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. Ojai Vineyard Santa Barbara County Sauvignon Blanc (14.0%) 2001: Pale yellow color; clean/crisp  celery slight herbal/grapefruity varietal SB nose; very tart/acid celery/herbal/crisp/ grapefruity/citric flavor; long very citric/acid grapefruity/celery finish; attractive SB varietal character but a rather shrill acidity on the palate that I like; rather NewZealand in style.
2. Jean Thomas Ultimas Sancerre (13%) 1999: Med.yellow color; rather citric/grapefruity/ minerally/stoney nose; strong stoney/minerally crisp/earthy simple flavor; med.short citric/ celery minerally/stoney/metallic finish; a nicely-done Sancerre but way overpriced. $33.00
3. Ojai Vineyard Arroyo Grande Valley Chard Talley-Rincon  Vineyard (14.5%) 1999: Med.gold color; very strong  toasty/smokey/pungent lush/ripe/melony/Chard very fragrant nose; soft/lush rich very powerful smokey/toasty/oaked ripe/melony/Chard loads of fruit flavor; very long/lingering pungent/smokey toasty/Fr.oak ripe/melony finish; good acidity & balance; a rich/powerful Chard. Great  (pre-release) price at $22.00.
4. Ojai Vineyard Santa Ynez Valley Chard ClosPepe Vineyard (14.0%) 2000: Med.gold color; very fragrant/pineapply/ tropical fruit/perfumed talc/spicy light Fr.oak/toasty nose; tart/elegant very spicy/pineapply/ SBChard very minerally light oak flavor; long spicy/elegant/perfumed/zippy tropical fruit/mango/ pineapply slightly bitter finish; elegant very perfumed/aromatic minerally Chard; great grapes/ great winemaking and a steal at $23.50.
5. Hill of Content MoringtonPeninsula Victoria Pinot Noir (14.0%) 2000: Med.light color; very attractive/ fragrant cherry/Pinot Noir bit spicy litle oak nose; light/clean spicy/bright/cherry zippy tart/acid flavor; med.short cherry/Pinot Noir tart/lean finish w/ little tannins; bright/simple/zippy Pinot.
6. Ceja Sonoma/Carneros Pinot Noir (13.4%; 150 cs) 1998: Med.color; deeper black cherry?Pinot Noir some pungent/ Fr.oaked/buttery bit earthy some ripe/Pinot Noir fruit nose; soft cough syrup/black cherry some toasty/ pungent/Fr.oak slight licorice rather clunky flavor; med.short soft/fat earthy/black cherry/Pinot Noir light toasty/Fr.oak finish w/ light tannins; mainstream Carneros Pinot a bit on the clunky side and not a lot of aromatics. Way overpriced at $35.00.
7. Tulocay Napa Valley Pinot Noir Nord Family Vineyard (13.8%) 1999: Quite light color; bright cherry/Pinot Noir/cola/spicy elegant light toasty/pencilly/Fr.oak nose; tart rather spicy cherry/black cherry/Pinot Noir some pencilly/ Fr.oak bit earthy elegant flavor; long spicy bright cherry/cola/Pinot Noir elegant finish w/ light tannins; an attractive/balanced spicy/bright Pinot. Good value at $19.00.
8. Foley Santa Maria Valley Pinot Noir Santa Maria Hills Vineyard (14.0%) 2000: Med.color; bit menthol/smokey/oak/cloves  some black cherry/Pinot Noir slight barky/stemmy nose; soft rather stewed tomatoes/black cherry/Pinot Noir spicy/ cloves light toasty/oak flavor; med.long menthol stewed tomatoes/black cherry/Pinot Noir light toasty/oak finish w/ light tannins; pleasant/interesting Pinot but overpriced at $31.00.
9. Rutz Cellars Russian River Valley Pinot Noir Martinelli Vineyard (13.8%) 1999: Med.color; some toasty/oak bit earthy some spicy/black cherry/Pinot Noir attractive perfumed nose; tart very spicy/black cherry/cherry some toasty/oak slight peppery/earthy flavor; long toasty/oak black cherry/Pinot Noir spicy bit earthy finish w/ light tannins; very attractive spicy RRV Pinot; bit pricey at $34.00.
10. Dehlinger Russian River Valley Pinot Noir (EB; 14.8%) 1999: Med.dark color; eautiful/complex very spicy/perfumed loads of black cherry fruit very aromatic light pencilly nose; tart loads of bright cherry/black cherry/Pinot Noir very spicy pencilly/Fr.oak very perfumey flavor; very long/lingering very spicy/bright cherry/ black cherry some pencilly/Fr.oak finish w/ light tannins; terrific Pinot; this wine is all about perfume and balance; world-class Pinot.
11. Ojai Vineyard Santa Barbara County Bien Nacido Vineyard (14.5%) 2000: Very dark color; beautiful deep black cherry/plummy rather pungent/smokey/toasty/oak complex nose; tart rich/extracted very plummy/black cherry/spicy/ cloves light toasty/pungent/Fr.oak flavor; long rich/ripe plummy/black cherry some toasty/Fr.oak slight dusty/earthy finish w/ fair tannins; needs several yrs; classic Bien Nacido plums & black cherries; decent value at $35.00.
12. Ojai Vineyard Santa Lucia Highlands Pinot Noir Pisoni Vineyard (14%) 1998: Med.dark color; very fragrant/very spicy/ perfumed light herbal rather Burgundian/toasty/smokey complex nose; soft very spicy/light herbal strong black cherry/Dr.Pepper/cola complex flavor; very long very spicy black cherry/cola slight herbal/dried Italian herbs finish w/ some tannins; very spicy complex young Pinot.
13. failla jordan Pinot Noir KeeferRanch Russian River Valley (14.2%) 2000: Dark color; some pungent/oaked very spicy/ black cherry/RussRvr Valley/licorice/Pinot rather complex/herbal very spicy/perfumed slight stemmy nose; tart/acid black cherry/licorice/cough syrup pungent/toasty/oak complex very spicy/peppery flavor; long bit hard/tannic/stemmy black cherry/cough syrup finish w/ ample tannins; lots of RRV peppery character; needs some age; should be an interesting Pinot w/ age.
14. The Monterey Vineyard Monterey County Botrytis Pinot Noir Tawny Dessert Wine SpecialSelection (14.6%; SaH: 31.35%; RS: 9.85%) 1978: Quite brown color; rather tawney Port/raisened herbal/complex/pruney pungent/oaked raisened old TBA/some PX nose; very sweet old tawney Port pruney/raisened very PX very complex some pungent/pencilly/oak flavor; very long/lingering raisened/pruney pungent/old tawney Port old PX/sherry very complex finish; amazing/exotic dessert wine. Compliments of BlairSwartz.

And a few wines for a BD celebration: 

1. Cold Heaven Sanford & Benedict Vineyard Santa Ynez Valley Late Harvest Viognier (15%) 1997: Med.gold color; lovely fruity/pear very ripe/grapey some perfumed/complex nose; tart/rich sweet/grapey/passito no botrytis intense fruit slight pear/Viognier flavor; long very sweet grapey/passito light pear/Viognier finish; very sweet very grapey very good passito dessert wine; not much development yet.
2. ThumbsUp Santa Barbara County WhiteRiesling (SaH: 44 Brix; Alc: 12.0%) 1994: Rather brown/gold color; intense botrytis/peachy/apricotty bit volatile very light butterscotchy/Fr.oak/tobaccoy some old TBA nose; very sweet bit hot/volatile intense apricotty/peachy complex very light oak rather old TBA flavor; very long/lingering intense apricotty/peachy/grapey finish; less like a Sauternes and more like an old Calif TBA this time; terrific dessert wine.
3. Navarro Vineyards ClusterSelect Anderson Valley Mendocino WhiteRiesling (11.3%; SaH: 35.2%;  RS: 16.3%) 1994: Med. brown/gold color; rather piney intense botrytis/peachy/apricotty bit earthy complex nose; very tart/acid complex very sweet apricotty/peachy/botrytis/JR some raisened flavor; very long/lingering intense peachy/apricotty/ruhbarb/botrytis quite sweet bit complex finish; loads of intense botrytis fruit & not a lot of complexity/old TBA character yet.
4. Jeckel Vineyard ArroyoSeco Late Harvest Riesling (10%; SaH: 32Brix; RS:14.5%) 1982: Quite brown color; rather oxidized strong botrytis/apricotty fairly complex raisened nose; strong rather raisened/pruney/caramel rather botrytis/apricotty/peachy slightly sweet soft/fat flavor; med.long oxidized/caramel peachy/ apricotty/botrytis raisened/pruney finish; somewhat interesting but rather oxidized in character.

1. Dehlinger Pinots: These never fail to impress me. The perfuminess and the balance they typically show are amazing. IMHO, one of the very best producers of Pinot (or any wine for that matter) in Calif; world-class Pinot.
2. Tulocay: I've followed Bill Cadman's wines from the very start, the '77 Amador Zin. He's a producer that doesn't get a whole lot of recognition. He has been quietly producing some of the better Pinots in Calif since the late '70's. I remember my first visit w/ Bill at this tiny little shed of a winery out on Coombsville Road to the east of the town of Napa, many a year ago. He's made some pretty lovely Chards and Pinot Blancs as well over the yrs, as well as some outstanding Cabernets. I was delighted to see his wines show up here in NewMexico several months ago. His wines seem just as good as ever. Last I heard, Bill still was working as a tour guide at Mondavi.
3. Monterey Vineyard Botrytis Pinot Noir: I've followed this wine from the very start. Made by Dick Peterson during his stint down in the Salinas Valley. Haven't had the wine in probably 8-10 yrs. It was always a pretty exotic/eccentric/weird wine. One has to taste this wine with a very open mind. It's as good now has I've ever tasted it; much like an old tawney port, an old VinSanto, a light/old PX. Early on, it showed a lot of toasty/pencilly Fr.oak, but that seems to have dropped away now. Amazing wine but not to everyone's taste.