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.

 

6/12/06 - Tried this last night w/ my tomatoe/basil samwich:

1. Jaffurs Viognier MelvilleVnyd/SantaBarbaraCnty (15%; www.JaffursWine.com) 2001: Light gold color; beautiful/perfumey/fragrant fresh/spicy/peach/pear/Viognier quite minerally bit chalky/valve oil complex nose; tart rich/lush very spicy/pear/peach/Viognier rather minerally/chalky complex flavor; med.short lush/rich/tart bright/spicy/minerally peach/pear/Viognier finish; finishes a bit short but a beautiful Viognier w/ a nice minerality to it; wonderful aromatics. $32.00
   _________________________
   A wee BloodyPulpit:
   1. Craig Jaffurs' whites have just been getting better & better over the last few yrs and I think he's making, consistently, some of the best Rhone whites. This one was one of the best I've had and one of the most Condrieu-like Viogniers yet from Calif. Great stuff.
   Tom

6/09/06 - Couldn't wait to crack into my Siduri/Novy shipment last night:

1. Novy RussianRvrVlly Viognier (15.2%; www.NovyFamilyWines.com) 2005: Med.light gold color; very strong clean/ripe/peach/pear/Viognier bit spicy/nutmeg nose; soft/fat/siliconey very ripe/peach/Viognier/pear bit alcoholic glycerined very lush fruit flavor; med.long lush very ripe/peach/Viognier finish; a classic example of DollyParton Viognier; great wine for $16.00
   ____________________________________________
   A wee BP:
   1. I liked this wine much better that last yr's version, which I thought rather over the top and pretty fumey/alcoholic. Though this is hardly a restrained Viognier, it's packed w/ lush/ripe Viognier aromas and flavors.
   Tom

Tried this new Zin this weekend: 5/2/06

1. SandlerWineCo DryCreekVlly Zin (15.2%) 2003: Med.dark slight bricking color;
   attractive spicy/DCV raspberry/Zinberry slight licorice bit Am.oak pretty
   classic DCV Zin nose; soft bit alcoholic spicy/Zinberry/raspberry/Zin light
   oak flavor; med.long spicy/Zinberry/licorice light oak bit alcoholic finish;
   attractive DCV Zin spicy nose but a bit hot/alcoholic on the palate and seems
   older than a 2003 Zin should be.
   ________________________________
   BloodyPulpit:
   1. Winemaker of this is Ed Kurtzman, winemaker at AugustWest up in Sebastapol,
   formerly of Chalone and Bernardus. There were some nice things in the wine,
   but the alcohol was a bit too intrusive, even at only 15.2%, and it just lacked
   a brightness and vibrancy I expected of a DCV Zin.
   Tom
   

4/28/06 - In my wine appreciation class, I always try to pull out an older wine to demonstrate that "older" is "better" applies only to epeeists, but not to wine. Well...sure blew this one:

1. HopKiln RussianRiverVlly PetiteSirah (12.5%; www.hopkilnwinery.com) 1978: Very dark/near black color w/ very little bricking; very strong peppery/old vine/dusty perfumed slight floral/violets/dried rose petal complex beautiful aromatic nose; soft/round/velvety/very smooth spicy/peppery/floral slight licorice/pungent bit cedary quite complex/old vine flavor; very long/lingering smooth/polished/velvety spicy/peppery/cedary/dusty finish w/ whisps of tannins; incredibly young & alive and come together amazingly well w/ no signs of drying out whatsoever; a real treasure. $7.09 (back when gas was a whopping $.69/gallon)
   ____________________________
   Ruminations from the BloodyPulpit:
   1. There was a fair amout of leakage and the wine was ullaged halfway down the shoulder. The label was stained from leakage of the '63 Smoot-Hawley White Zin that was on top of it. Lots of gunk on the lip. Cork was a bit fragile but came out whole.
   The first thing that got my attention when I poured it was the color...very dark/near black. I'm certain Marty musta blended in a small amount of PetiteSirah to make it darker.
   The next thing I noticed was the incredible legs that just kept on rivulting down the side of the glass. 12.5% alcohol?? Don't think so!!
   I had little hope for this wine when I pulled it out, pretty certain it was dead. Whatta surprise. It was one of the few PetiteSirahs that has come together well and into a harmonious balance on the palate. Amazing seldom that a 28 yr old wine does that. Not quite up there w/ the '71 Ridge YorkCreek, but awfully darned close.
   _________________
   2. Back in the late '70's, Marty Griffin was making some incredible wines at HopKiln. His Zin, Primitivo (one of the first to use that term on his label) from very old vines, PetiteSirah, and...tada...Marty Griffin's Big Red was a steal. Huge/powerful wines at attractive wines. Not sure what happened to Marty or if he's even alive anymore. And it was a great/funky place to visit. And I seem to recall some botrytis/dessert wines that were pretty terrific. Haven't tried the HopKiln's in a number of yrs, but my last impressions were that they were no longer in the same league of those early one.
   TomHill (waxing nostalgic about $.21/gallon gasoline a great HopKilns)
   

4/25/06 - So.... strolling the wine aisles of TraderJoe's in SantaFe this weekend. Not looking to buy...but it's a good place to pick up early signals on what wineries are in financial trouble. And then I spotted it!! A Gaja label w/ a price tag of $12.00. Holy $hit (Kansas colloquialism for "Oh my Goodness"!!). Then I looked closely at the label. No...not a Gaja label, but sure a Gaja-look-alike. How could I resist...so sprung for it:

1. Barbaresco "CheStoria" DOCG Riserva (13.5%) Bttld by C.V.B.M/Salgareda 1998: Med.(suspiciously) dark color w/ very little bricking; slight tarry/dusty slight funky/bretty very light floral/lilacs/pencilly very shy/light nose; soft very weak floral/tarry/dusty flavor w/ no tannins; very short almost no finish w/ no tannins; not bad/offensive/nasty but not much at all there. $11.99
   _________________________________
   And this deserves a BloodyPulpit:
   1. Well....so much for DOCG as a signature of quality on a Barbaresco wine. The wine was not bad (at least), just virtually devoid of any character or intensity. This was to real Barbaresco like CharlesShaw Cabernet is to real Cabernet. Not bad, but just boring as hell. To me...drinking real Barolo/Barbaresco is like stuffing some lilac petals up one nostril, stuffing violet petals up the other nostril, sealing both nostrils w/ a plug of road tar; then sticking your tongue out betwixt the jaws of a vice and torquing that sucker down. This was nowhere like that experience. Probably the first time I fell asleep drinking a glass of wine.
   For those who worship at the altar of typicity...this is NOT your Barbaresco. But there are far/far worse Eye-talian wines out there, on the shelves of TraderJoes and elsewhere, than this Barbaresco.
   Tom
   

3/29/06 - Tried this wine last night as well:

1. MasonCllrs Calif SauvBlanc Pomelo (13%; www.PomeloWine.com) 2005: Pale yellow color; intense grapefruity very fragrant NZ-like nose; tart crisp/clean very grapefruity/citrusy light floral/mineral flavor; med. very grapefruity clean/crisp/vibrant finish; a delightful NZ-like rendition of SauvBlanc; great price at $11.00
   Tom

3/29/06 Tried this wine last night w/ my paninni:

1. Gentilini Robola of Cephalonia (13%; www.Gentilini.Gr) 2003: Med.light gold color; lovely/fragrant/perfumed/floral/citrus slight metallic/minerally/chalky quite attractive nose; tart fairly rich/lush minerally/stoney/chalky delicate floral/citrusy rather perfumed flavor; med.long lush/tart perfumed/floral finish; a really lovely white at a very good price. $15.60
   _______________________
   A wee BloodyPulpit:
   1. Got this wine a few weeks ago at the urging of DarrellCorti. Darrell comes thru again. The Robola grape, new to me, is a "noble" (what, exactly, makes a grape "noble"?) is an native/indiginous rare/ungrafted grape grown mostly on Cephalonia. It was long thought to be the same Ribiolla Giallo of Friuli, but DNA has shown no relationship. There is speculation that it, like PetiteSirah, may not be a single cultivar. Whatever it is, this was a really lovely wine. A wine worth tracking down. A variety worth trying in this country. It reminded me a bit of PinotGris transplanted to the Loire. Or GrenacheBlanc grown in the Rhone. Lovely wine.
   Tom

3/27/06 - Tasted this new Zin w/ bizarre packaging last night:

1. Plungerhead DryCreekVlly Zin (14.5%; 15% PS) V&B by TheOtherGuys/DonSebastiani 2004: Dark color; very attractive raspberry/Zin/slight blackberry/spicy clean/aromatic nose; soft/fairly lush attractive/raspberry/Zin/spicy clean/bright/simple flavor; med. lush/raspberry/Zinberry soft finish w/ little tannins; a good/tasty/lip-smaking Zin at a very attractive price. $9.00
   _______________________
   A wee BloodyPulpit:
   1. Normally, I'm not one to be taken in by clever packaging, unless it is a lady. But I couldn't resist this label when I saw it in MX's Enoteca/Calistoga the other week. Winemaker is Eddie Plungerhead. Back label written by his bro, Edgar Plongerheid. Another cutsey marketing effort from the DonSebastiani group. I was not expecting much from the wine. Surprise/surprise...it was pretty tasty stuff...at a great price.
   The gimmick on this wine is its unique closure, The Zork from Australia. After you strip off the bottom of the plastic Zip-Loc-like capsule, it reveals a stopperlike found on ruby ports/sherries...a plastic top w/ a "cork" underneath. However this "cork" is a soft/plastic sorta air-inflated plug. The supposed advantage of this Zork is that it makes the same pleasing (??) "pop" that a cork makes when it's wrenched from the btl; in addition that it has an air-tight seal (presumably) and you won't have TCA issues (how often do you get TCA in such cork-stoppered ports/sherries??). That's a pretty weak "advantage" in my opinion over the screw-cap. I predict it will be a commercial failure and will disappear from the market.
   So....be forewarned....don't get sucked in by the gimmicky packaging of this wine like I did. Buy it acause it's just good-drinking Zin at a very attractive price.
   Tom

3/24/06 - Prodded against my better judgement to try this last night w/ a friend:

1. Ridge Calif Zin PasoRobles/DusiRanch (14.7%; Drk: 6/05-6/09-6/10) 2004: Dark color; strong blackberry/jammy/licorice/boysenberry/PasoZin some fumey/alcoholic slight vanilla/Amoak nose; soft/lush simple blackberry/jammy slight licorice some fumey/hot/alcoholic light vanilla/oak flavor; med. very soft/lush some alcoholic vety blackberry/jammy finish w/ little tannins; a bit to fumey and lacking in structure but a good-drinking Zin. $28.00
   ________________________
   A wee BloodyPulpit:
   1. Strange/puzzling wine. Normally I wouldn't find a 14.7% Zin overly alcoholic (I'm not too sensitive to alcohol), but it was pretty noticible in this case. The wine seemed a bit on the simple side and lacked acidity & structure. It didn't have the rich/plush texture nor the depth that DusiRanch Zins from Ridge usually have. I suspect it's due to the compressed growing season/lack of hang time; these were harvested starting Aug 16, which is rather early.
   That being said, I rather liked this wine w/ the pasta al forno. One of the things about Ridge winemaking is that Paul always tries to make the best wine they possibly can, given the grapes they have to work with. They don't try to make the same wine year-in and year-out. Maybe this is just a year that the Dusi grapes just couldn't deliver what they have in the past?? I'm glad it shows vintage-to-vintage variation; that it's NOT just the same wine year after yet. After all, even "lesser" wines can deliver pleasure, too. Then, again, maybe it was just the company last night!!
   Tom

Like Boyce, I shamelessly cracked into my Z-List delivery to try: 3/22/06

1. Ridge Calif Zin PonzoVnyds/RussianRiverVlly (3% PS, 1% Carignane; 14.9%; Drk: 7/05-7/10-7/12) 2004: Very dark color; very strong blackberry/raspberry/Zin bit peppery/dusty rather milky/vanilla/AmOak/buttered popcorn quite spicy nose; tart rich/bright/blackberry/raspberry/Zin spicy/peppery rather AmOaked/vanilla lovely flavor; very long blackberry/raspberry/Zin some vanilla/AmOaked finish w/ modest tannins; very attractive/drinkable Zin and fairly priced at $26.
   _________________________
   A wee BloodyPulpit:
   1. A very much liked this Zin; great drinking. I hope it's a good harbinger of the '04 Zins coming from Ridge this year. I've never been much of a fan of their Ponzo, usually finding it just another pretty Zin a slight step above their basic ThreeVllys. This was is a BIG step above; easily the best Ponzo I can recall. The Am Oak is a bit blatant right now, but that should tone down a bit I think.
   Tom

3/20/06

I didn't take much in the way of notes Sat at RhoneRangers 'ceptin' for this wine:

1. EaglePointRanch Mendocino Grenache 2005 (barrel sample): Dark color; very perfumed/fragrant/aromatic intense strawberry/alpine strawberry/Grenache loads of fruit very bright/vibrant nose; rich/lush/tart intense strawberry/alpine strawberry/Grenache/Nehi strawberry soda pop loads of fruit slight tannic flavor; very long alpine strawberry/Grenache/spicy essence of Grenache bright/vibrant/spicy finish w/ slight tannins; loads of strawberry/fruit Grenache; lovely/bright wine.
   _____________________
   And a wee BloodyPulpit:
   1. From my first year at RhoneRangers, when CaseyHartlip chased me down to try a barrel sample of his Grenache; I've always made the EaglePoint table a "must stop" to sample his new Grenache. I've always liked it for being a pretty/frivolous/great-drinking example of fruit-foward Grenache. This '05 version struck me as a somewhat different beast. It seemed much bigger/deeper/richer than previous versions....serious Grenache. Not in the Alban/ClarendonHills model of extracted bruisers; it was jam-packed w/ beautiful Grenache fruit and a bright acidity that you don't find in Oz versions. I thought it was Casey's best Grenache yet; an assessment with which he seemed to agree. Assuming it doesn't hang around too long in barrel, this is worth trying again from btl.
   ______________________
   2. The night before, we ate at Green's and had the '04 version of this Grenache. The food was a bit underwhelming, but the wine really sang with it nonetheless.
   Tom

3/5/06 - Tried this wine Fri night at dinner:

1. Harlequin YakimaVlly BarrelFrmtd CheninBlanc (14.5%) 2002: Med.dark gold color; rather stony/earthy/minerally light melon/CB/fruity very spicy/nutmeg/aromatic nose; dry/austere very minerally quite spicy/nutmed/cinammon melony/CB bit spearmint chewing gum complex flavor; med.long very spicy/nutmeg/minerally light toasty/roasted some melony/CB complex finish; terrific very minerally very unsual rendition of CheninBlanc. $23.00
   _______________________
   A wee BloodyPulpit:
   1. I've followed RobertGoodfriend's wines from the very start. He started out as very passionate about OregonPinotNoir, but he's done see'd the light and Syrah is now his fave. But he also likes some of the old vines CheninBlanc that languishes, with nobody to love it, in WashState.
   I was very struck by the minerality in this wine. It's unlike any other CB that I've had before. It has a deeper/baser minerality than that bright/steely/chalky minerality of Loire CB. It reminds me some of those old Chalone CB's after they reached 10-15 yrs of age, but w/ more minerality and w/o the toasty oak. Larry was not nearly as enamored by this wine, though, as was I. I hope Robert will continue w/ this wine.
   Tom

2/28/06 - Opened this for my wine class last week:

1. Mayacamas NapaVlly Zin (13%) 1982: Dark color; strong cedary/pencilly/charred oak strong licorice/pungent slight blackberry/peppery/Zin very spicy bit jammy complex nose; strong pungent/licorice/tarry slight dried-out some blackberry/spicy/Zin rather cedary/charred/oak flavor; smooth/polished rather cedary/toasty/pencilly/charred ripe/licorice/pungent/tarry slight blackberry/spicy/Zin rather complex finish; in mighty fine condition but should be drunk up. $10.00
   ______________________
   A wee BloodyPulpit:
   1. I was expecting this Zin to be pretty much shot. It was not. Though drying out a bit, it had come together well on the palate and was quite smooth.... quite unusual for an old Zin. It was pretty much dominated by this charred/tarry/pungent character, but still a bit of spicy fruit lurked underneath.
   It was exactly what I wanted to show my class...that an aged wine is often more an intellectual pleasure than a sensual pleasure. They much preferred the Ridge LyttonSprings '03 for its youthful vigor.
   Tom

2/11/06 - Tried this last night w/ some mystery meat:

1. RosenblumCllrs SonomaCnty Zin (70 yr old vines; U/U; 13.2%) 1988: Very dark color w/ slight bricking; lovely/complex cedary/pencilly/cigar box bit pungent/licorice/smokey slight blackberry/dusty complex nose; bit dried out/astringent licorice/blackberry/Zin quite cedary/pencilly complex flavor; med.long somewhat astringent cedary/pencilly/smokey slight blackberry/dusty/Zin finish; lost much of its fruit & starting to dry out but still very/very much alive and kicking.
   ____________________________
   BloodyPulpit:
   1. Had this same wine a few weeks earlier and the cork crumbled up on removal and it was pretty dried out & astringent. The cork on this btl was solid and the wine still had fruit and was very much alive. By the end of the evening, about 2 hrs later, the color was a very noticible brown. Typically fast-changing for an old wine.
   This wine was mostly/all SamsulVnyd (Maggie's), but labeled only as SonomaCnty Zin, afore Kent started making Maggie's Reserve. Terrific stuff.
   Tom

1/30/06 - Also tried this Sat night w/ a friend:

1. Abbazia di Novacella Stiftskellerei Neustadt GWT ValleIsarco/AltoAdige (14.5%) 2004: Light gold color; lovely/fragrant spicy/cinammon slight hair oil very strong GWT/spicy/lychee very minerally/stony almost TocaiFriuliano/muscat very interesting/complex nose; very tart bone dry very minerally/stoney very strong spicy/GWT/lychee/cinammon/nutmeg complex flavor; very long/lingering lean/tart stoney/austere/bone-dry very strong spicy/GWT very minerally finish; a lovely food GWT, terrific non-Alsatian GWT. $28.00
   ____________________
   A wee BloodyPulpit:
   1. Not had much experience w/ this producer and you don't see a whole lot of AltoAdige GWTs. I bought it primarily because of the price, which struck me as way out of whack for an AltoAdige white...waaay too expensive. Whatta surprise...probably worth every bit of $28.
   This was a throwback to the old Alsatian GWTs I used to drink back in the '70's... afore the modern/Z-H/lush/gobs of hedonistic fruit GWTs were being made that totally obliterated terroir. This wine had terroir in spades and the minerality you almost never find in modern Alsace GWT. It's a great food wine and we'd polished off the btl chatting away afore we noticed the thing was totally gone. No pontificating or disecting all the nuances of the wine...just great drinking w/ that laser-sharp minerality. Terrific GWT....how they would make it in Alsace if they could remember how to do it. The 14.5% alc was totally unobvious. I was smitten.
   Tom
   

Tried this Sat night w/ pasta w/ a friend:

1. JosephSwan SonomaCnty Zin (12 1/2%) 1988: Med.dark color w/ slight browning; attractive dusty slight tarry/piney peppery/blackberry quite spicy some cedary/pencilly fairly complex nose; tart slightly dried out rather cedary/pencilly some blackberry/spicy/peppery slight metallic flavor; med.long some spicy/peppery/blackberry light dusty finish w/ bit of a tannic/astringent aftertaste. Starting to slide down that slippery slope into senility (unlike the rest of us) but still a genuine pleasure to drink. The next morning, it was pretty much shot w/ no fruit remaining.
   ____________
   No BP today, the Reverend is doing Science.
   Tom
   

Tried this wine whilst back on LonGiland: 1/4/06

1. Emilio Voyat Rosso "LeMuraglie" (13%) Chambave/Valle d'Aosta 2001: Very dark/black color; very intense complex black cherry/floral/aromatic/perfumed slight earthy/dusty terrific nose; rich/mouthfilling intense black cherry/dusty/floral/lilacs some dusty fairly tart bit hard/tannic flavor; very long slight tannic bite intense/lush black cherry/dusty/licorice/lilacs/violets slight tarry/pungent finish w/ some tannic/hard backtaste; very terroir driven w/ intense floral/black cherry character. $34
   _____________________________________
   A wee BloodyPulpit:
   1. EieYiYi (Kansas colloquialism for Holy $hit)... whatta wine this is. Incredible perfume of black cherries and flowers. Loads of intense fruit and a stiff upper lip of acidity to keep it interesting. As best I can find, it's a blend of mostly PetiteRouge, some GrosVien, and about 10% Dolcetto. Whilst shopping at Vino in NYC, the guy pointed this out to me as an interesting wine I should try, figuring out real fast that I was interested in esoterica/exotica and not the usual Chianti/Barolo paradigm. He couldn't have been more right. The PetiteRouge and GrosVien are varieties apparently indigenous to the Valle d'Aosta/NE Italy, maybe related to Swiss varieties. The PetiteRouge is described as making rather light/fruity Beaujolais-like wines. This was NOT anything such. A terrific wine, more than reasonable price, and worth scouting out.
   __________________
   2. Whilst I was back in NYC over Christmas, I poked around in a few wine shops. The one I liked best was 67, about 68'th & Broadway. Very wide selection of interesting stuff, especially for its Calif selection (go to NYC to buy Calif wines?? Not the sharpest guy in the pencil box). My friends also suggested Vino as a place to check out, a specialist in Italian wines. Yup....loads of very interesting stuff here, bit pricey, lots of things I'd have loved to try. They also took me by Italian Wine Merchants, of Mario Batali fame. Not quite as impressive as Vino I thought, didn't see anything I couldn't live without. I WAS highly impressed, though, by all the proscuitto/lardo/salami/weiners being cured there in the back. Would have loved to tasted a bunch of those things. Also stopped in TheWineVault at ChelseaMarket and saw lots of interesting stuff, but was running out fast of spare luggage room.
   _____________________
   3. Mealwise, dining out (had some terrfic meals at friend's homes there) in NYC, the best, by far, was the meal at Lupo, Mario Batali's low-end restaurant. Terrific rustic/peasant Italian food with a great wine list. It even had two (2...count 'em) Freisa wines on the list. Amazingly good food at a very fair (for NYC) prices.
   Also had dinner w/ son & his wife at Pastiche. Very good/basic French bistro food. Highlight was the '02 Sonatomum at $26/litre carafe. Miserable year, but tasty Syrah. Before, Susan & I stopped by the Rhone wine bar nearby, that was advertised as serving 20+ rhone wines by the glass. Whatta disappointment. The place has morphed into a hip/hot-action/singles/pickup bar. Fortunately, we were the only ones there, so tried two glasses of Rhones and beat a hasty exit.
   Tom