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. Sierra Vista ElDorado Viognier (14.3%; EB) 2002: Light gold color; lovely Viognier/pear/ peach slight metallic/earthy nose; soft/fat fairly lush light pear/Viognier bit simple flavor; med. soft/fat/lush light/clean pear/Viognier/peach slight earthy finish; a really lovely nose but doesn't quite deliver the intensity on the palate. $25.00
2. Charles Back/Fairview Viognier (14.5%) PaarlMtn/SouthAfrica 2002: Light gold color; rather pencilly/oak appley/Chard-like very slight pear/Viognier nose; soft/flabby rather pencilly/oak ratherr appley/melony/pear some metallic/earthy flavor; med.short soft/fat light appley/melony slight metallic finish; tastes like very high-yield wine; very little Viognie character & more like a Chard w/ all the oak. No bargin at $15.50
3. Garretson Viognier Paso Robles "The Chumhra" (14.2%; 300 cs) 2002: Med.gold color; very intense perfumed/fragrant intense peach/Viognier very aromatic almost GWT-like nose; off-dry big/rich/lush intense pear/peach/Viognier very DollyParton-style loads of intense Viognier fruit flavor; very long spicy/lush intense peachy/pear/Viognier soft off-dry finish; big/ripe very DollyParton Viognier. $20.50
4. Garretson Viognier Central Coast "The Saothar" (15.2%; 400 cs) 2002: Med.gold cloudy/hazy color; lower key fragrant/pear/Viognier some minerally/spicy slight pencilly nose; some ripe/lush perfumed/pear/Viognier slight pencilly/oak bit minerally/spicy soft flavor; long pear/Viognier very lush soft bit minerally/spicy/earthy finish; lish intense Viognier character but a bit more interesting; lovely low-key bit porky Viognier. $17.00
5. Renwood Amador Cnty Viognier (14.5%; #2374 of 420 cs) 1993: Med.gold color; fragrant pencilly/oak complex/mature slight minerally very light pear/Viognier nose; soft/fat some oak/toasty/pencilly very light/pear/Viognier bit pungent/old Chard/nutty minerally flavor; med. soft/fat slight pungent/nutty very light pear/floral some pencilly/oak finish; still hanging in there and rather interesting but mostly a survivor.
6. Garretson Roussanne Paso Robles "The Limoid Cior" (14.8%; 400 cs) 2002: Med.gold rather cloudy/hazy color; beautiful fragrant/floral/honeysuckle spicy/minerally/lemony almost Viognier/perfumed slight toasty/oak nose; off-dry ripe/lemony/floral/honeysuckle light toasty/oak flavor; very long/lingering very lemony/floral/honeysuckle/spicy bit minerally soft/lush finish; beautiful lemony/honeysuckle very exotic Roussanne at a great price. $22.60
7. Garretson Roussanne Santa Barbara County "The Limoid Cior" (14.3%; 56% westerly Vineyard, 44% Stolpman Vineyard) 2001: Med.gold/clear color; powerful/fragrant spicy/minerally/honeysuckle some citrus/lemon/lime/Buddah'sHand slight honeyed/butterscotchy nose; soft/lush ripe/ minerally/honeysuckle/lemon/toilet bowl cleaner/perfumed rich/round slight nutty/honeyed flavor; very long soft/round/rich/lush lemony/honeysuckle/floral slight hazelnutty finish; starting to show some secondary/complexity already; beautiful/lush Calif Roussanne. $21.00
8. Garretson Grenache Rozet Vineyard Paso Robles "The Spainneach" (13.8%; 100 cs) 2001: Dark color; very strong strawberry/blackberry/Grenache slight toasty/oak quite spicy/mocha/cocao nose; tart very Grenache/strawberry bit blackberry some mocha/cocoa very lush/spicy bit plummy flavor; long tart very lush/spicy/Grenache/strawberry light mocha/cocoa finish w/ light tannins; not a bruiser like an Alban, but not just a pretty face either; a Grenache w/ some structure and depth, needs a yr or two; terrific example of Grenache. $20.50
9. Garretson Mourvedre Hastings Ranch Paso Robles "The Graosta" (13.6%; 100 cs) 2001: Very dark/ near black color; deep boysenberry/plummy bit licorice/pungent/herbal some complex/dusty/ earthy slight tarry nose; soft very lush/plummy/licorice/chocolaty/tarry quite spicy falvor; very long plummy/lush/licorice/tarry loads of spicy/fruit slight funky/wild finish w/ light tannins; an impressive wine at a great price. $17.80
10. Garretson Syrah Paso Robles "The Aisling" (14.2%; 400 cs) 2001: Dark color; strong waxy/ blackberry/blueberry very ripe/overripe smokey/bacon fat earthy/dusty light toasty/mocha/ oak rather jammy/Aussie nose; very soft/fat ripe/overripe plummy/blackberry/boysenberry/ jammy/Oz-like light toasty/oak/mocha flavor; med.short soft/fat jammy/blackberry/boysen- berry/Syrah light toasty finish w/ light tannins; a SumoWrestler of a Syrah; bit too jummy/ over-the-top for me; lacks acid & structure; bit like a ClosMimi Syrah w/o the attitude; last of the Fralich Syrah. $25.50
11. Garretson Syrah Paso Robles "The Aisling" (14.1%) 2000: Very dark color; very strong blackberry/pencilly/toasty/oak some roasted/bacon fat bit reduced/pungent some complex nose; tart bit reduced/pungent/funky/charred some pencilly/oak light blackberry/spicy/ Syrah flavor; med. pencilly/oak bit roasted/charred light blackberry/blueberry/Syrah finish w/ light tannins; more in an Eberle style of Syrah; interesting wine. $20.00
12. Garretson Syrah Central Coast "The Craic" (14%; 404 cs) 2001: Very dark color; intense blackberry/boysenberry/Syrah some coffee/mocha/toasty/oak/bacon fat fairly complex nose; soft/fat very lush boysenberry/blackberry/Syrah some coffee/mocha bit overripe flavor; long very ripe/blackberry/boysenberry/Syrah fat/porky light espresso/coffee/mocha finish w/ light tannins; lots of very ripe/overripe Syrah character, almost Oz in style; a very good Syrah at a great price. $20.50
13. Garretson Syrah Rozet Vineyard Paso Robles "The Luascain" (14%; 200 cs) 2001: Black color; intense blackberry/blueberry/Syrah spicy/peppery some menthol/toasty/minerally slight dusty/earthy nose; tart/hard very spicy/peppery/blackberry/Syrah some toasty/menthol/oak rather tannic/austere flavor; very long very peppery/spicy/blackberry/Syrah some toasty/ pungent/oak/menthol finish w/ hard tannins; needs 2-5 yrs age yet; big Syrah but on the hard/austere side; terrific wine. $34.50
14. Garretson Syrah Hoage Vineyard "The Bulladoir" (14%; 100 cs) 2001: Very dark color; strong blackberry/Syrah spicy/minerally some toasty/charred/oak bit minerally nose; tart bit lean/hard/pinched very spicy/blackberry/Syrah slight toasty/charred/oak slight mocha flavor; very long rather hard/lean/pinched spicy/blackberry/Syrah light toasty/oak finish; a terrific nose but doesn't quite deliver on the palate; needs more age; very fairly priced at $24.00.
15. Garretson Syrah MonAmie Bassetti Vineyard San Luis Cnty (13.8%; 100 cs) 2001: Black color; slight bretty/funky/Rhonish very peppery/cold-climate Syrah/blackberry/minerally light toasty/ charred/Fr.oak some complex/roasted/meaty nose; tart very peppery/spicy/blackberry/Syrah/ minerally slight Rhonish/horsecollar/leathery flavor; very long peppery/spicy/blackberry/ Syrah some toasty/charred/Fr.oak slight Rhonish/leathery fairly complex finish w/ fair tannins; needs 2-5 yrs of age; pricey but an exceptional Syrah. $38.00

1. Garretson prices are all futures prices plus shipping.
2. I've followed John MacCready's Viogniers from the very start. The early ones were a bit lean & hard, but he's very much mastered the variety now and makes one of the best (the Cedarville being the other one I really like) SierraFoothills Viogniers. They always have wonderful aromatics, but show some restraint on the palate and never over-the-top.
3. The two Garretson Viogniers were an interesting contrast. The Paso was very DollyParton in style with loads of in-your-face Viognier fruit. I actually preferred the Central Coast version as being a bit more interesting, despite having less blatent Viognier character. For a MrViognier wine, I actually much preferred his Roussannes. Go figure!!
4. Two of the wines were pretty hazy/cloudy, which made me a bit concerned. Mat assured me not to worry. They didn't fall a bright as he would have preferred, but chose not to do a Polish filteration on them in order not to take anything from them. Just a cosmetic problem.
5. Renwood Viognier: This was, I believe, Scott Harvey's first Viognier at Renwood. In its youth, it was a huge/rich/luscious DollyParton Viognier; loaded w/ ripe fruit. Though the wine had not gone bad and is still in good shape, it's not gone much of anywhere either. Of course, the current Renwood Viogniers don't hold a candle to what Scott did there.
6. Grenache&Mourvedre: I already knew that Mat could make great Syrah. The two wines I was really taken by were both the Grenache and the Mourvedre. The Grenache was one of the most impressive ones I've had from Calif. Not in the Alban league, but getting close. Likewise, the Mourvedre was one of the best I've yet had from Calif. In the league w/ some of Steve Edmunds and Dave Corey's. It has the structure that you don't often find in the Mourvedres from ContraCosta.
7. The Syrahs: A very interesting group of Syrahs. All of them were most distinctive from one another; they all displayed their differing vnyd sources. Yet, unlike Novy who makes a range of Syrahs that are distinctive in character, but similar in style; these Syrahs did not show anything to me that shouted "Garretson" in their style. A very interesting bunch and all well-made. Almost as if Mat was wanting to let the terroir speak it's voice, and not pound them all into the same mold. Whatta concept!! The Rozet was my (slight) favorite over the Bassetti; a bit simpler and more straight- forward in Syrah character; it was bigger & more structured for the long haul than the Bassetti I thought; a bit harder & leaner. Probably the best Rozet Syrah or Rozet red I've yet had. If Steve Edmunds & Mat believe in this vnyd; we'd best keep our eye on it. I was expecting a bit more from the Hoage Syrah. This is what was formerly the Ken Winchester Vineyard. It was not quite as big & extracted as I expected. But it is priced very fairly and probably a vnyd that will deliver more in the future I would guess. The Bassetti Vineyard is clearly one of Calif's great Syrah vnyds. Steve Edmunds, Augie Hug, and Mat all make exceptional Syrahs from that vnyd. Alas, in 2002, Ellis Bassetti's crop was pretty much a total loss. So sad. But the Syrahs coming from this vnyd are very much like Al Rago's Que Syrah vnyd w/ that very spicy/cold-climate/peppery Syrah. Cold-climate is where it's at for Syrah.

   TomHill