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 Vineyards Central Coast Viognier (14.5%) 2000: Med.gold color; strong toasty/pungent/ smokey/Fr.oak some reduced/H2S/stinky some fragrant/pear/Viognier nose; soft/lush/round rather toasty/Fr.oak some pear/Viognier flavor; long soft/round/lush rather toasty/charred/ Fr.oaked light pear/Viognier finish; a bit on the stinky side and a hole-in-the-middle on the palate; much prefer the brsik acidity of John's Estate Viognier; bit diasppointing.
2. Failla Jordan Viognier Alban Vineyard Edna Valley (14.8%) 2000: Med.dark gold color; strong/toasty/ Fr.oak beautiful/perfumed pear/peach/Viognier tobaccoy very fragrant nose; tart strong toasty/charred/Fr.oak/pungent/vanilla very strong peachg/pear/Viognier flavor; very long/ lingering intense toasty/charred/tobaccoy/Fr.oak intense pear/peach/Viognier/flowery finish; some people thought the oak excessive but I thought the fruit intensity underneath was well enough to pull it off; I'd describe it as a DollyParton Viognier made in the style of PaulBunyan.
3. Dehlinger Goldridge Vineyard Syrah Russian River Valley (EB; 14.0%) 1999: Med.dark color; very fragrant  ripe berry/blackberry/Syrah/chocolaty perfumed/pencilly/oak rather gamey/meaty very spicy/ aromatic nose; tart interesting/complex gamey/raw meat very spicy/aromatic pungent elegant bright berry/Syrah flavor; med.long elegant spicy/aromatic some gamey/meaty pencilly/Fr.oak berry/blackberry/Syrah finish w/ light tannins; beautiful/perfumed aromatics and smooth/ elegant/balanced on the palate.
4. Neyers Napa Valley Syrah Hudson Vineyard (14.1%) 2000: Very dark color; bit herbal/earthy slight green olive/Syrah pungent/Carneros/earthy toasty/Fr.oak rather roasted/pungent very Graillot-like complex espresso nose; soft/rich/lush gamey/roasted/espresso/complex peppery green olive/Syrah/blackberry toasty/smokey/Fr.oaked quite NorthernRhone flavor; very long some tannic green olive/Syrah/peppery/roasted/coffee gamey/peppery/spicy some blackberry complex finish w/ some tannins; needs several yrs; best Nyers Syrah yet; terrific.
5. J.L.Chave Selection St. Joseph Offerus (12.5%) 2000: Dark color; rather earthy/dusty light roasted bit gamey/spicy/NorthernRhone some berry/Syrah nose; soft/forward/lush some roasted/ NorthernRhone bit green olive light toasty/oak flavor; very long/forward roasted/coffee some berry/Syrah slight green olive finish w/ light tannins; attractive/forward NorthernRhone with very nice aromatics but a bit lacking in structure; needs a yr perhaps. Good value at  $21.00 
6. Alain Graillot St.Joseph (13%) 2000: Med.dark color; deeper more roasted/NorthernRhone  slight bretty bit closed some pungent/burnt/charred/oak some complex nose; tarter/leaner bit closed some roasted/NorthernRhone low fruit flavor; med.long bit hard/lean some roasted/NR bit charred/toasty/burnt/oak finish w/ light tannins; a nice Graillot but not quite the depth & intensity I expected.
7. Novy Sonoma County Syrah (14.5%) 2000: Dark color; very strong/blackberry/boysenberry/Syrah some gamey/meaty coffee/mocha some complex nose; soft/rich/round/lush mocha/coffee toasty/ roasted/oak strong spicy/blackberry/Syrah flavor; med.long spicy blackberry/boysenberry/ Syrah bit toasty/oak mocha/coffee chocolaty finish w/ light tannins; loaded w/ pure/ripe blackberry/Syrah character and nice roasted/mocha character; great wine for this price. $17.00
8. Novy Napa Valley Syrah (15.1%) 2000: Med.dark color; riper bright berry/licorice slight aromatic/volatile almost Zin-like spicy oaked nose; soft bit tannic/hard slight volatile/ perfumed bright berry/spicy/raspberry light toasty/oak flavor; med. bright berry/blackberry/ spicy bit lean/tannic finish w/ some tannins; not the intensity of Syrah character as in the  Sonoma; more like a Napa Valley Zin than Syrah; nice spicy Zin-like red. Great price.$18.00
9. Novy Santa Lucia Highlands Syrah (14.5%) 2000: Very dark/near black color; lovely/complex bit herbal very spicy perfumed/licorice/peppery ripe/blackberry/Syrah very aromatic/ perfumed nose; tart bit tannic slight herbal/green olive very spicy/perfumed licorice/ pungent/blackberry/Syrah flavor; very long/lingering pungent/licorice/blackberry/Syrah perfumed/spicy/licorice/light herbal finish w/ some tannins; a beautiful/aromatic nose w/ good richness on palate; the best of Adam's '00 Syrahs. Great buy at $18.00.
10. Novy AlderSprings Vineyard Mendocino GMC Blend (67% Grenache, 32% Mourvedre, 1% Cunoise; 14.6%) 2000: Med.color; terrific/exotic/perfumed/aromatic strawberry/Grenache almost GWT-like some toasty/smokey/oak complex nose; tart bit tannic very bright/spicy/ exotic/strawberry/Grenache aromatic/perfumed elegant flavor; long very perfumed/aromatic strawberry/Grenache/berry very spicy light toasty/oak finish w/ light tannins; a complex very perfumed/exotic red blend; more about elegance and grace and balance than power and intensity; much like a perfumey EdStJohn Rocks&Gravel.
11. Failla Jordan Syrah Sonoma Coast Que Syrah Vineyard (13.6%) 2000: Dark color; very strong/peppery pungent/roasted/coffee/mocha smokey/pungent complex rather NorthernRhone some green olive/ Syrah very exotic nose; tart rather green olive/roasted/coffee/mocha/Syrah cracked black pepper bit toasty/pungent/smokey/oak flavor; very long/lingering cracked black pepper/green olive/Syrah some roasted/pungent/coffee bit lean/hard rather NothernRhone finish w/ some tannins; needs several yrs.
12. Sine Qua Non The Marauder Calif RW (Syrah; 40% Alban Vineyard, 36% BienNacido Vineyard,  24% Stolpman Vineyard; 14.9%) 1999: Very dark color; very intense blackberry/boysenberry/Syrah very perfumed/cardammon plummy some toasty/pungent/Fr.oak slight stemmy nose; tart bit alcoholic hard/tannic toasty/pungent/smokey/Fr.oak rather strong/blackberry/boysenberry/ plummy spicy/perfumed flavor; long hard/tannic smokey/toasty/pungent/Fr.oaked strong blackberry/Syrah/boysenberry finish w/ ample tannins; seems a bit closed and akward right now; needs 2-6 yrs of age yet; lots of new toasty Fr.oak and blackberry/Syrah character.
13. Alain Graillot Crozes-Hermitage (13%) 2000: Dark color; rather green olive/pungent/roasted/ oaked/walnutty complex nose; tart pungent/roasted/walnutty some roasted/coffee/bacon fat bit lean flavor; med.long toasty/oak/roasted/green olive/Syrah finish w/ some tannins; hasn't the schreechy acidity of some previous ones; nice NorthernRhone character at an atttractive price but not up to some previous Graillot C-Hs.
14. Perrin Les Sinards Chateauneuf du Pape (13.5%) 1998: Dark color; some bretty pretty fecal/ diaper pail walnutty/chocolaty/chocolate covered cherries/CherryMash some CdP/roasted/earthy nose; very rustic/sauvage/Mourvedre bretty/fecal/funky/diaper pail dusty/earthy little fruit flavor; long fecal/unclean/diaper pail chocolate covered cherries dusty/earthy finish w/ light tannins; pretty weird/funky CdP. Larry's mystery wine.

A BirthDay Celebration For Gary

1. Lake Chalice Marlborough Falcon Vineyard Late Harvest Riesling (13.0%) 2000: Light gold color;  attractive/fragrant/botrytis perfumed/R Auslese-level bit simple nose; very sweet simple very grapey slight botrytis/JR bit Fr.oak flavor; long sweet simpl;e grapey/floral/R light botrytis finish; attarctive high-Auslese-level R wine.
2. Lawson's Dry Hills Marlborough Late Harvest Semillon (13.5%) 2000: Med.dark gold color; deeper lots of botrytis/peachy/Sauternes-like slight herbal light butterscotchy/oak nose; sweet rather botrytis/peachy/apricotty light butterscotchy flavor; med.long peachy/botrytis light caramel/oak finish; attractive some Sauternes-like dessert wine.
3. Chateau Haut-Caplane Sauternes (13.5%) 1995: Med.dark gold color; some concrete vat/cheap Sauternes/earthy some butterscotchy/caramel bit volatile nose; very sweet some butterscotchy/ oak hot/volatile some botrytis/apricotty earthy cheap Sauternes flavor; med. earthy/ butterscotchy/oak light apricotty/peachy some hot/volatile/fumey finish; bit too much cheap Sauternes character; pass at $16.00/hlf

1. Dehlinger Syrahs: These are consistently some of the most polished/elegant and well-made Syrahs from Calif. They're a very good example of the fact that Syrah doesn't have to be all about power and extract and intensity. OTOH, they have the balance to age very well  is my impression.
2. Neyers Syrah:  I've followed the Neyers Syrahs from the very start. The grapes come from Lee Hudson's Carneros vnyd on the north side of the highway near the WineryLake vnyd. Though I've generally liked the Syrahs; I've not been convinced that the Hudson vnyd was a great Syrah site, based also on the JadeMtn and Kongsgaard Syrahs. They've not had the bright Syrah fruit that other sites have showm, a lot of that sort of Carneros/soupy/earthy  character that often show in those Pinots as well. A sort of clunkish character to them. Based on this '00 Neyers, I may have to change my tune. This is easily the best Neyers Syrah I've yet had and the best Syrah from Hudson vnyd yet. It has a roasted/peppery/ pungent quality that I also find in other cold-climate Syrahs like Ehren Jordan's Sonoma Coast ones. It also shows some of that green olive character that I get in marginally- ripe Syrah, often in the Qupe Hillside. The Nyers '00 also reminded me a lot of the Graillot Crozes in a  good year. This '00 version is a terrific Syrah and I hope it's an indicator of exactly what the Hudson vnyd can produce.
3. Chave Offerus: I've followed the Offerus St.Joseph from the very start. I was very impressed with the '97 right out of the gate. It developed into a lovely/beautiful NorthernRhone. The '98 and '99 vintages I found to be on the light/closed side at release, but they both put on a bit of weight after about 6 months time. This '00 version is another very attractive Offerus right from  the start. If it puts on weight as well, it probably will be the best Offerus yet. 
4. Novy Syrahs: The prices for these '00 Syrahs are the futures price plus shipping to NM. I've followed Adam's Syrahs from the very start, the '98's. He did not think these '00 were as good as the '99's, so he dropped the price a bit on them. Unheard of in this day and age. Like many of the '00 Zins I've had, they often have beautiful aromatics but are a bit (sometimes, a lot) lacking on the palate in structure and intensity. These '00 of Adam's strike me as not quite the richness & depth of his '99's and a bit more forward/ready to drink. OTOH, these are some terrific Syrahs that are still wortth buying. Lots of happy folks in LosAlamos because we did.
5. Novy GMC Blend: This is, I believe, Adam's first Rhone blend under his Novy label. Only one barrel made, I believe. At a much higher price, I was expecting a big/massive/extracted red. Wrong. This wine is all about elegance/balance and perfume; a very exotic kind of wine; almost like an intense Freisa or Aleatico in perfume. Well done wine.
6. 2000 Calif Syrahs: With the 2000 Zins, I've found many that have very attractive aromatics, but are sometimes/oftentimes lacking on the palate in terms of structure/tannins and intensity.  I see some of that same problems in the North Coast Syrahs as well; though, perhaps, not to the same extent as with the Zins. This gross generalization does NOT (necessarily) apply to the Paso/Santa Barbara/SantaCruzMtn/Amador Syrahs; I've not had enough of these yet to make such comments.
7. Failla Jordan Syrah: I've followed Ehren's Syrah from Al Rago's Que Syrah vnyd from the very start.  This is definitely cold-climate Syrah; which gives it that rather green olive/peppery character you often find in NorthernRhone wines and don't often find in other Calif Syrahs. I really liked this '00 version for that NR character; probably more so than the other  tasters in my group. FWIW: In the summer of 1967, I worked as a graduate student at Argonne National Laboratory outside Chicago. Down the hall from my office was one Al Rago who usually went to lunch with our group there in Reactor Physics. What a surprise last year at HdR to realize that the Que Syrah vnys Al Rago is the very one in the same Al Rago I knew many a year ago. 'Cept, unlike some slow learners, Al gave up chasing neutrons around and got into the very lucrative grape growing business!! (TFIC).