler flavor; long strong/lush blackberry/boysenberry/Syrah  slight gamey light pencilly/oaked finish w/ some tannins; needs several yrs; loaded w/ ripe  Syrah fruir; terrific Syrah, great price.
8. Novy Napa Valley Syrah (15.1%) 1999: Black color; very spicy some gamey/meaty/pungent strong  blackberry/Syrah quite peppery/complex nose; big/huge/rich very peppery/spicy complex strong  blackberry/Syrah/spicy some green olive/licorice/pungent some toasty/oak flavor; very long  strong blackberry/Syrah very spicy/peppery light licorice/pungent/roasted/green olive finish w/  some tannins; needs several yrs; more complex & spicy than the Sonoma; terrific Syrah at a  great price. $28.00 
9. Carlisle Sonoma Cnty Syrah (15.8%; 125 cs) 1999: Black color; incredible intense blackberry/  boysenberry/black cherry/licorice bit gamey/spicy slight menthol/oaked/toasty very Aussie-style  Syrah nose; huge/rich/mouthfilling intense blackberry/boysenberry/black cherry/chocolaty/Syrah  some menthol/toasty/oaked/tobaccoy pungent very spicy/peppery/jammy flavor; very long/lingering  intense boysenberry/blackberry/Syrah slight menthol/toasty/pungent/oak licorice/spicy finish w/  ample tannins; an incredible mouthfill of Syrah; probably the most Aussie style of Calif Syrah  I've yet had but still distinctly Calif in character; killer Syrah at a fair price. $36.00 
10. The Ojai Vineyard Santa Barbara Cnty Stolpman Vineyard Syrah (14.5%) 1999: Black color; very strong black-  berry/boysenberry/Syrah perfumed very spicy fragrant lighht toasty/pungent/Fr.oak nose; tart/  hard/tannic very strong blackberry/boysenberry/Syrah very spicy/fragrant bit lean/hard/tannic  flavor; very long very spicy hard/tannic strong blackberry/boysenberry tight finish w/ ample  tannins; a beautiful spiciness to this wine but needs age. $33.00 
11. The Ojai Vineyard Calif Syrah Roll Ranch Special Btlg Lot EH (15%) 1998: Very dark color; very intense  very fragrant/floral perfumed/aromatic very spicy/complex strong blackberry/strawberry/Syrah  lovely/complex nose; beautiful/complex very perfumed/floral strong raspberry/strawberry/black-  berry/Syrah elegant/balanced some toasty/oaked flavor; very long/lingering bright/strawberry/  raspberry/blackberry/Syrah very spicy/complex/perfumed/floral/fragrant finish w/ fair tannins;  not the typical RollRanch powerhouse but more about balance & finesse. Killer stuff.
12. Lagier-Meredith Mt.Veeder/Napa Valley Syrah (14.8%; 20 mo in FrenchOak; Unfltrd) 1999: Black color;  beautiful/intense very spicy/black pepper very blackberry/blueberry/Syrah/black cherry some  toasty/Fr.oaked light roasted/pungent complex nose; tart huge/intense tannic very spicy/peppery/  cracked black pepper strong blackberry/blueberry ligt pungent/toasty/Fr.oak bit hard/tight  flavor; very long/lingering tart/tannic intense peppery/black pepper very spicy/complex strong  blackberry/blueberry/Syrah light toasty/oaked finish w/ ample tannins; needs much age; seems a  bit hard & closed w.r.t. the '98 at this point in time; a stunning Syrah w/ a great future. 
13. Alban Vineyard Edna Valley Grenache Alban Estate Vineyard (14.2%) 1999: Black color; very intense charred/  toasty/roasted/Fr.oaked intense blackberry/blueberry/strawberry/black cherry cough syrup/black  cherry cola very spicy/Dr.Pepper complex nose; huge charred/toasty/burnt/Fr.oak intense black  cherry/strawberry/Grenache very spicy complex flavor; very long/lingering intense strawberry/  black cherry/Grenache strong charred/toasty/Fr.oak finish w/ fair tannins; seems a bit hard &  closed w.r.t. the '98; killer/world-class Grenache. $48.33 
14. Alban Vineyard Edna Valley Reva Alban Estate Syrah (13.9%) 1999: Very dark color; bit closed less charred/  toasty/Fr.oaked fragrant blackberry/Syrah/boysenberry spicy/peppery slighht earthy nose; very  tart rich/peppery/extracted intense boysenberry/blackberry/Syrah some toasty/charred/oaked  very spicy flavor; very long/extracted peppery/spicy intense blackberry/boysenberry/Syrah  some toasty/charred/pungent/oaked finish w/ ample tannins; a big extracted Syrah that needs  much age; another terrific Reva. $48.33 
15. Jean-Luc Colombo St.Joseph (12.5%) 1997: Med.color; bit earthy rather dusty/walnutty spicy/  cherry/black cherry some roasted complex nose; tart/lean roasted/espresso/N.Rhone spicy/  walnutty flavor; med.long ligt roasted/espresso/pungent walnutty/dusty finish w/ some tannins;  a bit hard & lean but nice roasted character. Larry's mystery wine. 
16. Alain Voge Cornas Cuvee Les Vieilles Fontaines (12.5%) 1998: Very dark color; slight bretty/  earthy lots of Syrah/fruit bit licorice complex nose; rich earthy/dusty slight bretty roasted/  coffee/pungent lots of ripe Syrah fruit bit tannic flavor; very long lots of fruit some toasty/  roasted/pungent/coffee finish w/ fair tannins; still needs another 2-5 yrs; lots of Syrah fruit  for a Cornas; terrific Rhone. Howard&Rhoda's mystery wine. 

1. Alban pricing: These three wines were ordered from John's 3-pak that were offerred earlier  in the year. Not sure what the shelf prices are, but I suspect they are lower. Strange  business when you pay more to order the wine as a pre-release from the winery than you do  off the retail shelf. 
2. The Alban Roussanne: This wine was pretty loaded w/ toasty oak and most of the tasters thought  it over-oaked. I think the jury is out on this wine. It has an impressive intensity of  Roussanne fruit and a high acidity that I think will make the wine age into something pretty  spectacular. Because this wine has so much stuff going on in it; I strongly recommend it be  served at a cool room temperature, warmer than most white wines. 
3. SQN Tarantella: Manfred & Elaine's white wines in the past have been all about power and  intensity and loaded w/ toasty Fr.oak. From the color on pouring, I was expecting more of  the same. Surprise, surprise. The oak on this wine was quite restrained. Although no one  varietal character dominates, the wine is all about elegance and grace; a wine that you  just sort of are seduced by. Terrific stuff and seems out of place in that huge/massive bottle. 
4. Lodi Syrah: In the last few weeks, there has been some discussion on WCWN about Syrah being  planted in warm-climate areas and how it seems to display much more varietal character there  than a lot of other varieties. This Rosenblum Lodi Syrah was a great example of that. The wine  was very ripe but tasted as if the acidity had been adjusted. But it showed plenty of Syrah  varietal character and only a touch of that earthy/mushroomy character you get from Lodi wines.  My expectations (based on the price & origin) were rather low for this wine and I was quite  surprised at how tasty a wine it was. Much better than the R.H.Philips EXP for a low-end  Syrah. Another variety (besides Zin and Viognier) that looks like a keeper in Lodi. 
5. Qupe HillSide Reserve Syrah: I followed this wine from the very start. Its always been my  favorite of BobLindquist's wines. His Syrahs are less about power and intensity and more  about grace and complexity; almost the Ridge of the Syrah world without the strong winemaking  style that dominates in the Ridges (the "Draper perfume" as George calls it). The Hillside  Syrah oft displays a rather unusual (for Calif) green olive character that I associate w/  less than ripe Syrah in the Rhone (Alain Graillot comes to mind) that often is thought a defect  in the wine. I feel it adds a certain level of complexity myself. Maybe there IS something to  that terroir thing!! 
6. Novy Syrah: I've followed Adam Lee's (Siduri label for Pinot) Syrahs from the very start. These  two are a big step up over the '98; very impressive. A had originally expected Adam's Syrahs  to be a bit like the Dehlingers... taste like a Syrah made by a Pinot producer. These two  taste like Syrahs made by a Syrah producer. Definitely one of the top Syrah producers in Calif. 
7. Carlisle Syrah: I've followed Mike Officer's wines from the very start; back when they were  Ho-Made in his garage. They were outstanding wines then and have just continued to get better  and better. This Syrah is one incredible wine, about the purest expression of Syrah fruit from  Calif I've ever seen. Mike is an unabashed admirer of Aussie Shiraz and, had he loaded it up  w/ American oak, this would be a dead-ringer for great Oz Shiraz. Thank God he didn't. One  of the things I like so much about his wines, including the Zins, are their structure. Even  though they are quite ripe, they have a structure (both tannins and acids) to them that keeps  them from being soft and flabby. A great wine by a great winemaker. Alas, pretty much all sold  out so it'll be hard to find. Maybe the Liquor Barn in SantaRosa. Also Boulevard Cafe in  SanFrancisco and The Wine House there as well. 
8. Stolpman Vineyard: I've been following the wines from this vnyd from the very start that have  been made by various winemakers. When the StolpmanVineyard wines are tasted side-by-side with those  from RollRanch and BienNacido and Alisos Canyon, to name a few, the Stolpman versions always  seemed to be a bit lighter and less depth and less intensity than those other ones. So, I've  never labeled the Stolpman Vineyard as one of Calif great Syrah vnyds.... until now. So it's now  official.... Stolpman is one of Calif great Syrah vnyds... based on this Ojai. This Syrah,  I think, is every bit up to the level of Adam's other Syrahs, Roll Ranch and BienNacido. Maybe  even better than the Bien Nacido. This Stolpman Syrah had a very unusual spicy fragrance to  it that I really loved. Maybe Stolpman Syrah is not so much about power and intensity but more  about spiciness and grace? But it's a big/tough/tannic wine that needs some age. It'll be  interesting to taste Craig Jaffur's 2000 versions side-by-side.  In addition to selling his grapes to some of SantaBarbara's best winemakers, he also makes  wine under his own label. Alas, I've never had the opportunity to buy or try those wines.  But I'll look harder for them now. They have a WebSite (www.stolpmanvineyards.com) but it looks  a bit out of date. 
9. Ojai EH RollRanch Syrah: Whatta surprise this wine was. Big price, big bottle, special label...  I was expecting it to be just a more extracted, bigger, richer, more powerful, more oaked, more  everything of Adam's RollRanch Syrah. It was not. It was a much more restrained Syrah. It had  that classic pungent spiciness that RollRanch Syrah always seems to display. But it also had  a more fragrant/perfumed/high-toned spicy character to it that I seldom see in his usual RR  Syrah. But no doubt about it, it has the stuffing to age very well. Amazing Syrah. 
10. Estrella Clone Syrah: The "EH" stands, as I recall, for Estrella Clone, Hillside block. I  suspect that it's that Estrella clone that gives the wine it's lovely fragrance. I've had  several opportunities to taste Estrella clone Syrah alongside Durrel-clone and other-clone  Syrah. The Estrella one always seems to have a unique high-toned strawberry fragrance to it  that I find very attractive. I remember back in about '78 (thats NINETEEN-78!!) when I made  my first trip to PasoRobles with the sole intention of tasting Gary Eberle's EstrellaRiver  Syrah. Whatta a revelation that was. I was quite taken by the beautiful strawberry fragrance  and spiciness the wine showed, much like some of the Jasmin Cote-Roties I knew, and that was  the first inkling that I had that Calif was on the right track with Syrah. As they say, the  rest is history. 
11. Ojai Vineyards: I've followed Adam & Helen Tolmach's wines from the very start, when they were  made in this dumpy barn up in LosAlamos (where Mary Vigoroso made Sam Hale's wines) with Bob  Lindquist and Jim Clendennen. His '82 Syrah (along with Bob's Qupe and Randal's Bonny Doon)  was the first really great Syrah made in Calif. I was sending Adam my tasting notes for almost  10 yrs before I ever got a response from him or actually met him in person.  It's been fun watching the evolution of Adam's wines. The first Syrahs were not particularly  big or extracted and had a lot of toasty/Burgundian-like oak to them. More like great RedBurg  than about Syrah. In the early '90's, his style evolved into bigger, more extracted, more  powerful kind of Syrahs; some of the very best made in Calif. Yet all the various vnyd Syrahs  show the distinctivness and uniqueness of the grape source, and not all about Ojai winemaking  style. But they are some of the most powerful and structured Syrahs made in Calif. THat's why  the EH RollRanch Syrah was such a surprise to me. Not about power and extraction, but more  about restraint and elegance. I hope Adam makes more of those kind of wines.  Often overlooked are the white wines Adam & Helen produce. Their Sauvignon Blanc is one of  my favorites. I don't care nor drink much Chardonnay; Adam's I do. And his RollRanch Viognier  is one of the best in Calif. All marvelous wines. 
12. Lagier-Meredith Syrah: I've followed Steve Lagier & Carole Meredith's wines from the very  start (OK.... the '98). The '98 was one of the most impressive first-release Syrahs I've  ever had. This '99 seems a bit hard and closed right now, but I've no doubt that it'll evolve  into one of Calif's great Syrahs. It's going to be fun to watch the winery as the vnyd  develops more maturity. Truly one of Calif's great Syrah vnyds. 
13. Mt.Veeder Syrah: I've been mightly impressed by several of the Syrahs from atop Mt.Veeder  that I've had. The Paras Vineyard that's made by Jade Mtn is terrific. As is this Lagier-Meredith  Syrah. My recommendation to all those folks up on Mt.Veeder would be to rip out all those  ugly ol' Cabernet and Merlot vines (but, please, leave the Zinfandel) and put in Syrah, as well  as Mourvedre and Grenache. Good riddance I would say!! 
14. Alban Grenache: I've followed John Alban's wines from the very start. His Grenache is truly  world class and easily the best yet produced in Calif. It's has fine as any I've had from  both Oz and Priorat. He sets the bar, and a high one it is. Grenache is truly a great grape.  I very much hope his wines inspire others in Calif to plant the right clones and rise to  the challenge of John's Grenache. It hasn't happened yet, but it will.