We went to visit a couple of friends Fri night (12/7) and, when they found out we had no electrical power & so couldn't cook dinner, they invited us to stay for a simple vegetable soup meal. Simple food and very special company, with two pretty good wines:
1. Ridge Calif CabSauv YorkCreek (13.8%; 15% Merlot; Drk: 1/77-1/79) 1974: Med. color w/ very little browning; strong fragrant/perfumed cedary/pencilly/tobaccoy/old Calif Cab slight smokey/pungent slight herbal fairly complex nose; soft/smooth/elegant quite pencilly/cedary/old Cab bit herbal/spicy smooth/polished/elegant quite complex flavor; very long very smooth/polished/elegant quite cedary/pencil shavings light pungent/smokey/tarry slight herbal quite complex finish w/ slight tannic bite on back of palate; lost much of its fruit but a classic/fully-mature old Calif Cab that has come together far better than it had any right to do.
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2. Ridge Calif Zinfandel Essence (SaH: 39%; RS: 9.2%; 13.9%; DusiRanch; Drk: 7/92-7/02) 1991: Very dark color w/ no browning or fading whatsoever; beautiful very intense blackberry/blackberry liquer/essence of jammy/PasoRobles Zin very slight oak slight complex/dusty nose; rather sweet very powerful/intense blackberry/boysenberry/liquer slight chalky/dusty intense PasoRobles/jammy/Smuckers flavor; very long/lingering intense blackberry/boysenberry/liquer quite sweet finish w/ little obvious tannins; huge/powerful ZinEssence fruit w/ no signs of that raisened/pruney character these wines can sometimes develop with age. Stunning Essence but showing little evolution thus far.
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And a wee BloodyPulpit:
1. CS: This was only the 2'nd Cab Ridge made from non-MB grapes (the famed Eisele '71 being the first). Those early Ridge YorkCreeks were pleasant Cabs, rather on the soft/light side; so when John offered this up, I had very low expectations. Especially given that Draper recommending drink by '80. So 25+ yrs beyond its prime.
Whatta surprise this wine was. I was expecting it to be on its last legs, if not dead and gone. It was not. Though most of the fruit had faded, it had this wonderful old Calif Cab pencilly/cedary fragrance and flavor to it. Maybe starting to dry out slightly on the palate, it's still an amazingly good wine. That guy up at Ridge must know a little bit about making wine I would guess. One thing to note is the anemic alcohol level of 13.8%. In this day and age, such an anemic wine would be totally unacceptable and its score would probably not break the 80-pt barrier.
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2. Essence: Ridge (and DavidBruce) pioneered the production of Zin Essence in Calif, Zinfandels harvested at high sugar levels (or normal sugar levels for this day and age), stuck fermentations (or sometimes intential), leaving noticible resddual sugar in the wine. The first one was the '70 Occidental or Jimsomare as I recall. Then they made 2 Essences from Lodi grapes in the mid-'70's. But it was not until the '91 vintage when they returned to this genre, much to my excitement.
These grapes were sourced from BeniDusi's PasoRobles Ranch, at the request from Paul that he leave a block of his Zin to get super-ripe, as I recall the story. I understand that this caused poor Beni no small degree of stress and anxiety to see these grapes out there shriveling into raisens on the vine. Beni is an old-time Calif grape farmer, one of the best in the biz, and takes great pride in the quality of the grapes he delivers to Ridge. After the grapes were harvested and turned into this Essence, I understand that Beni told Paul that he simply could not grow grapes this way and not to ask for these kind of grapes again from him. After all, his reputation as a quality grape grower was on the line. So in the subsequent yrs, and continuing to this day, Ridge makes all their Zin (and PetiteSirah) from grapes up in the LyttonSprings area. And their Essences are some of the greatest ones made in Calif; huge/powerful loads of intense fruit w/o out that raisened/pruney character those wines sometimes show, and w/o the volatile character stuck fermentations can often develop.
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3. These two wines were ones I (probably) sold to John way back when and taken from his cellar. It's nice to renew you acquaintanships with old...errr...long-time friends, be they people or wines.
Trick questions for extra credit:
1. What was the characteristic of many of the Ridge labels in the 1974 vintage that irritated many of the Ridge affacinados and in this day and age of the anal/super-whiney wine consumers would prompt a wholesale return of the wines to the winery?
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2. What was the shape of the Ridge Lodi Essence btls?? What yrs were those wines made? What vnyd were they sourced from?
Rummaging around some more last night, came up with:
1. VentanaVnyds Monterey Semillon (13.0%) 1989: Deep golden color; rather nutty/hazelnutty/creme brulee/slight book store/herbal/oxidized slight floral rather old Sauternes/celery complex nose; soft/smooth nutty/hazelnutty/oxidized/waxy old Sauternes slight pencilly/oak flavor; med.long smooth toasty/hazelnutty/creme brulee/oxidized/waxy slight pencilly/oak finish; some like an old Sauternes w/o the botrytis, much like an old HunterVlly/Oz Semillon; very interesting/complex Semillon that's still a pleasure to drink.
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2. VentanaVnyds Monterey Crystal Chard (13.0%) 1988: Med.dark gold color; rather toasty/pencilly/oak still some Monterey/celery/Chard some oatmealy/oxidized/hazelnutty slight melony/Chard aromatic/complex nose; soft/smooth slight oxidized/hazelnutty/old Chard some toasty/pencilly/oak flavor; very long/lingering old Chard/hazelnutty/oxidized some toasty/pencilly/oak slight Monterey/celerey/Chard complex finish; an interesting/complex old Chard that's still hanging on.
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3. VitaNova SantaBarbaraCnty Chard 1988: Dark gold, crumbly cork, DOA.
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A wee BloodyPulpit:
1. I really liked the Semillon and found a lot of similarity in it to 20-30 yr old HunterVlly Semillon. Most people would reject these two wines as over the hill and too oxidized, but I find them interesting and perfectly good with food.
DougMeador made some pretty good wines back there in his early days. Some of his Rieslings were spectacular, very Germanic in style, and lots of the valve oil/gout de petrol character. He was the discoverer, of course, of the SauvignonBlanc clone of SauvignonMusque, that makes probably the best SB in Calif. His reds were a bit more hit or miss, but he had the first Syrah planting in Monterey, where common sense would tell you it's too cold. That first Syrah aged amazingly well. Lately, the only wines of his I've had are his DougMeador label Syrah, and it's a good one. Another wnry I should reconnect with.
Was rumaging around a bit last night and came up with:
1. Tulocay CliffVnyd/NapaVlly CabSauv (13.5%) 1987: Very dark color w/ little browning; gentle herbal/blackcurranty quite cedary/pencil box old Cab/dried rose petal very complex nose; soft very smooth/polished/elegant some herbal/old Cab/earthy rather cedary/pencil box lovely/complex flavor; med.long fairly herbal/old Cab some cedary/pencilly/oak TatteredCover (the old one) book store/rose petal finish w/ light/smooth/polished tannins; a lovely/complex/smooth/gentle old Cab. $16.00
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1. Tulocay: BillCadman & I go way back to the very beginning; followed him from the very start. His first wine was an Amador Zin '76 or '77. Big/ripe/classic Amador Zin, but more structure than many. Started following his wines pretty closely. Really liked his PinotBlanc, but he dropped production of it. He made some stunning Pinots in those early yrs. He was sourcing grapes, I recall, from the HayneVnyd early on, before it became famous; though not sure it was the same HayneVnyd. Alas, no more Amador Zin after that first one or two. And I liked his Cabs, back when I actually bought Cabernet. Did a visit w/ Bill to his tiny wnry out on CoombsvilleRd about '78 or '79.
This CliffVnyd (and EganVnyd) Cab '87 was about my last hurah w/ Bill. His wines sorta dropped off my radar for some reason. When this wine was young, it was a pretty big/powerful/structured Cab that my intuition told me might age well. I'm pretty clueless about predicting if a wine will age well or not...it's mostly guess work. In this case, I guessed right. It had come together very well, was very smooth & polished & elegant, with gentle tannins...no sign of drying out & astringency...even a bit of blackcurrant fruit left. Of course, at only 13.5% alcohol, this kind of wine would never garner huge scores from important wine critics. But, IMHO, BillCadman..he did good on this one.
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2. OldWines: I've had some experience with old & mature wines over the yrs. And more than a few that were sliding down the slippery slope into senility. This Tulocay was a great example of an old/mature red. It had come together very well and showed good complexity...everything you'd want in a fully mature Napa Cab...with no signs of cracking up on the shoals of old age.
Did I like the wine?? Yup...quite a lot. Did it go w/ my braised flat iron steak? Nope...it was pretty much lost in the rowdy racket the steak hit my palate with and a young/brash Zin or Syrah would have been much better. The Tulocay was not a sensous pleasure..but it was a deep/intellectual pleasure. It brought back some very fond memories of that Amador Zin, some of those early PinotNoirs, my wonderful visit w/ Bill up that steep driveway (which my old DodgeDart, back end loaded w/ wine, struggled to navigate) at his wnry, way long ago. It's like watching GreerGarson stroll onto the stage. You wouldn't want to hustle her off into bed. But you recognize that that is one classy lady up there and you are in awe of that.
Tried this last night (12/4) w/ leftovers:
1. Failla Syrah PhoenixRanch/NapaVlly (14.5%; http://www.FaillaWines.com) 2003: Black color; intense blackberry/Syrah slight toasty/oak slight Rhonish/roasted/espresso/menthol some smokey/spicy interesting/complex nose; tart big/rich/blackberry/Syrah light toasty/oak some roasted/espresso bit tannic flavor; med.long rather smooth strong blackberry/Syrah/spicy some roasted/Rhonish finish with bit of tannic bite in aftertaste; needs another yr or two and should develop for 4-6 yrs; a really lovely NapaVlly Syrah with some slight Rhonish nuances. $42.00
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And a wee BloodyPulpit:
1. This is, of course, made by Ehren Jordan & his wife. It's a wnry that seems to fly below the radar of many wine folks. Across the board, I like Ehren's Failla wines. They have a structure to them that not many have in Calif. And they seem to age amazingly well.
When I had this Syrah on release, I was not all that impressed by it. Thought it was just another NapaVlly Syrah, a place that seems to be an underachiever w/ Syrah. But this wine has developed into a nuanced/complex slightly Rhonish Syrah.
I still prefer, though, his SonomaCoast Syrahs as being more interesting. His first ones, from AlRago's QueSyrah vnyd out west of Sebastopol on TaylorLane, were stunning. His later ones, from their Estate further North and West, may, eventually, be even better.
Ehren, with his Failla and Neyers Syrahs, truly has a master hand with that grape.
Tried this last night (11/25) w/ the apps in honor of Peter&Becky Work's (AmpelosVnyd/Sta.RitaHills) visit to SantaFe:
1. SQN AutrementDit Calif Rose (15.6%; 55% Grenache, 45% Syrah; 11 ConfessionsVnyd/
Sta.RitaHills) 2006: Light red color dark for a rose; attractive spicy/strawberry/berry slight earthy bit alcoholic light watermelon/cranberry nose; tart some steely/minerally/earthy light strawberry/blackberry/watermelon bit lean/hard/tannic flavor; very long strawberry/watermelon/berry slight earthy/melony bit oak some hard/tannic finish; a bit on the rough/tannic side but an interesting light red wine. Too pricey at $58.00.
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And a wee BloodyPulpit:
1. This wine is a rose in name only, only because it's light for a ManfredKrankl wine. It's neither a Provencal rose nor a Calif rose. It doesn't have that bright/effusive fruit you look for in most roses. It actually reminds me more of a Lagrein rose or a Refosco Rosato, maybe a Sangiovese Rosato, more than anything. It is not a lounging-around-the-pool kind of rose. Nor is it a serious/profound kind of red. Just sort of a tasty light red that needs to be taken with food. Should NOT be served at rose temperature, but more at a cool room temperature. I would guess it might soften a bit w/ a yyr or two of age. It will be interesting to see what it evolves into w/ ten or so yrs of age...I expect it'll still be going strong. It's an interesting wine.
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2. It was a dog's night last night. Peter & Becky's Eros and Bacchus, two young/rowdy brusiers of dogs, were confined to the motor home. Larry's Enzo was barking his head off to make us aware this was his territory and would only grudgingly shut his woofing if offered a bribe of rind from the Affinois. Susan's Golden Retriever, easily the senior citizin of the assemblage at 14 yrs of age (that's in dog years), was all slobbery & schmoozy as only Golden's can be. She made her opinion to Enzo's behavior known by peeing on his rug, much to Susan's chagrin
Tried last night (11/25) w/ braised shortribs:
1. Turley Zin Cedarman/HowellMtn (15.0%) 2005: Very dark/black color; very strong cracked black pepper bit alcoholic huge blackberry/spicy classic HM Zin nose; soft very intense black pepper/blackberry quite spicy bit tannic/dusty flavor; very long cracked black pepper strong blackberry/spicy/dusty light toasty/Fr.oak finish; needs several yrs; a classic example of HM Zin; attractive price at $34.00
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A wee BloodyPulpit:
1. This is a new vnyd for Turley up on HowellMtn. HowellMtn Zins tend to be rather big/rustic/strapping Zins that really need some time to develop. This was of that mold, but still good drinking now. Some of those early Ridge HM Zins were huge/strappin' Zins that didn't show much fruit early on, but really developed marvelously into maturity.
Cracked this open Mon night (11/5) w/ my grilled cheese samwich:
1. Nalle RussianRvrVlly HopkinsRanch PinotNoir (13.5%) 2001: Med.color w/ slight browning; somewhat cherry/black cherry some toasty/pencilly/smokey/Fr.oak slight herbal complex nose; tart somewhat toasty/very pencilly/cedary/smokey slight herbal bright cherry/spicy very smooth/polished elegant/complex flavor; long lingering very smooth/velvety light cherry/spicy/Pinot fairly pencilly/cedary/smokey/oak finish w/ light tannins; rather pencilly/cedary/oak Pinot but still some bright cherry fruit; very smooth on the palate; ready to drink up. $28.00
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A wee BloodyPulpit:
1. Doug Nalle is well known for his elegant rather Pinotish Zins; a rather rare commodity any more. He is much less well known for his Pinots and his GWTs. They, too, show the same restraint and elegance you find in his Zins. Often my "go to" wines when I just want something nice to drink.
Tried this last night (11/3) w/ grilled radicchio de Trevesio salad & grilled steak:
1. SierraVista ElDorado Zin OldClone (EB; 13.9%) 2005: Dark color; some ElDorado/earthy/mushroomy rather blackberry/spicy/Zin quite cracked black pepper/perfumed complex nose; tart slight earthy/mushroomy very spicy/cracked black pepper some blackberry/Zin interesting/complex flavor; long very spicy/cracked black pepper bit tart/hard some blackberry/earthy/Zin bit tannic finish; loads of cracked black pepper, plenty of ElDorado terroir, and good blackberry fruit; a great value at $18.00 thru the SV *'s program.
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A wee BloodyPulpit:
1. After a long day on the (fencing) strip, I was ready for calories and wine was just an afterthought. So I grabbed what was at hand and cracked that sucker open, with low expectations.
Since Michelle and Vince have left SV and John has returned to full-time winemaker, I've found the SV can sometimes be a bit hit or miss. The latest '06 Viognier was a "miss", at slightly over 14% alcohol, it was a lean/tart/eviscerated wine w/ only a modicum of that pear/Viognier character.
So I was not expecting much of this Zin w/ its anemic 13.9% alcohol. Whatta surprise this was. The consumate food Zin. It had a strong cracked black pepper character that I seldom find in Zin. Yet it had plenty of fruit and the structure to take it out 3-6 yrs. So if you're tired of the gobs of hedonistic fruit bomb Zins, with their mind-blowing alcohols (and I DO like those wines, too); this SierraVista Zin is exactly your cup of tea.
Tried last night (10/15) w/ dinner:
1. Consilience GrenacheBlanc SantaBarbaraCnty (15.5%; Camp 4 Vnyd) 2006: Pale gold color; rather fragrant peach/pear/floral low-key/simple nose; soft/fat very light peach/pear/floral/carnations slight bitter flavor; med.short soft/fat light peach/pear some hot/alcoholic finish; pleasant enough nose but rather soft/porky and hot on the palate; nice white but just that. $24.00
Tried this last night (10/9) w/ dinner:
1. WildHorse Syrah JamesBerryVnyd/PasoRobles (12.8%) 1995: Black color w/ slight bricking; lovely pungent/light tarry/slight reduced light blackberry/blueberry/Syrah smokey bit roasted/green olive/Rhonish some complex nose; tart bit lean/hard/dried out rather pungent/tarry bit tannic/hard slight roasted/smokey/pungent light blackberry/blueberry/Syrah slight bretty/horsecollar flavor; med. bit hard/tannic/dried out some roasted/pungent/Rhonish light blueberry/Syrah finish; beautiful complex somewhat Rhonish nose but starting to dry out on the palate. $23.00
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And a wee BloodyPulpit:
1. This wine was made by KennyVolk back in his hey-dey when he was making some pretty spectacular stuff at WildHorse. IMHO, not shared throughout the wine world though, KenVolk is one of the real pioneers of PasoRobles wines. This was one of the very first crops off the new JamesBerry Vnyd (Justin Smith/Saxum). Winemaker was Jon Priest.
The wine is starting to dry out on the palate slightly, but it has a wonderful complex nose and still is pretty tasty. However, it is NOT a wine that most fans of Paso Syrah would probably care much for. It has a pretty anemic alcohol level and is sorely lacking in gobs of hedonistic fruit. Tasted blind, it would not be obviously a Paso Syrah and, therefore, can be faulted for failing to show PasoRobles terroir. I liked the stuff, though, so what can I say?? One btl left.
Tried this last night (10/1) w/ bistecca rancheros:
1. Easton ShanandoahVlly/Calif Zin (EB; 15.1%; http://www.EastonWines.com) 1998: Dark color w/ slight bricking; rather pencilly/dusty/smokey/pungent/ozone/WW2Beacon some blackberry/briary/Zin dusty/old vines/spicy fairly complex nose; tart/smooth/polished bit tannic pencilly/cedary/spicy some blackberry/chocolaty/briary/Zin dusty/old vines structured complex flavor; long bit pencilly/cedary/complex rather dusty/old vines fairly briary/brambly/light blackberry/Zin rather spicy finish w/ light tannins; a fairly complex/mature Zin w/ lots of spicy/dusty/old vines character; balanced & structured and not classic ripe/ShenandoahVlly Zin; totally lovely Zin ready to drink.
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And a wee bit of the BloodyPulpit:
1. These are Bill's Estate Zin grapes, that formerly was the Baldinelli Zin of Kay & Ed Baldinelli and John ?? (vnyd manager). The old Baldinelli Zins were classic Amador/Shenandoah Zins. Even though the alcohol was 15.1%; there was no signs of fumey/alcoholic/hot nor overripe/raisened character in the wine. It reminded me more of Fiddletown Zins of Ridge or some of the Swan RussianRiver Zins than most of the AmadorCnty Zins. I guess I'm not supposed to like it because of the lack of Amador overripe teroir?? But it was a lovely totally mature Zin w/ great structure and balance and probably best right about now.
Since Mat & Aimie had to bow out of our dinner tomorrow (9/26), I went ahead and cracked:
1. Garretson Syrah RozetVnyd/PasoRobles The Luascain (13.8%) 2000: Very dark/black color; slightly reduced/stinky/pungent rather pungent/licorice/boysenberry/blackberry/Syrah some toasty/charred/oak bit Oz-like/ripe nose; soft some tannic/astringent boysenberry/blackberry/Syrah/ripe/very licorice some toasty/charred/Fr.oak some tarry/pungent fairly rich/strong flavor; med.short pungent/tarry/licorice some boysenberry/Syrah finish w/ some tannins; lots of licorice/pungent character and some charred/oak; not showing much evolution yet; none of that Paso/jammy/very ripe character; an interesting/unusual Paso Syrah. $23.00
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A wee BP:
1. The wine was closed w/ the plastic Supremcorq. It was fierce to get out of the btl and nearly impossible to back off my waiter's corkscrew; almost too much for an EpeeGuy to deal with.
Despite the slightly reduced character in the nose; I liked this wine quite a lot. With the pungent/licorice/tarry character, it was an unusual rendition of Paso Syrah.
Tried this last night (9/18) w/ pasta:
1. Ridge Calif Mazzoni HomeRanch (65% Zin, 30% Carignane, 5% PS; 13.6%; 53 brls; Drk: 12/06-12/11-12/12) 2005: Very dark color; classic Draper perfume quite spicy/blackberry/Zin bit toasty/pungent/licorice very attractive nose; soft/smooth/polished pungent/licorice blackberry/Zin/spicy slight dusty lightly tannic flavor; med.long smooth/polished strong blackberry/Zin very spicy bit pungent finish w/ light tannins; needs several yrs but wonderful drinking now. $28.00
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A wee BloodyPulpit:
1. The MazzoniVnyd in an interesting vnyd. Right across Hwy101 and North a bit from the Geyserville Ranch of Trentadue, right hard by the Hwy. Starts down on the flats and rises up the hillside behind. Up towards the top, where the oldest blocks are, right out there in the middle of the vines sets this...friggin' caboose!! Ol'man Mazzoni was a railroad buff and when he heard about an old caboose being available, he went out and bought it, hauled it way up into the vnyd and mounted it there. Gawd...these people in the wine biz can be soooo weird!!
Tried this last night (9/23) w/ a grilled ribeye:
1. DeLoachVnyds RRV Zin OFS (EB; 15.5%; SaH: 26Brix) 1996: very dark color w/ slight browning; big/ripe blaclberry/Zin dusty/old vine bit peppery some vanilla/oak bit cedary/pencilly/old Zin complex nose; soft/smooth rather pencilly/cedary/old Zin ripe/blackberry/peppery/Zin rather spicy slightly alcoholic flavor; long slight alcoholic ripe/blackberry/Zin/peppery dusty/old vines finish w/ modest tannins; loads of old Zin character but still plenty of young fruit; in lovely condition but ready to drink afore the fruit starts to fade. $25.00
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No BP today, the reverend is out.
Tried this Sat night w/ grilled lamb & figs:
1. Alban EdnaVlly Syrah Estate Lorraine (14.5%) 1998: Very dark/black color; very strong smokey/charred/toasty/oak quite blackberry/boysenberry/Syrah some minerally/carbon arc/gunflint complex very intense/primary nose; tart quite charred/pungent/toasty/oak/smokey intense blackberry/boysenberry/Syrah/framboise rather hard/tannic flavor; very long charred/roasted/toasty/oak very intense blackberry/boysenberry/Syrah finish w/ ample tannins; loads of charred oak & loads of ripe Syrah fruit; this wine doesn't seem to have budged at all w/ age; no predicting when to drink; terrific wine if you can take the tannins.
We tried this new (for me) Syrah last night (8/25) w/ grilled lamb & figs:
1. Cabot Syrah Kimberly's KlamathRvr/HumboltCounty (100 cs; 14.5%; http://www.CabotVineyards.com) 2004: Very dark/black color; quite spicy/peppery/pungent blackberry/boysenberry/Syrah bit Zin-like slight green olive very interesting nose; tart very spicy/pungent/black pepper some minerally/dusty very blackberry/Syrah/boysenberry light toasty/oak some hard/tannic flavor; very long tart hard/tannic very blackberry/peppery/Syrah light toasty/oak rather minerally/dusty finish; needs several yrs of age yet; tastes a bit like a Tensley but harder/tanic and more minerality; very good value at $28.00
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A wee BloodyPulpit:
1. This was the second wine of John Cabot's I've tried. Both have had pretty hard tannins on the palate, but very interesting aromas and flavors. Maybe he's onto something up there on the KlamathRiver. Not many other growers up that way, but it seems to have potential for making great wines.
Susan & I tried blind Fri night (8/24):
1. ReneMure PinotGris Tradition AC: Alsace (11%) 2005: Med.gold color; very perfumed/fragrant/almost muscatty/GWT-like quite spicy aromatic/floral Alsatian nose; off-dry rather rich/lush quite floral/perfumed Alsace slight muscatty flavor; long off-dry fat/soft very floral/perfumed/muscatty finish; lovely aromatics but a bit tiring on the palate. $21.00
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2. EdmundsStJohn WittersVnyd/EldoradoCnty PinotGris (13.2%) 2006: Med.gold color; rather austere/minerally/stoney/earthy slight appley/floral bit smokey/gunflint slight smokey/chalky very terroir-driven nose; tart minerally/chalky/stoney some appley/floral slight spicy/smokey flavor; long lean/austere somewhat fresh/appley/minerally astoney slight smokey/gunflint finish; more AltoAdige than Alsace, more of a food wine.
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3. BottegaVinaia DOC: Trentino PinotGrigio (13%) 2006: Light gold color; quite floral/perfumed/aromatic slight earthy/dusty somewhat Alsatian nose; soft fairly rich/lush slight smokey/pungent rather floral/perfumed flavor; long floral/perfumed slight smokey/pungent some earthy/dusty finish; rather Alsatian in character and atypical Dolomite white. Very good value at $17.00
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4. EdmundsStJohn WittersVnyd/ElDoradoCnty PinotGrigio (13%) 2002: Med.dark gold color; some earthy/dusty/ElDorado bit floral/perfumed/fragrant some smokey/caramel/butterscotch/aged Rhone/hazelnutty nose; soft slight oxidized/hazelnutty/old Rhone/caramel bit smokey/pungent rather ElDorado/earthy/dusty flavor; long rich hazelnutty/caramel slight oxidized/old Rhone finish; very tasty and some like an old Rhone white; a steal at $10.50.
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And a wee BloodyPulpit:
1. We tasted these blind, but we both knew what the wines were. The Mure and the EdStJ PG '02 were easy to nail. However, I interchanged the EdStJ PinotGris '06 and the Trentino PinotGrigio. The EdStJ had an austere/very terrior-driven character that I was certain had to be a Trentio wine. Whereas the Trentino PG had an aromatic & floral character that spoke much of Alsace. whereas I was expecting it to be stoney/minerally. I guess I should have anticipated an Alsace character since some of the best GWTs these days are coming from the Trentino/AltoAdige.
Anyway, I hereby withdraw my characterization of Steve's PG '06 as "Alsatian". That being said, it's still damn fine wine and being mistaken for a Trentino wine is no sin.
Of the foursome, I really liked the Mure, but it was pretty rich & w/ that off-dry character, got a bit tiring on the palate after a glass or two. Whereas with the BLT samwich, the EdStJ '06 was my easy favorite.
Tried this the other night (8/23):
1. Cabot Zin-Tributary KlamathRvr/HumboltCnty (15%; 100 cs; http://www.CabotVineyards.com) 2004: Very dark color; strong earthy/minerally peppery/spicy/blackberry/Zin/black cherry light toasty/oak bit alcoholic nose; tart somewhat hard/austere/tannic quite spicy/peppery/blackberry/Zin/black cherry rather earthy/minerally very light/toasty/oak flavor; med.long hard/tannic licorice/black cherry/Zin/very spicy rather minerally/earthy finish; needs 2-6 yrs; a very unusual/interesting very terroir-driven wine. Attractively priced at $22.00
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A wee BloodyPulpit:
1. This was my first experience w/ JohnCabot's wines. A month ago, he responded to CaseyHartlip's Weather blog and I noticed he was a grape grower up in HumboltCounty. It's not everyday that you see somebody growing grapes up that way. Went to his WebSite, it looked pretty interesting, so ordered a mixed case to try. Still have his 3 Syrahs to try yet.
I liked this Zin quite a bit because it was quite unusual and not a mainstream Zin, yet still spoke of that grape variety. It is a very terroir-driven wine and for those of us who are terroirists, this is our kind of wine. It reminded me a lot of Trentino/AltoAdige Toreldego, some of the Occidental Zins, a bit of Friuli Refosco. It had a hard/austere character on the palate, what the Britishers call "grip". John indicated that the ripening of the grapes was very erratic, with some 10degrees difference in sugar in berries within the bunch. So the underripe berries are probably what gave it that hard character on the palate. Other than a faint whiff of alcohol in the nose, it carried the 15% very well and not a trace of overripe/pruney character.
For those who like terroir and are tired of overripe fruit-bombs, this is your kind of Zin.
Tried these this weekend 8/11/07 w/ dinner:
1. JosephSwan Sonoma Chard (EB; TW) 1975: Med.dark gold color; rather perfumed/fragrant some melony/celery/Chard light toasty oak complex nose w/ no trace of oxidation; very tart/acid/bit schreechy light melony/celery/Chard very light toasty oak flavor; med.long tart/acid light celery/melony/Chard light oak finish w/ some complexity; in very/very good condition w/ no trace of oxidation; lovely/complex delicate nose but a bit schreechy on the palate.
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2. A.Rafanelli Zin DryCreekVlly/SonomaCnty (Unfltrd; 14.2%) 1990: Med.color w/ little browning; rather bretty/unclean/barnyardy/horse poop some dusty/old vines slight blackberry/Zin nose; smooth/round rather dusty/old vines pleasant blackberry/Zin light oak flavor; med.long smooth light blackberry/Zin rather dusty/old vines finish w/ light tannins; pretty unclean/bretty in the nose but pleasant to drink
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3. Domaine Zind-Humbrecht Heimberg/Turckheim Riesling (13%) 1998: Deep gold color; beautiful Mosel valve oil/gout de petrol rather floral/R complex old Mosel nose; tart very rich/lush beautiful old Mosel/kerosene/gout de petrol light floral/R very complex flavor; very long/lingering tart/rich/lush gout de petrol/Mosel valve oil slight R/floral/celery finish; light R fruit but stunning Mosel valve oil/complex wine.
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4. Baumard Carte d'Or Coteaux du Layon (12%) 2006: Pale yellow/gold color; very clean/bright ripe honeydew melon/CB slight Mosel valve oil bit chalky/minerally nose; tart rather sweet bright/zippy fresh noneydew melon/pear/CB very slight minerally flavor; med.long bright watermelon/honeydew melon/CB/very pear slight minerally finish; lots of bright CB character at a very attractive price. $23.00
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A wee BloodyPulpit:
1. SwanChard: I was expecting this, especially as messaged by the color, to be totally dead and gone. It was not. A gentle old bones Chard that sorta flitted across the palate. The TableWine designation suggested it would be a high-alcohol Chard and certainly the legs suggest that; but the very high acidity said otherwise. I expect the high acidity was what kept it alive all these yrs.
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2. Z-H Riesling: I have made my dislike for the fat/porky Z-H style of Alsatian wine frequently over the yrs. I bought this wine 8 yrs ago based on the high acidity and my thoughts of its resemblance to Alsatian Riesling of yore; when the more painful the acidity, the better the R would eventually become. This R justifies that buying strategy, that has served me well in the past. This was one of the more spectacular Z-H/mature wines I've ever done had.
Tried this last night 7/31/07 w/ arugula salad:
1. FessParker SBC Viognier (15.2%; http://www.FessParker.com) 2005: Med.light yellow color; lovely fragrant/floral/white peach/pure Viognier slight Riesling/Mosel valve oil somewhat spicy nose; rich/lush bit tart lovely white peach/floral/Viognier quite perfumed textured/creamy flavor; long creamy/textured white peach/pear/floral/Viognier finish; beautiful floral Viognier at a great price. $16.00
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A wee BP:
1. There's only one thing I don't like about drinking the FessParker wines. Every time I drink one, the words of "Daveeee..Davey Crockett...King of the Wild Frontier" start running thru my mind and I can't extinguish them. Probably most people, any more, when they hear FessParker, think of wine. Alas...not for me so much. When I was a kid (not so long ago I must mention) was when the DavyCrockett series was a big hit. After much whining on my part, my Dad finally bought me a coonskin cap...probably the last kid at NoblePrentis GradeSchool to have one. But it was one of the cheap versions...faux coonskin fur around the sides,,,felt on top...and a short tail that attached w/ a snap. One day, at recess, someone stole my tail (I know it was Donald Rowland..but can't prove it). I was totally humiliated...you can't wear a coonskin cap w/o a tail. And my Dad wouldn't buy me a new coonskin cap...so that's how I lost my tail and the end of my DaveyCrockett days.
I really loved this Viognier. At 15.2%, I was expecting a soft/fat DollyParton Viognier. It was not. Though rich & textured, it had a good acidity & structure and this amazing creamy character. None of that terroir stuff to fuss about...just pure/clean/laser-sharp Viognier fruit.
Tried this last night 7/29/07 w/ cheese strate:
1. KlinkerBrickWnry Farrah/Lodi Syrah (15%; http://www.KlinkerBrickWinery.com) 2004: Very dark/black color; very strong Lodi/earthy/mushroomy/loamy strong licorice/blackberry/Syrah bit smokey/DrPepper/RCCola some framboise classic Lodi terroir quite interesting nose; soft earthy/Lodi terroir/loamy very strong blackberry/boysenberry/Syrah some RCCola/DrPepper rather spicy flavor; long bit tannic strong Lodi/licorice/earthy/mushroomy blackberry/spicy/Syrah/RCCola finish; loads of Lodi terroir but the Syrah character comes thru loud and clear; quitea good value at $14.80
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And a wee BloodyPulpit:
1. This is one of the strongest testimonies for Syrah in warm climes that I can recall. Though that earthy Lodi terrior was there, the wine really spoke of Syrah. It's one of the best Lodi wines I've had of late. Maybe not a world-class Syrah, but a good-drinking wine that doesn't require any pontificating over.
The fact of the matter is that Lodi is a pretty warm area (least the few times I've been there in the Summer) and that they can achieve the quality of wines there is, I think, remarkable. I have been quite struck in the dramatic increase in quality of the Lodi wines. I've not had a Lodi wine that I'd label as world-class (yet) but if they can make world-class reds in Priorat and other hot areas of Spain, or Puligia, or Sicily, I suspect there's no reason they can't in Lodi. We shall see.
One of the problems, I think, w/ Lodi wines is that they're (like Cucamonga or the Loire)) very strongly terroir driven. For those folks who worship at the altar of terroir, this is, I guess, a good thing. Because the terroir is so dominant in the Lodi wines, I suspect many folks, when they pick up the Lodi terroir, immediately think Lodi....therefore not good wine. It's high time that notion be discarded. Winemaker is SteveFelten, who occasionally shows up here in CyberSpace.
Tried this last night 7/28/07 w/ dinner:
1. LucianAlbrecht GWT Reserve (13%; http://www.Lucien-Albrecht.com) 2005: Med.gold color; classic GWT/lychee/hair oil very fragrant/perfumed lovely nose; rich/lush bit oily lovely lychee/GWT/spicy/floral dry flavor w/ good acidity; very long spicy/GWT/lychee/hair oil rich/viscous lingering finish; terrific bargin at $17.00
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A wee BloodyPulpit:
1. It's been a good long while since I've found an Alsatian GWT that I've been tempted to buy in quantity. Finally I've found one. This reminded me a lot of the Bott and Dopff GWTs I used to buy in the mid-'70's for $4-$7/btl. Although fairly rich & textured, it has a good acidity to balance the richness; but not the overblown flabby character w/ gobs of hedonistic fruit that characterizes the Z-H style of modern Alsace GWT. I see no reason this wine won't go for another 10 yrs.
Tried this last night 7/24/07 w/ dinner:
1. AndrewMurray Eleven BraveOakVnyd/PasoRobles Syrah (14.5%; http://www.AndrewMurrayVineyards.com) 2005: Very dark/near black color; very strong blackberry/Syrah/licorice/boysenberry bit PR/jammy slight chocolaty ripe/juicy nose; soft very lush/ripe/juicy blackberry/boysenberry/Syrah bit licorice/chocolaty flavor; long soft/lush strong blackberry/Syrah/boysenberry chocolaty/licorice finish w/ light tannins; a ripe/juicy slight PR/jammy d-Arenberg-style Syrah w/ little oak; quite nice and not a whiff of VA.
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A wee BloodtPulpit:
1. This was a btl JimCross gave me to try when I was out in LasVegas this weekend. Would guess the price in the mid-$20's. It was a very good Oz-style Syrah w/o any obvious oak. And not a trace of the high VA that has plagued young Andrew's wines in the past. Maybe he's got that figured out.
Since the AndrewMurray vnyd was sold, Andrew has moved his wnry over onto the back lot of the Firestone property. He no longer has access to the Estate grapes and is now buying grapes from a number of different vnyds.
Tried last night (7/14/07) w/ simple pasta:
1. Curran GWT SantaYnezVlly/SantaBarbaraCnty (14.1%; http://www.CurranWines.com) 2006: Pale yellow color; strong lychee/cheap hair oil/spicy/GWT very attractive/perfumed nose; tart totally dry ripe/lush/rich very spicy/GWT/lychee slightly bitter flavor; med.long totally dry hair oil/lychee/GWT bit bitter finish; loads of lychee/GWT varietal character; terrific GWT and competes well w/ any Alsatians. Fairly priced at $26.00
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2. Domaine Roc Chateau Vieux Chard VdP du Jardin de la France/Loire (12.5%) Pierre Chainier/France 2005: Light yellow color; rather chalky/minerally some appley/lean/Chard pleasant nose; tart chalky/minerally/metallic bright/crisp/appley/Chard simple flavor; med.short metallic/minerally/chalky light appley/Chard finish; lots of Loire minerally terroir; pleasant Chard for $12.00
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A wee BloodyPulpit:
1. GWT: I was quite taken by ChrisCurran's GWT. It is probably the 3'rd best Calif GWT I've ever had. I thought it stood up to most Alsace GWT in the $16-$30 price range. The beauty of this GWT is that it seemed totally dry. Most Calif GWT are finished w/ a bit of r.s. to take the edge off the bitterness. They are often pleasant to drink at first, but become rather tiring on the palate. This one had a bright/zippy acidity and no r.s. that I could tell. A really lovely GWT I thought.
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2. Calif GWT: The Navarro's are generally my favorite of the dry Calif GWTs. But easily the two best I've had were DavidBruce Mendocino GWT '78 and '79. The first one was a typically DavidBruce weird wine. Like he did with his SCM WhiteRiesling, he barrel fermented it and barrel aged it in new/toasty French oak. It was 14+% alcohol, totally dry, and very Chard-like in nose and palate except for this powerful GWT character. I loved this wine for its uniqueness. Stodgy old traditionalists hated it because this was not how GWT was "supposed" to taste.
The '79 was a whole nuther beast. It was a dead-ringer for GREAT Alsatian GWT, like Hugel/Clos Gaenesbronnel or Bott Freres (remember, this was afore Z-H had totally corrupted what was then Alsatian GWT). Maybe a light touch of oak, but powerfully fragrant and huge lychee/spicy/GWT fruit. The likes of that wine, alas, has never since been seen in Calif.
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3. LoireChard: I was, of course, shocked and apalled that they are making Chard in the LoireVlly. Though labelled Vin du Pays du Jardin de la France, it had Loire in large letters just beneath. For gawd's sake...this is the Loire. This is supposed to be CheninBlanc and SauvBlanc. Have these Frenchmen NO respect for tradition. What is next?? Cabernet in the Loire? SauvBlanc in Burgundy? Zinfandel in the Languedoc?? Even though the wine was a very nice Loire white at a very fair price; it is utterly disgusting that they are now making international varieties like Chard in my beloved Loire. Arggghhhh...these Frenchmen!!
Tried this last night (7/5/07) w/ a samwich:
1. JadeMtn Syrah HudsonVnyd/Carneros/NapaVlly (13.5%) 1995: Dark color w/ slight bricking; somewhat bretty/horsecollar slight pencilly/oak slight blackberry/Syrah/plummy some aged/vaguely Rhonish nose; soft somewhat tannic/dried out bit pencilly/oak rather bretty/barnyardy/horsecollar/unclean slight toasty/pungent/blackberry/Syrah flavor; long rather tannic/dried out fairly bretty/barnyardy/unclean slight blackberry/licorice/Syrah finish; some nice things therein but too bretty/unclean and too tannic/dried out to enjoy; has seen much better days; drink up or toss.
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A wee BP:
1. This was one of the first really impressive Syrahs from LeeHudson's Carneros vnyd; one of Calif's great Syrah vnyds. Made by Doug Danilek, back in the good old days afore JadeMtn was bought out by the Chalone group. I thought the wine would easily go 10 yrs. I was wrong, once again. I don't recall the brett being so strong as it was in this btl
Tom
