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. Qupe Santa Barbara County Marsanne (76% Marsane from Ibarra-YoungVnyd, 24% Roussanne from Stolpman Vnyd;13.0%) 2000: Light gold color; strong appley/spicy/cinammon slight butterscotchy/ oaked nose; tart rather minerally bit stoney bright/appley/spicy/cinammon light butterscotchy flavor; med.long light minerally/stoney appley/cinammon/spicy light oak finish; an attractive/interesting white; good value.
2. Qupe Santa Barbara County Marsanne (13.0%); 1988: Dark gold color; rather oxidized/cooked/maderized stewed apples no fruit nose; charred oxidized/maderized cooked apple flavor; pretty dead wine.
3. Qupe Santa Barbara County Bien Nacido Cuvee (67% Chard, 33% Viognier; 13.5%) 2000: Med.light gold color; fragrant appley/Chard slight floral/aromatic light oaked nose; spicy/floral/aromatic some toasty/oak appley/Chard flavor; long rather Chard/appley light floral/aromatic/Viognier finish; a lovely perfumed/floral white.
4. Qupe Santa Barbara County Los Olivos Cuvee (59% Syrah, 27% Mourvedre, 14% Grenache; 65% Ibarra-Young Vnyd, 35% StolpmanVnyd; 13.5%) 1999: Med.dark color; very fragrant strawberry/Grenache slight blackberry/Syrah bit licorice/herbal nose; soft lush bright strawberry/Grenache slight licorice/peppery/herbal quite spicy light oak flavor; med.long lush/strawberry/Grenache light licorice/herbal finish w/ light tannins; lovely attractive red.
5. Qupe Santa Barbara County Syrah (Bien Nacido Reserve; 13.5%) 1999: Med.dark color; bright spicy/blackberry/ Syrah/black cherry some plummy/pungent light toasty/oak nose; tart bright strawberry/ blackberry/Syrah light pungent/pencilly/oaked slight peppery flavor; med.long bright black cherry/strawberry/blackberry/Syrah some pencilly/oak light pungent/smokey finish w/ light tannins; bit on the light side but very nice drinking.
6. The Ojai Vineyard travail a l'anglaise (PinotNoir/Syrah; 14.0%) NV('99): Med.dark color; slight earthy/stemmy pungent/smokey/toasty plummy/blackberry some toasty/oak nose; tart bit hard strong plummy/blackberry smokey/toasty/pungent bit peppery slight chalky/herbal flavor; long bit hard/tannic rich/plummy/blackberry smokey/toasty/oak finish w/ some tannins; needs several yrs; not as lush as other Ojai reds and a bit hard/stiff on the palate. Very good value at $20.50.
7. The Ojai Vineyard Calif Syrah (14.0%) 1999: Dark color; strong blackberry/boysenberry/Syrah some pungent/toasty/Fr.oaked slight coffee/roasted nose; tart bit tannic rather pungent/ smokey/toasty/oaked rich blackberry/boysenberry/Syrah flavor; very long blackberry/ boysenberry/Syrah slight meaty/gamey/roasted finish w/ some tannins; needs several yrs; another terrific Ojai Calif Syrah; good value at $24.50
8. Neyers Napa Valley Grenache (HudsonVnyd; 15.0%) 1999: Med.light color; very slight musty (corked?)/funky light earthy bright strawberry/Grenache slight tomatoey light toasty/oak nose; tart bright spicy/strawberry/Grenache light earthy/tomatoey light toasty/oak flavor; med.long bright/strawberry/Grenache some toast/oaked finish w/ light tannins; a pretty/ light/tasty Grenache worth $15 but way overpriced at $35.50
9. Domaine Gourt de Mautens Rasteau (14%); Vigneron: Jerome Bressy, Rasteau 1999: Black color; bit reduced earthy/pungent/licorice blackberry/Grenache slight stemmy very intense/pungent nose; hard/tannic huge/extracted boysenberry/licorice/blackberry/Grenache some smokey/pungent slight stemmy/chalky flavor; very long hard/tannic/extracted pungent/blackberry/licorice/ boysenberry bit roasted/smokey finish w/ ample tannins; eeds 3-8 yrs of age; not as rich and lush as the '98 but more backbone & structure. Only John Alban and the Aussies can get this kind of extraction from Grenache. Very good value at $25.00
10. Hospices du Rhone Alban Vnyds Edna Vlly Grenache (Seymour'sVnyd; 14%) 1998: Black color; very intense pungent/toasty/Fr.oaked some roasted/coffee/smokey slightly reduced/funky intense boysenberry/fruit some meaty/gamey complex nose; hard/tannic very intense blackberry/boysenberry/licorice meaty/gamey bit roasted/espresso some toasty/pungent/ smokey/Fr.oak flavor; very long intense/blackberry/boysenberry rather toasty/smokey/oak bit gamey/roasted finish w/ ample tannins; needs 5 yrs or so and will probably last 20 or more. Lots of oak but a fruit intensity that can carry it. Pricey but this is one of the world's great Grenaches.
11. Cedarville Vnyd Sierra Foothills El Dorado Cnty Syrah (14.4%) 1998: Black color; loads of pencilly/toasty/oaked very spicy/fragrant slight mushroomy/earthy strong boysenberry/ Syrah/blueberry complex nose; tart rather toasty/pencilly/oaked/vanilla slight earthy/ mushroomy strong blackberry/Syrah slight herbal very spicy/sage/complex flavor; very long pencilly/toasty/oaked some blackberry/blueberry/Syrah slight earthy/herbal finish w/ some tannins; needs several yrs; the oak seem particularly strong now but there's plenty of Syrah fruit in there. Very good value at $22.00
12. JC Cellars Ventana Vnyds Monterey Syrah (13.8%; 110 cs) 1998: Very dark color; rather toasty/ Fr.oaked some herbal/basil/oregano complex cinammon/boysenberry/Syrah bit chocolaty nose; tart very spicy some herbal/basil rather toasty/Fr.oaked/pungent boysenberry/Syrah bit gamey/complex flavor; very long slight herbal/basil strong chocolaty/boysenberry/Syrah rather toasty/Fr.oaked/charred finish w/ some tannins; needs a few yrs; lots of very spicy Syrah character; terrific Syrah.
13. JC Cellars Rodney's Vnyd Santa Barbara Syrah (14.8%; 135 cs) 1999: Black color; intense boysenberry/blackberry/Syrah slight volatile/EA rather perfumed/fragrant/aromatic nose; soft very lush blackberry/boysenberry/Syrah/licorice slightly hot rather perfumed flavor; long soft rich boysenberry/blackberry/Syrah slight meaty light toasty/oak finish w/ light tannins; needs a yr or two; a very lush/fruit-driven Syrah.
14. Terre Rouge Shenandoah Vlly Calif Syrah SentinelOakVnyd PyramidBlock (14.5%) 1998: Black color; strong fecal/reduced bit stemmy strong toasty/pungent/oaked very blackberry/Syrah slight briary nose; hard some stemmy tannic ripe blackberry/Syrah some taosty/oaked flavor; med.long hard/tannic some blackberry/Syrah slight stemmy some toasty/pungent/oaked finish w/ ample tannins; seems almost on the underripe side; built for the long haul; not much of that Amador/briary character; bit stinky on the nose and rather strange Syrah but should age just fine.
15. Dobra Zemlja Amador Syrah (Estate; 16.2%) 1998: Very dark color; very ripe/overripe rather alcoholic/volatile strong blackberry/Syrah/Amador/briary rather Zin-like nose; soft/fat very ripe blackberry/boysenberry/AmadorZin-like some hot/alcoholic flavor; long hot/ alcoholic overripe/blackberry/Syrah briary finish w/ light tannins; lots of overripe AmadorZin character; rather strange Syrah that probably won't age very well.
16. SCEA Beaumet-Bonfils Domaine du Gour de Chaule Gigondas Cuvee Tradition (13.5%) 1998: Med.dark color; ripe blackberry spicy/sage/basil rather earthy/dusty slight roasted nose; tart bit hard/earthy slight salty/roasted spicy/basil slight blackberry flavor; med.long earthy/dusty some basil/spicy bit blackberry slight roasted/salty finish w/ light tannins; not much depth or extraction but just a nice-drinking/interesting Rhone.

1. Qupe Marsanne: I've followed Bob Lindquist's Marsannes from the very start. Marsanne is not a grape that produces very interesting or exciting wines.... when young. They seem to have a rather austere simple appley/stoney character. But it's only with a little age that they start to get really interesting. They develop a slightly oxidized/nutty/ hazelnutty quality that I find very interesting. I'm not sure I'd ever annoit Marsanne with the "great" sobriquet; but it is an interesting/alternative white that can make for a good food wine.
2. Qupe blended wines: I've followed Bob Lindquist's Bien Nacido Cuvee and Los Olivos Cuvees from the very start. The Chard/Viognier blend I've never really got. They have seemed more like a Chard wannabe more than anything. This latest '00 version seems to have more floral Viognier aromatics than previous editions. But the LO Cuvee has always been one of my favorite Calif Chateauneuf du Pape blends. With 3-6-10 yrs of age, they cane evolve into lovely/complex rather Rhonish (w/o the brett) like wines. And they are always a very good value. The original versions were Syrah/ Mourvedre blends. With the availability of Stolpman Grenache, this '99 version seems to show a lot more Grenache character than they have in the past, making for a wine with more bright/forward fruit. A great restaurant wine that I suspect will still age well.
3. Ojai Syrahs: I've followed..... The first ones came from Gary Eberle's Syrah fruit at EstrellaRiver. They matured into some of the finest Syrahs ever produced from Paso fruit. The BNReserve used to be Bob's flagship Syrah until the development of the Bien Nacido Syrah block way up on top of the ridge just south of the winery. The last few vintages of the BNReserve have struck me, upon first tasting them, as being on the light and fruity side w/o the depth & extract of earlier versions. Yet I always seem to be surprised with the wines a yr or two down the road, as they seem to put on weight, much like his Calif Syrahs do. His Calif Syrah is usually released in the Fall in time for the SantaFe Wine&Chile Fiesta. Every year when I taste it then, I'm disappointed in the lightness and simplicity of them. And, every year, six months or so down the road I see it start to put on weight and become a very nice drinking Syrah. The use of FrenchCampVnyd (owned by the Millers of Bien NacidoVnyd) Syrah and some old-vine Lodi Zin & Carignane gives the wine a bit of a rustic/Rhonish quality. It still remains a very good value.
4. Ojai Travail: This "work of the English" wine refers to the very old practice in Burgundy of supplementing their wine w/ Syrah from the Rhone ("hermitaging") to boost the color and intensity for the English market. When Adam bottles his wine twice a year, it is pumped directly from the barrel into a blending tank. The lees-laden wine left in the bottom of the barrel is then all pumped into a holding tank, allowed to settle further, given a light filtration, and returned to barrel to be blended w/ the similar remains from the next bottling. Since Adam's Syrah production is much greater than his Pinot, I would guess it is primarily Syrah in the blend. It's a good usage of wine that previously was merely flushed down the drain. And a good value to boot.
5. There was some concern over possible heat damage to the Ojai shipments to NewMexico because of the high temperatures down in Albuquerque late last week. My cases were simpley left on my front porch sometime during the afternoon and set there until I arrived home from work around 6:00 pm. When I took them inside & opened them, the wines were all cool to the touch, probably in the upper 60's. No signs of leakage or corks pushed. I certainly couldn't sense any heat damage in the '99 Calif we tasted.
6. Moving winemakers: When my Ojai order arrived last week, there was an apology on my paperwork from Michael regarding the unavailability of the Ojai-logo codpieces for me to wear at next week's Hospices du Rhone. Michael is Adam's new winemaker there at Ojai. His previous winemaker of some 4-5 yrs, Sashi, has moved on to become winemaker for Stolpman Vnyds. Working with the highly-regarded Stolpman fruit, I'm expecting great things from him there. Larry has informed me that Laura Chancellor, Haberdasher-in-Chief for the Only-the- Rhonely bowling team, has fashioned this year's codpiece with moving parts!!! Be afraid... be very afraid!! I am.
7. Calif Grenache: I continue to be disappointed by most of the Calif Grenaches. John Alban's Grenache is in a class of its own and as fine a Grenache as can be found anywhere in the world... including Rayas and Australia. But the bulk of them are merely pleasant/pretty/ fragrant little wines; nice quaffers but not nearly as serious a wine as Grenache can give. And there is a place for these kind of wines; they're very nice drinking. John's success with Grenache has spurred others on to try their hand w/ the variety, but most still have a long ways to go. Probably the best of the others I've had are the Ridge (which speaks more of Ridge red wine than Grenache) and Jonathan Lach's Cedarville Grenache.
8. Alban Hospices Grenache: This '98 was the first real crop of of John's SeymourVnyd (John's father) way up on top of his property in very rugged terrain. One barrel of 20 cases was donated to the HdR Auction two yrs ago and brought the top prize at the auction, entitling John to wear the tacky/gaudy/hideous Coats-du-Rhone plaid sportscoat. Fortunately it fits John but we're in big trouble if'n Gary Eberle ever wins the top auction price. The balance of the Seymour'sVnyd Grenache went into John's Pandora blend of Syrah/ Grenache; one of the greatest Calif Rhone-blends I've ever had. John has now taken three crops off Seymour of Grenache and Syrah. They seem to producer harder more tannic reds w/ more backbone than his other Grenache & Syrah. I feel it's destined to be another one of Calif's great Syrah vnyds.
9. CedarvilleVnyds: One of the up&coming stars in ElDorado County. Their wines are well worth searching out. Jonathan Lachs and Susan Marks bailed out of the high-tech/SiliconVlly rat-race to pursue their dream up in ElDorado County. Their Zin and Syrah are some of the best I've had from that area. A winery to keep your eye on.
10. ElDorado Syrah: John MacCready has produced some exceptional Syrahs over the years. This first Cedarville one is pretty terrific one. Steve Edmunds Wylie-Fenaughty is exceptional. Clearly ElDorado does not have to take a back-seat to Napa/Sonoma?SanLuisObispo or Santa Barbara when it comes to producing great Calif Syrah. The evidence continues to accrue that cool-climes are what it takes to make great Syrah in Calif.
11. Monterey Syrah: I've followed Monterey Syrah from the very start; with Doug Meador's first VentanaVnyd Syrah. I thought the guy was crazy. Much too cold for Syrah. The wines were rather light and quite herbal. But we're now starting to see some pretty terrific Syrah come from there. The huge SanBernarbeVnyd way south beyond KingCity grows a lot of Syrah that goes into a lot of the ordinary Calif-appellation Syrah. I've not had yet a SanBernarbe Syrah that I thought was better than just ordinary. But some of the Ventana Syrahs, produced by RiverRun, Doug Meador and JC Cellars are first rate, as good as anything produced elsewhere in Calif. It will be interesting to see what Gary Pisoni's Syrah will be like. Take $$$$$'s when you buy one.
12. JCCellars: I've followed..... JCCellars is, of course, Jeff Cohn, winemaker at Rosenblum Cellars. His Zins are some of the best. His Syrah production is very small but as good as any you can find from Calif. A producer to keep your eye's on. His '99 VentanaVnyd Syrah, in larger quantities, is a killer Syrah.