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. Palmina Bianca Sisquoc Vineyard SantaMaria Valley 1999: Med.yellow color; flowery/R-like/ Vermintino-like rather toasty/pencilly grapefruity/piney slight nutty/Roussanne-like nose; tart/lean bit metallic/grapefruity slight nutty/piney bit thin slight floral flavor; med.long tart/lean grapefruity/piney/floral slight toasty/oak finish; a pleasant/lean rather Vermintino-like white. Not worth the $24.00.
2. St. Michael-Eppan Kellerei Sanct Valentin Sudtirol-AltoAdige Sauvignon (12.5%) 1996:  Med. yellow-gold color; rather stinky/pungent/classic cat-pee/bit cabbagey some skunky pretty intense nose; tart/lean pungent/cat pee/agressive SB slight skanky/earthy flavor; long intense cat pee/pungent slight cabbagey finish; a verrry distinctive wine not to everyone's taste (or smell) though I found it kind of interesting. Not worth the $35.00.
3. Palmina PinotGrigio Alisos Vineyard Santa Barbara County (14.3%) 2001: Pale yellow color;  attractive lemony/fragrant/flowery/hibiscus/perfumed talc/fruity nose; tart/lean grapefruity simple fruity/lemony flavor; med.short simple/fruity/flowery/hibiscus finish; pleasant little PG but overpriced at $19.00.
4. Di Bruno Santa Rita Hills Pinot Grigio Sanford & Benedict Vineyard (13.5%) 2001: Pale yellow color;  light fragrant/grapefruity/very fruity nose; tart rather spicy light pencilly/oak simple/ fragrant/grapefruity flavor; med.long some lush/fruity/grapefruity light/pencilly/oak finish; a pretty little PG but just that.
5. Il Podere dell'Olivos Central Coast Anche Meglio! (40% PinotBianco, 40% Tocai Friuliano,  20% Chardano; 13%) 1995: Med.light gold color; very oxidized/nutty/Old Rhone some toasty/ oak/rosemary nose; old/oxidized/tired nutty old Chard tobaccoy flavor; more like an old Roussanne; tired & oxidized.
6. Northern Vineyards Minnesota GWT WTW 2001: Light gold color; fragrant/perfumed Alsatian PG- like quite spicy some GWT/hair-oil nose; off-dry soft/fat/lush some spicy/GWT/perfumed/ cinammon rather dilute flavor; med.long spicy/GWT/floral dilute/lush slight wet-dog-fur/ oxidized finish; really attractive nose but tastes thich but dilute on the palate as if it's been chaptalized; interesting wine; Andrew's mystery, I thought Alsace.
7. Gianni Vergnano Cascina Gilli Malvasia di Castelnuovo don Bosco Rouge (5.50%) 1990: Med. dark color; bit toasty/oaked complex strawberry/grapey/Wrigley SpearMint/JuicyFruit very interesting nose; frizzante Wrigley SpearMint/minty/Lavoris/grapey complex interesting/ exotic flavor; long minty/Wrigley's SpearMint/grapey/soda pop finish; really interesting/ exotic red and still in good shape.
8. Poderi Aldo Conterno Il Favot Monforte/Bussia Soprana (Nebbiolo; 13.5%) 1983: Med.light  bit browning color; old Nebbiolo/faded rose petal slight lilacs/tarry some complex nose;  tart/acid dried-out tannic slight tarry flavor; med.short very acid/tannic dried-out finish; interesting old-Nebbiolo nose but tired&gone on the palate.
9. Estrella River Winery SanLuisObispo Barbera (EB; SaH:25.4%; TA:0.62; 13.9%) 1978: Med.color;  rather cedary/old Cab/cigar box/tobaccoy faded rose petal/spicy/fragrant very complex nose; soft cigar box/cedary/tobaccoy spicy/Barbera/Zin-like floral/perfumed complex flavor; very long/smooth/polished cedary/cigar box/tobaccoy spicy/sausage/floral very complex finish w/ light tannins; in terrific shape and a pleasure to drink but don't hold longer; one of the few mature Calif wines that's beautiful nose AND great on the palate. Blair's mystery wine from our original order.
10. Montevina Amador County Nebbiolo (12 1/2%) 1977: Med.color; some tobaccoy/cedary cherry/faded  rose petal bit lilacs/pungent/cherry very spicy nose; tart/acid cherry/black cherry some faded rose petal/lilacs bit tarry some tannic complex slight bretty/horsecollar flavor; long bit tarry/faded rose petal/lilacs/lilacs/floral rather tannic finish; beautiful/ complex fragrance and a bit dried-out on the palate but in pretty remarkable shape.
11. Stolpman Nebbiolo Riserva Santa Ynez Valley (15.3%; 144 cs) 1998: Med.color; strong black cherry/ floral/spicy/fragrant bit cedary/pencilly/oaked nose; rather hard/tannic bit lean floral/ cherry/tarry/licorice pungent some cedary/oaked flavor; long rather hard/tannic/astringent cherry/licorice/floral/Nebbiolo finish; pretty attractive nose but rather hard & tannic on the palate; one of the better Calif Nebbiolos, maybe it needs to be picked very ripe?
12. Palmina Vino da Tavola Della Costa Centrale (14.7%) Central Coast RW 2000: Med.color; strong pencilly/toasty/Fr.oak some dusty/walnutty pungent/licorice/cherry/Pinot-like fragrant slight cheesy/funky nose; soft/smooth bright cherry/black cherry some dusty/walnutty/green olive fairly pencilly/toasty/Fr.oak flavor; med.long sour licorice/cherry dusty rather toasty/Fr. oak finish w/ some tannins; needs a yr or two; almost tastes like a Nebbiolo/Pinot blend; interesting wine if a bit pricey. $29.00.
13. Robert Pepi Colline di Sassi Napa Valley Sangiovese Grossa (12.9%) 1989: Med.light color; bright cherry/spicy bit musty/wet-dog-fur some cedary/oak bit complex nose; tart/thin/tannic light cherry/Sangio bit bretty some cedary/oaked flavor; med.long hard/tannic/acid dried-out light cherry/Sangio rather cedary/oak finish; attractive nose but hard & dried-out on the palate.
14. Atlas Peak Napa Valley Sangiovese (12.9%; EB) 1989: Med.light color; some lush black cherry/ Sangio/spicy some toasty/pungent/oak nose; softer rather hard/tannic light black cherry some pungent/skunky some toasty/pungent/oak flavor; med.short hard/tannic dried-out more licorice/ black cherry pungent/skunky/funky some cedary/oak finish w/ much tannins; bit more lush but pretty tannic and dried-out.
15. Stolpman Santa Ynez Valley Sangiovese (15.5%; 147 cs; SangioveseGrosso) 1998: Med.light color;  slight oxidized spicy/cherry bit Chianti-like some toasty/oak nose; tart/lean/hard light cherry/Sangio pungent/toasty/oak bit tobaccoy/Chianti-like rather thin flavor; med.short light cherry/Sangio some funky/tobaccoy/Chianti-like finish w/ ample tannins; some pretty aromas but hard & lean on the palate.
16. Palmina Barbera Bien Nacido Vineyard Santa Maria Valley (14.0%) 2000: Med.color; lovely spicy/spicy sausage/Barbera some pencilly/Fr.oaked very perfumed/fragrant nose; very tart/acid/ruhbarb very spicy/spicy sausage/classic Barbera pencilly/toasty/Fr.oak flavor; very long toasty/ pencilly/Fr.oak very spicy/meaty/spicy sausage fragrant finish w/ fair tannins; needs 2-4 yrs of age; very interesting Barbera more along the Italian lines than Calif Barbera.
17. Ridge Calif Dry Creek Barbera (LyttonWest; 14.3%) 1997: Very dark color; intense pungent/ toasty/oak blackberry/pungent/licorice bit volatile perfumed/Am.oak slight bretty/funky nose; very tart spicy/spicy sausage rather strong Am.oaked/vanilla slight bretty/horse- collar flavor; med.long tart vanilla/Am.oak slight bretty some spicy/Barbera finish w/ fair tannins; needs more age but hard to tell where it'll go; distinctly Ridge. Kevin & Peggy's mystery wine.
18. Bernadette & Renzo Bolli Montecalvi Alta Valle della Greve 1997: Very dark/black color;  rather funky/Italian/pungent pungent/smokey/Italian some toasty/oak slight iodine/bretty bit funky nose; big/rich/huge hard/tannic rather Italian/horsecollar/bretty big black cherry/licorice fruit lush flavors; long hard/tannic big black cherry/licorice pungent/ smokey some bretty finish w/ ample tannins; more extract & size than most Tuscan wines; loads of intense fruit and huge structure for long aging; interesting to see where this wine goes. Howard&Rhoda's mystery wine.

1. PinotGrigio: A variety I just don't get. Most of the Italian versions are pretty dull and insipid and seldom rise above the level of pleasant. The California versions are simple and one-dimensional. Some of the Oregon Pinot Gris are fairly attractive, though tend to be on the lean/austere side. Only in Alsace does the variety ever rise to  greatness. Wonder hos those folks do that!!!
2. Estrella River Barbera'78: Followed this wine from the very start, in the Spring of '79. Gary Eberle was starting to get some very good press for his Cabs and Chardonnays and to attract attention to Paso as an area that could produce quality wines as good as any in Calif. That was of little important to me, however. I had read somewhere that he was making both Syrah and Barbera at Estrella, two varieties that interested me greatly. So I made this appointment to visit Gary at Estrella in April'79, never having met the guy, but knowing he was one of JoePaterno's linebackers, was pretty sure he wasn't some small shrimp. He greeted me at the winery and we visited for a bit. He poured me the standard SB,  Chard, Cab and others they had opened at the tasting bar. Then I mentioned that what I was really interested in was his Syrah and Barbera. Gary got all bug-eyed and looked at me like I was some nutso-case..... nobody was interested in THOSE varietals. Only a crazy  would come all the way from NewMexico to try those. Nonetheless, he was very excited that he had an audience and so we went into the barrel room and tried those two. It was the first Calif Syrah that showed to me the potential of the variety, with a beautiful fragrant/ strawberry perfumed nose; still the style he makes his Syrah to this day.  But I was also quite taken by the spicy sausage and perfume of the Barbera. Easily the best Barbera I'd ever had from Calif. He only made some 5 barrels or so and our group wound  up ordering some 18 cases or so; well over 10% of the production coming to LosAlamos. It's a wine that I've enjoyed many times over the years, but haven't had for some 10 yrs now. Gary Eberle continued his mastery of Barbera when he continued it under his own label, using grapes from the Norman Vineyard. He also has some planted at Sauret as well that should be coming on-line soon. A variety that should get more respect, I think.
3. Montevina Nebbiolo: Followed this wine from the very start. These were vines that CaryGott planted at Montevina and the behest of DarrellCorti. The first crop of Nebbiolo was sold as the CortiBros. RedTableWine '74. It was delicious AND cheap. This Nebbiolo was the NebbioloFino clone, a clone that doesn't produce very highly-colored wines. The wines were all on the tart and rather astringent side when young, but they all seemed to develop a  lovely fragrance with age. The vines were pulled out after Cary departed. 
4. Stolpman Vineyards: Tom&Marylin Stolpman have a number of Italian varietals planted on their  vnyd in LosOlivos. As I recall the Nebbiolo is of the Michet clone, one of the more highly regarded clones in the Piemonte (Lampia being the other). The wines were made by Craig MacMillan. They were good/sound/four-square wines. I especially liked the Nebbiolo. But the wines in barrel of the 2001 vintage, made by Sashi Moorman, are far/far better rep- resentatives of the Italian varietals that will be coming from this vnyd. They are worth searching out when they're released. I would also love to see what Stolpman could do with Freisa and Brachetto as well on that property.
5. Palmina Wines: These are the Italian varietals made by Steve Clifton of Brewer-Clifton Cahrd/ Pinot-making fame. These were my first exposure to them. They all displayed competent wine- making. The whites were rather ho-hum, but the reds showed much more interesting character. Nothing earth-shattering, but good/tasty wines. They do seem to be on the pricey side, however.
6. Italian Varietals in Calif: Oyyyyy.....the learning curve with these seems so painfully slow. I continue to be perplexed by Sangiovese and Nebbiolo. They hold so much promise and you will see occasional glimpses of greatness from these wines; but they still seem to fall a bit short. Clearly, Barbera is the variety that can/has made some great wines in Calif thus far. Jim Clendennan, under his Il Podere label, seems to be the only one who makes consistent/good Italian varietals. Toreldego looks like it has some potential in Calif. Not yet found a Pinot Grigio I'd buy yet. So much potential, but so far to go yet.