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. Emile Champet Cote-Rotie Grand Vin (12.5%) 1983: Med.light color; slight wet-wool/musty (non- corked) nose clears some to smokey/pungent/wet-wool slight espresso rather tired nose; tart/ sharp/acidic astringent/dried out no fruit slight coffee flavor; pretty tired/dead C-R.
2. EmileChampet Cote-Rotie La Vialliere (12.5%) 2000: Med.dark color; slight volatile some aromatic/ strawberry/Syrah bit smokey/pungent slight coffee nose; light/washed-out pleasant/strawberry/ Syrah light smokey/coffee flavor; med.short light/pleasant Syrah/strawberry finish w/ light tannins; much like Qupe CentralCoast in style; lacks intensity; way overpriced. $51.00
3. Woop Woop South Australia Shiraz (14%) 2001: Dark color; fairly strong cherry/blackberry/Syrah slight earthy nose; tart/spicy juicy/strawberry/Syrah slight blackberry bit astringent flavor; med.short juicy/strawberry/Syrah finish w/ little tannins; a pretty/juicy manufactured Syrah at a good price. $10.40
4. Rosemont Estate Mountain Blue Mudgee Shiraz(90%)/CS(10%) (14.0%) 1996: Very dark color; very intense vanilla/Am.oak/minty some juicy/blackberry/Syrah nose; soft some dried-out very strong vanilla/ Am.oak light blackberry/Syrah/fruity flavor; long very strong vanilla/Am.oak light blackberry/ Syrah finish w/ some astringent tannins; all Am.oak and losing fruit and not going anywhere.
5. Sierra Vista El Dorado Syrah 5 Reserve (12.5%) 1989: Med.light color; lovely/beautiful bit pungent/ smokey licorice/blackberry quite spicy complex nose; tart pungent/smokey complex/elegant spicy/ cinammon light pungent/toasty attractive flavor; med.long complex/elegant very spicy light licorice/ blackberry finish w/ slight tannins; a lovely/complex/elegant fully-mature Syrah.
6. Columbia Yakima Vlly Red WillowVnyd Syrah Washington State (13.6%) 1990: Very dark color; beautiful charred/smokey/pungent coffee/licorice bit roasted some complex nose; soft bit tannic rich/pungent/ licorice/earthy slight coffee/roasted flavor; very long pungent/smokey/charred bit roasted complex finish w/ light tannins; has really evolved nicely w/ some Rhone character.
7. Eberle Paso Robles Syrah Fralich Vnyd (12.3%) 1992: Med.dark color; lovely/fragrant toasted/charred/ oak some strawberry/Syrah/perfumed slight funky/gunpowder/bretty nose; tart/elegant spicy/ strawberry/Syrah bit smokey/toasty slight funky flavor; med. strawberry/Syrah light toasty/pungent/ oak finish w/ light tannins; evolved nicely; much like Gary's EstrellaRiver Syrahs.
8. Elyse Nero Misto Napa Vlly RTW (12.9%; 46% PS, 28% Zin, 26% mixed blacks) 1991: Very dark/black color; very badly corked/musty/cardboardy nose w/ no fruit; juicy Am.oaked some boysenberry fruit rather musty/corked flavor; much too corked to get anything.
9. Ojai Vnyd Calif Syrah (14%) 1996: Very dark/black color; some toasty/oak/pungent black cherry cough syrup/licorice/boysenberry slight stemmy/dusty nose; some hard/tannic strong black cherry/ blackberry/Syrah some toasty/pungent/oak big flavor; long tannic/hard black cherry/cough syrup/ Syrah some toasty/pungent/Fr.oak finish; showing a bit hard & tannic on the palate but still loads of Syrah fruit; needs more time or will it just dry out??? Stay tuned!! How can a wine this good be soooo cheap?? $17.00
10. Ojai Vnyd Santa Barbara Cnty Syrah Bien Nacido Vnyd (13%) 1996: Black color; beautiful classic black cherry cough syrup/blackberry/BN-plummy strong toasty/pungent some complex nose; softer big/rich intense plummy/black cherry/cough syrup/blackberry/Syrah bit tannic some toasty/pungent/Fr.oak flavors; very long rich/extracted plummy/black cherry/boysenberry/loads of fruit/black cherry cola finish w/ some tannins; rounder & more balanced than the Calif; still needs age; beautiful classic Ojai Syrah. Whatta steal at $23.20.
11. Alban Vnyds Alban Estate Lorraine Syrah (14.5%) 1998: Very dark/near black color; beautiful/complex very strong coffee/espresso/smokey/pungent/complex rather blackberry/peppery nose; tart intense coffee/roasted/charred/Fr.oak/pungent strong blackberry/Syrah/blueberry flavor; very long/lingering very roasted/pungent/toasty/Fr.oak/charred very strong blueberry/blackberry/Syrah finish w/ some tannins; still needs more age; loads of roasted/pungent character but plenty of Syrah fruit; terrific Syrah.
12. Sean Thackery Old Vines Orion (13.3%) Calif Native RW RossiVnyd/St.Helena 1994: Very dark/black color; very intense eucalyptus/fennel/oregano some bright strawberry/blackberry/spicy/peppery nose; tart bit astringent/tannic/hard strawberry/blackberry some eucalyptus/minty light toasty/oak flavor; very long strawberry/peppery/exotic/spicy/oregano some astringent strong eucalyptus/minty finish; drying out a bit on the palate; the eucalyptus seems to have subdued some w/ age.
13. Michel Faraud Domaine dy Cayron Gigondas 1989: Very dark bit murky color; very strong earthy/ dusty little fruit nose; off-dry earthy/dusty bit metallic little fruit flavor; short tannic earthy/ dusty rather funky finish; drying out & a bit tired; not unpleasant but just earthy and little fruit.
14. Joseph Phelps Le Mistral Calif RTW (51% grenache, 21% Syrah, 9% Mourvedre, 7% Alicante, 7% Zin, 3% Carignane, 2% PS) 1998: Dark color; strong milky/Am.oak some black cherry/Grenache/strawberry nose; soft buttery/Am.oak pleasant fruity/strawberry/Grenache bit simple flavor; med. pleasant Grenache/strawberry rather buttery/Am.oak finish w/ light tannins; pleasant red but just that.
15. Chateau de Beaucastel Chateauneuf du Pape (13.5%) 1989: Med.dark color; bright spicy/fragrant/ fruity slight funky/bretty bit earthy/SouthernRhone interesting nose; tart/lean spicy/fruity some earthy/SouthernRhone somewhat funky/bretty flavor w/ med.long finish; interesting/attractive CdP but just that, unremarkable.
16. Domaine Font de Michel Chateauneuf du Pape Cuvee Etienne Gonnet 1995: Very dark color; strong toasty/pungent/charred slight bretty rather green olive/sauvage some Graillot/NorthernRhone-like nose; tart fairly rich pungent/smokey/charred/oak some green olive/blackberry slight bretty/ funky flavor; long. green olive/blackberry rather toasty/charred/oak finish w/ some tannins; more like NorthernRhone than CdP; very interesting wine.

A Surprise BD for Kevin

1. Ojai Vnyd LateHrvst Viognier Roll Ranch Vnyd Hardenbergh-Tolmach (13%) 1997: Med.gold color; some Viognier/pear fragrant/grapey nose; very sweet/grapey lovely pear/Viognier flavor; long/lingering pear/Viognier quite grapey finish; rather simple & grapey w/ low-key Viognier character; probably needs more age to become interesting.
2. Kent Rasmussen Wnry Late Hrvst Riesling Dry Creek Vlly Sonoma (SaH: 35%; RS: 15.4%; 13%) 1999: Med.dark gold color; beautiful R/floral some botrytis/peachy/apricotty very spicy/fragrant nose; very sweet beautiful/R/floral/very spicy some peachy/botrytis flavor; very long/lingering floral/R/perfumed/spicy light botrytis/peachy finish; not that much botrytis but terrific R/floral character; more like a Z-H VT R than German TBA; terrific wine for the price. $22.00/hlf
3. La Jota Sweet Napa Vlly Howell Mtn Viognier (15.5%; RS: 8%) 1993: Dark gold color; bit oxidized/sherry very grapey/angel food cake/baked alaska rotted apples/appley some toasty/oak weird nose; tart sweet rotted apples/angel food cake very grapey bit oxidized flavor; med.long rotted apples slight oxidized finish; tastes like Viognier left on the vine to raisen; no Viognier character; weird wine.
4. Il Podere Bricco Buon Natale Santa Maria Vlly Orange Muscat (15.9%; RS: 8%) NV: Med.dark gold color; very fragrant/orangy/very muscatty/flowery/perfumed intense nose; very sweet intense muscatty/ bright/perfumed/light orange blossum flavor; very long elegant muscatty/orangey finish; a bright sprightly Muscat; lovely dessert wine.

1. OjaiWines: I have, of course, followed them from the very start. When I go back and and taste an older one, I always find the same thing the matter with them.... I wisht I'd bought more. It seems to be a common lament in my group.