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.

 

California and Australian Rhones
Tasted a few California/Australian Rhones last week.
Foxen Santa Ynez Valley Viognier Rothberg Vineyard (15%) '97: Med.gold color; beautiful fragrant aromatic peachy/Viognier perfumy/smokey/spicy bit minerally nose; tart citric lean stoney/peachy/Viognier very spicy light oaked bit minerally flavor; long ripe peachy/Viognier some stoney/minerally/lean finish; needs a bit of age yet; beautiful fragrant nose w/ nice minerally/Condrieu character.
Pride Mountain Vineyards Sonoma County Summit Ranch/Spring Mtn (13.0%) '96: Med.gold color; rather Tokay/PG-like smokey light peachy/Viognier bit honeyed (botrytis?) very ripe grapey nose; soft fat plush honey/grapey/very ripe rather Tokay/PG flavor; med.long grapey/very ripe honey bit earthy finish; not much Viognier character; bit on the clunky/clumsy/overripe side. Not worth $28.
Boeger El Dorado Viognier (13%) '95: Med.gold color; fragrant flowery/Riesling- like spicy very light peachy some earthy nose; soft light floral/grapey/R-like light earthy bit coarse flavor; short soft fat light R/floral/grapey earthy finish; a rather dull R-like wine w/ little Viognier character.
Thornton South Coast Pastiche (65% GrenacheBlanc, 20% Viognier, 15% Monbadon; alc: 12.5%) '95: Med.dark gold color; very butterscotchy/caramel aromatic toasty bit clumsey/coarse nose; very soft fat flabby butterscotchy/caramel toasted/buttery flavor; very long fat porky toasted/burnt butter/butterscotch/caramel finish that goes on and on; somewhat interesting if porky style white.
Jade Mountain Cotes du Soleil (14.5%) Calif RW '96: Med.color; strong fragrant spicy Zin-like plummy/grapey nose; soft dusty/plummy bit sour/metallic buttery plummy/ Mourvedre flavor; med.long plummy/earthy/dusty plummy finish w/ light tannins; attractive pleasant blend (Zin/Mourvedre?).
Jade Moutain La Provencal Calif RTW (13.6%; Mourvedre & Syrah) '95: Med.dark color; deep plummy/Mourvedre earthy/dusty slight horsecollar/brett very spicy nose; soft rich plummy spicy/dusty bit horsecollar flavor; med.long very spicy/dusty very plummy/Mourvedre slight bretty/horsecollar finish w/ light tannins; a very nice drinking Rhone blend.
Premiere Napa Valley Edgewood Estate Napa Valley Petite Sirah (Lot No.85 Premiere Napa Vlly 1997; 12.8%) '94: Black color; intense pungent dusty slight stinky/H2S some horsecollar/brett smokey/peppery nose; soft fat flat very tannic light peppery rather dusty/earthy/clunky flavor; short very tannic soft flat light peppery some oaked/dusty finish; loaded w/ tannin & rather underacir; a rather clunky classic old-style Calif PS; needs much age & more fruit.
Robert Biale Napa Valley Old Vineyards Petite Sirah (16.1%) '95: Very dark color; fragrant very aromatic perfumed spicy peppery pencilly/Fr.oaked licorice/smokey nose; soft buttery very spicy pencilly/Fr.oaked/vanilla peppery/tannic dusty/old vine flavor; very long licorice/peppery very pencilly/Fr,oaked dusty rich textured tannic finish; needs 4-10 yrs; a beautiful aromatic PS (Zin therein??)
Bonny Doon Old Telegram Calif Mataro/Mourvedre (14%) '95: Very dark color; fragrant perfumed/plummy spicy/pungent/licorice smokey complex nose; soft very perfumy plummy very spicy light herbal (Soledad grapes?) some oaked/dusty flavor; long very perfumed/plummy aromatic very spicy bit herbal finish w/ light tannins; a lovely complex very aromatic Mourvedre for the near term; bit overpriced at $24.
Frankland Estate Western Australia Isolation Ridge Shiraz (13.5%; Contains: Approx 8 Standard Drinks) '94: Dark color; strong dusty oaked low fruit herbal smokey bit lean/Rhonish nose; hard dusty lean oaked bit herbal slight spich/Shiraz flavor; med.long hard dusty earthy low fruit some Rhonish/CdR finish w/ some tannins; not the lush fruit/lavish oak of most Oz Shiraz; sorta clunky.
Lane Tanner Santa Ynez Valley Syrah (TW; JK Vnyd) '96: Very dark color; deep dusty/ gamey very roasted some blackberry/Syrah smokey/complex sone toasted/oak very violets/floral nose; tart hard gamey roasted pungent charred/oak dusty some floral/ violets blackberry/Syrah spicy flavor; long tart gamey raosted/pungent toasty/ charred/oaked light blackberry/Syrah bit walnutty very spicy flavor; needs 4-8 yrs; a very interesting very Rhone like unusual Calif Syrah; terrific wine at a very good price.
Foxen Santa Ynez Valley Syrah Morehouse Vineyard (13.8%) '96: Dark color; intense coffee/ espresso roasted smokey/dusty charred/oaked very Rhonish nose; soft big charred/ oak ripe lush herbal/walnutty pungent some blackberry/Syrah flavor; very long espresso/coffee/dusty/charred oak smokey some blackberry/Syrah finish w/ some tannins; not as big & extracted as the '95 but a very interesting/Rhoneish Syrah; needs 3-6 yrs.
Charles Cimicky Barossa Valley Signature Shiraz (13.9%) '94: Black color; intense tobaccoy/Am.oaked intense blackberry/Syrah/framboise/licorice very spicy nose; soft intense licorice/ framboise/ blackberry coffee/espresso tobaccoy/charred/ Am.oaked vanilla smokey flavor; very long soft fat intense licorice/charred/Am.oak intense blackberry/framboise finish w/ some tannins; classic soft fat very intense very oaked Aussie Shiraz; loads going on in this wine.
Jim Barry McCrae Wood Clare Valley Shiraz (14.0%) '94: Black color; intense dusty/ walnutty oaky espresso/pungent/charred low fruit nose; very tart walnutty dusty some oaked low fruit hard/lean flavor; long hard tannic/walnutty/ espresso/coffee dusty/smokey finish w/ ample tannins; not that much fruit & rather atypical of Aussie Shiraz; should mature into an interesting wine.
Rosemont Estate Balmoral McLaren Vale Shiraz (13.5%) '95: Black color; very intense licorice/Syrah roasted complex almost C-R/pungent charred oaked very framboise/ blackberry complex nose; huge rich pungent/roasted bacon fat toasty espresso/coffee blackberry/framboise/Syrah complex flavor; very long lingering very intense licorice/ blackberry/ framboise espresso/ roasted/pungent complex finish w/ ample tannins; needs 5-15 yrs; killer Shiraz, best Balmoral yet by far.

And the usual pontifications from the bloody pulpit:
The Rosemont Balmoral '95.... incredible wine. Very intense loaded w/ everything and the structure for aging over the long haul. Very Grange-like.
The Biale PS '95 was probably their best '95 wine. And one of the most aromatic fruity PS I've had in a long time. Great stuff.
Lane Tanner Syrah: given to us compliments of Bob Senn at the Los Olivos Wine & Spirits Emporium. Her first Syrah and a terrific one it is w/ lots of Rhone character. Just released. I've always been very impressed w/ her Pinot Noirs & this is very much in her style w/ lots of toasty/pungent oak. This lady make GOOD wines across the board.
Jade Mountain: Both of these Rhone blends were very well made wines. I've been very much impressed w/ what Doug Danielac (sp??) has done here the last few yrs. Definitely a winery to keep one's eyes on in the Rhone game.