Tried these two over Memorial Day weekend:
1. DryCreekVnyd BeesonRanch/DryCreekVlly Zin (13.5%; 5 acre vnyd > 100 yrs old; http://www.DryCreekVineyard.com) 2004: Very dark/black color; very strong blackberry/ boysenberry/Zin light vanilla/oak slight chocolaty/peppery very spicy nose; tart very spicy/ blackberry/boysenberry/Zinberry quite spicy bit chocolaty some dusty/old vines light Am.oak flavor; very long bit tannic very strong blackberry/boysenberry/Zin very spicy light peppery/chocolaty finish; needs another yr or two but should easily go out 10 yrs or more;stunning Zin at a very fair price. $30.00
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2. Novy Syrah Rosella'sVnyd/SantaLuciaHighlands (15.1%; http://www.NovyFamilyWines.com) 2001: Black color; beautiful intense chocolaty/herbal/ oregano/rosemary intense boysenberry/blackberry/Syrah some roasted/pungent some toasty/ charred/oak very complex classic SLH Syrah nose; med.tart very rich/lush pungent/roasted toasty/ oak intense blackberry/boysenberry/Syrah some herbal complex flavor; very long light tannic bit herbal/oregano/garigue very intense blackberry/boysenberry/Syrah light toasty/oak finish; very complex and classic SLH Syrah; ready to drink and should go several more yrs; a sensational Syrah. A steal at $25.00
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More thoughtful musings from TheBloodyPulpit:
1. DCV Zins: The quality of the Zins coming out of DCV has taken a big ratchet upward since BillKnuttle came on board as winemaker. This Beeson is, perhaps, his best Zin yet at DCV. Although it has plenty of extract; this is NOT a Zin that's about alcohol and power and on steroids; it's more about balance and expressing the character of an old Zin vnyd. If the bullies at the beach are kicking sand in your face, if you are down in the dumps and your life is no longer worth living because you can't get a Carlisle Zin, then I would suggest you try a DCV BeesonRanch and put some zest back into your life.
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2. Novy: Adam&Diana don't get a whole lot of recognition amongst us RhoneHeads for their Syrahs. But they are quietly cranking out some exceptional Syrahs, under the radar. Although the alcohol levels can be high, it's another wine that's about balance. The '01 Rosella's was about as fine a Novy Syrah as I have had.
We tasted yesterday (5/13/07) the New San Sakana Releases:
1. SanSakanaCllrs Viognier Catie'sCornerVnyd/RussianRvrVlly (14.4%; www.SanSakana.com) 2006: Pale gold color; very perfumed/floral/peachy/ripe/Viognier classic nose; soft rich/lush very ripe white peaches/floral/Viog loads of ripe fruit flavor; very long/lingering white peachy/floral/pear/perfumed soft finish; would like a bit more acidity; loads of very strong Viognier fruit; classic DollyParton Viognier. $36.00
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2. SanSakanaCllrs Viognier BrokenLegVnyd/AndersonVlly (14.5%) 2006: Light gold color; some minerally/earthy/stoney very floral/carnations/gardenias/pear/Vlovely spicy nose; tart very rich strong floral/gardenias/pear/very spicy slight stoney/earthy flavor; very long/lingering very spicy/pear/gloral/V/ gardenias finish; rich/lush but good acidity and great balance; not your
usual rendition of Calif Viognier. $38.00
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3. SanSakanaCllrs Viognier BrokenLegVnyd/AndersonVlly (14.6%) 2005: Light gold color; ripe candied/spicy/almost GWT-like/creamy some pear/V bit smokey/Pinot Gris-like perfumed complex quite interesting nose; softer but still tart less rich creamy/floral ripe pear flavor; very long creamy/pear/floral complex finish; much less Viognier character bu a very lovely/interesting wine.
$gone/gone
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4. SanSakanaCllrs Syrah LasMadresVnyd/Carneros (14.4%) 2005: Black color; beautiful smokey/ pungent somewhat roasted/espresso/very cracked black pepper very Rhonish strong blackberry/ Syrah complex nose; tart very rich/extracted very smokey/pungent/roasted/espresso/cracked black pepper some blackberry/spicy/Syrah very Rhonish/complex flavors; very long/lingering intense crackedblack pepper/roasted/espresso some blackberry/Syrah pungent/smokey finish w/fair tannins; needs several yrs but should go 10-15; very classic cold-climate Syrah w/ loads of Rhonish character; one of the best '05 Syrahs I've yet had. Very fairly priced at $45.00.
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5. SanSakanaCllrs Syrah WhiteHawkVnyd/SantaBarbaraCnty (14.8%) 2005: Black color; very strong/ intense blackberry/boysenberry/Syrah slight herbal/peppery/green olive/new mown grass almost Oz-like nose; soft very rich/lush intense blackberry/boysenberry/Syrah slight smokey/toasty/oak slight herbal/green olive flavor; very long intense Syrah/blackberry/boysenberry/ripe slight herbal/
green olive finish w/ fair tannins; needs several yrs; classic SBC Syrah but almost Oz-like in character. $52.00
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6. SanSakanaCllrs Mourvedre AltaMesaVnyd/SantaBarbaraCnty (14.4%) 2005: Black color; very lush ripe/plummy/black cherry/boysenberry slight licorice some smokey/earthy nose; soft/lush ripe black cherry/red plums/licorice slight earthy/dusty flavor; very long plummy/black cherry/juicy ripe/lush finish w/some tannins; very good example of Calif Mourvedre. $40.00
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And a wee BloodyPulpit:
1. These were hlf btl samples sent to me directly by BettinaBriz. Prices are taken from their WebSite.
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2. Viogniers: I liked both the '06 Viognier quite a lot. The Catie's is pretty much an in-your-face classic Calif Viog, loads of varietal character; rich/lush but the acidity to not seem fat/flabby. The BrokenLeg was easily my favorite of the pair; very spicy/interesting, less classic Viog in character
and an earthiness that I get more often in WashState Viog, particularly the Harlequin, one of my most favorite USA Viogniers.
The '05 BrokenLeg was a real puzzle. When I first had the two '05's early last Summer, this wine was very similar to the '06 now. It seems to have changed quite a bit in this last yr's time. Less Viog in character and not quite as interesting as it was.
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3. BrokenLegVnyd: This is a vnyd I'd like to walk (climb??) sometime. Managed by Steve Williams, it is out West in the AndersonVlly. He was, I think, the first to plant Viognier and Syrah in that Valley. It supposedly is a steep mountain-top vnyd w/ slopes approaching 60 degrees...Cote-Rotie terrain.
The grapes go to some pretty top-notch producers...Copain, VIE, Donkey&Goat, SanSakana. It also produces Zinfandel. I've been pretty impressed w/ all the wines I've had from this vnyd.
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4. Syrahs: The LasMadres was my no-brainer favorite of the two. They are quite striking in their differences. The WhiteHawk is very similar to the Tensley and Drew in their styles. Whereas the LasMadres is classic/cold-climate Syrah at its best. When I first had the '04 LasMadres a yr ago, it seemed a bit clunky and dumb, but the last btl I had about a month ago was dynamite, very much like this '05 is now. I think the '05 is even better than the '04; both are pretty stunning Calif Syrahs.
Both wines are huge & extracted. But I was very taken by the balance they show and see no reason not to believe they are long agers, given their acidities.
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5. LasMadresVnyd: Another stunning example of a Syrah from this vnyd. When I first started tasting Carneros Syrah from Lee Hudson's vnyd, I was not particularly impressed; good, but not classic cold-climate Syrah; a bit on the clunky side I thought. But there are now some pretty stunning Syrahs from Hudson and it must be considered one of the great Syrah vnyds of the world. I think we can add LasMadres to that list now as well.
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6. Mourvedre: This is SanSakana's first venture into Mourvedre territory. And a dandy addition to the portfolio it is. It reminded me a lot of the Mourvedre that Dave Corey makes in its style.
Also tried these three new arrivals to NM ystrday (5/13/07):
1. JLChaveSlctn Crozes-Hermitage Blanc Sybele (13%) 2005: Light yellow color; light waxy some floral/Roussanne slight pineapply/earthy nose soft fairly lush/rich very light floral/honeysuckle/Roussanne very slight stony flavor; short light floral/Roussanne finish; pleasant enough wine but disappointing and seems rather dilute. $21.00
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2. JLChaveSlctn Cotes-du-Rhone MonCoeur (14%) 2005: Med.dark color; some smokey/earthy rather strawberry/Grenache slight meaty/perfumed pleasant nose; soft simple earthy/strawberry/Grenache slight meaty flavor; med.short earthy/strawberry finish w/ little tannins; seems to have some Syrah in it; pleasant/simple/unthrilling CdR. $18.00
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3. JLChaveSlctn Crozes-Hermitage Silene (13%) 2005: Very dark color; rather smokey/roasted/espresso/NorthernRhone quite meaty slight blackberry/Syrah light toasty/oak nose; tart rather roasted/espresso/meaty slight earthy light blackberry fruit/Syrah flavor; med.long roasted/espresso/NorthernRhone light blackberry/Syrah quite meaty finish w/ light tannins; beats the sox off the Guigal but doesn't hold a candle to the Graillot; a very nice NorthernRhone at a good price. $24.00
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4. EricRocher Terroir de Champal St.Joseph (12.5%) Black color; some funky/bretty/dusty/stinky nose clears to toasty/charred/Fr.oak/pungent very strong blackberry/Syrah/Jaffurs-like complex slight earthy/roasted nose; tart slight funky/bretty very strong blackberry/Syrah some dusty/earthy/meaty slight pungent/roasted/smokey flavor; very long bit dusty/earthy big/blackberry/Syrah slight meaty/roasted finish w/ some tannins; starting to dry out a bit but amazingly good shape; only slightly NorthernRhone in character, loads of blackberry fruit, and much like an older Jaffurs SBC Syrah; terrific Syrah; Sonny's mystery wine and a steal at $19.00
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Sorry..the Reverend is out and no BloodyPulpit.
Tried these two side-by-side ystrday 5/12/07 w/ Gougeres and FrommageFort:
1. Licia RiasBaixas Albarino (12.5%) 2005 Light yellow color; lovely fragrant/perfumed/floral some stoney/minerally/steely very attractive nose; very tart/steely strong grapefruity/floral/ minerally flavor; very long steely/minerally/chalky/stoney quite floral/perfumed finish; an absolutely lovely Albarino at a very good price. $17.00
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2. BonnyDoon Ca'del Solo Ca'del Solo Vnyd/MontereyCnty Albarino (12.5%) 2006: Very pale near colorless; rather floral/carnation/pineapply/JR-like slight creamy/milky nose; soft/lush simple pineapply/JR-like flavor; short very pineapply slight floral/carnations finish; a rather simple white that speaks more of JohannisbergRiesling than of Albarino. $19.00
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UnPetite BloodyPulpit:
1. Both of these wines were likable/pretty drinkable wines. The Licia was one of the best Albarino I've had in some time. However, if the winemakers would have picked at 28Brix, did extended battonage, a full ML fermentation, aged for a yr in brand-new toasty/Fr.oak...then we would be talking serious juice here. Won't these people EVER learn about WineMaking101??
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2. I was expecting more from the BonnyDoon; given the new direction Randall is taking his wnry. It seemed much more like a pleasant/simple Calif JR than Albarino. But, then, who's to say exactly HOW Soledad Albarino is supposed to taste. I'm not one to worship at the altar of varietal typicity.
Cracked this last night (4/24/07) w/ leftovers:
1. Qupe BienNacidoReserve Syrah (12.5%) 1994: Dark color w/ slight bricking; lovely graphite/ carbon arc/ozone smokey/pungent/FrancoisFreres some green olive/blackberry/Syrah complex nose; soft/smooth/velvety roasted/smokey/pungent/graphite some blackberry/olive/Syrah bit Rhonish flavor; very long smooth roasted/pungent/graphite/FrancoisFreres/oak light blackberry/green olive finish w/ light tannins; a lovely/complex fully mature rather Rhonish Syrah. $23.00
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A wee BloodyPulpit:
1. Bob Lindquist was one of the first to produce a great Calif Syrah (along w/ Randall Graham, Adam Tolmach; from EstrellaRiver/Eberle grapes; plus John MacCready/SierraVista). He doesn't seem to get a whole lot of recognition on the Syrah circuit. His wines are not particularly dramatically intense or big. They are all about balance. Yet, despite their anemic alcohol levels, they consistently, bottle after bottle, age amazingly well. It will be interesting to see what he does w/ his Estate grape in EdnaVlly, across the road from JohnAlban, come on-line. Bob's another winemaker, like PaulDraper and Adam Tolmach, who never seem to lose their passion for making wines.
Tried two oldies last night(4/10/07) for dinner:
1. EberleWnry Viognier FralichVnyd/PasoRobles (13.8%) 1995: Deep golden slight
browning color; some floral/honeyed some pencilly/toasty/oak slight mineral/ petrol rather nutty/toasted hazelnuts/old Riesling slight oxidized rather complex nose; soft/lush quite nutty/toasted hazelnuts bit oxidized/oatmealy/old WhiteBurg light pencilly/oak slight mineral/ petrol/old Riesling flavor; med.long toasted hazelnuts/oxidized mineraly/petrol finish; quite an
interesting old Viognier and a pleasure to drink.
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2. JosephSwanVnyds Mourvedre RussianRvrVlly (12.5%; Grapes planted in 1910)
1994: Very dark color w/ slight browning; beautiful/complex licorice/pungent/tarry gamey boysenberry/plummy/licorice slight menthol/toasty/oak very complex/perfumed nose; soft/rich very smooth pungent/licorice/plummy/boysenberry light menthol/toasty/pencilly/oak beautiful/complex flavor; very long/smooth/velvety pungent/licorice/tar/plummy/boysenberry light pencilly finish w/
very smooth tannins; amazingly good Mourvedre probably at its peak.
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A wee BloodyPulpit:
1. Both of these were throw-away wines, wines I had very low expectations for but just wanted something to drink w/ my SutterHome TripleCream-braised short ribs, so was going to put them out of their misery. Whatta surprise.
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2. Viognier: This wine, in it's youth was a prime example of DollyParton Viognier; soft/fat/lush in-your-face peachy fruit; a floozy of a wine. These, because of their low acidity, typically age very poorly. This had held up amazingly well and had some of that mineral/petrol character you get in old Mosel. Of course, those who worship at the altar of varietal typicity, and insist that their Viognier taste fresh/fruity, just like it came out of the tank, would have no appreciation for this wine and soundly trash it. To each his own.
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3. Mourvedre: I was blown away by this wine. One of those rare Calif reds that that you just happen to catch at its peak and makes you shake your head in wonderment. It was not showing any signs of drying out and going round the bend at all. It was one of the best Calif Mourvedres have had, maybe as good as SteveEdmunds legendary BrandlinRanch Mourvedre of many a year ago. My recollection of this wine was that it was a lush/plummy Mourvedre, but nothing that hit you on your head by it profundity. Doubt, though, that those grapes still exist. A stunning/mature Mourvedre. Great job, Rod.
Tried last night (3/31/07) at 315 the dessert wine:
1. ScholiumProject TheLydianQueen OroPuro Vnyd Calif WW (13.1%; http://www.ScholiumWines.com; 85% Semillon, 15% sauvBlanc; SaH: 50Brix; RS: 15%) 2004: Dark gold color; somewhat high VA very ripe/overripe/rotted apples honeyed nose; quite sweet soft/underacid intense overripe/rotted apple honeyed/orangey very sweet flavor; very long overripe/rotted apple bit hot/fumey underacid very sweet finish; truly a bizarre dessert wine. $40.00/hlf
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And a wee BloodyPulpit:
1. With heavyly botrytised Semillon grapes, I was expecting an over-the-top Sauternes-like dessert wine. It was not. There was not the least evidence of botrytis in either the nose or the flavor. The dominant character was overripe/rotted fruit. It was like when I was a little kid (not all that long ago) and would go out walking in the yard under the apple tree in my bare feet, celebrating Sping's arrival. You would occasionally step on this totally rotted apple that had lain on the ground all winter long under the snow. This brownish goop would ooze up betwixt your toes. When you'd scrape the stuff out from your toes with your finger and taste it (weird kids doing kinda weird things sometimes), it would have this distinct flavor over rotted apples. This is pretty much what this wine reminded me of.
Despite the less than pleasant conotations of my description, I found this totally bizarre wine rather interesting. It reminded me some of Italian passito more than anything, some Caluso Erbaluces. And also a bit of some of the Friuli dessert Picolits. If you taste this wine w/ an open mind, it's sorta likable. A bit too high VA and lacking in acidity, it actually went reasonably well w/ Louis' Tarte Tatin, the 2'nd best TarteTatin made in NewMexico (#1 being Rhoda's).
My first Scholium wine and bizarre enough to make me want to try some of the others. A gift from MX at Enoteca.
3/19/07
The Monday after RhoneRangers, Susan & I had lunch at BayWolf w/ SteveEdmunds and OliverMcCrum. As might be expected w/ such a motley bunch, there was some wine involved:
1. EdmundsStJohn ElDorado PinotGris WittersVnyd/ElDoradoCnty (13.2%) 2006:
Light gold color; fragrant/floral some stony/earthy very attractive/perfumed nose; softer/rich somewhat lush perfumed/floral some pungent/smokey flavor w/ slight stony/earthy underlying character; quite long fairly rich/lush/ripe floral/aromatic slight earthy/minerally finish ; rather Alsatian in style but has acidity and NOT in the porky/PillsburyDoughBoy Z-H style; quite a lovely PG at a great price. $16
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2. Weingut Niklas Sudtiroler Kerner 2005: Light yellow color; powerful fragrant/ perfumed/ aromatic rather GrunerVeltliner-like some earthy/dusty/minerally complex nose; very tart/ lean/austere quite stoney/minerally powerful/perfumed/floral flavor; long lean/austere very fragrant/ floral/fruity lean/steely/very minerally austere finish; beautiful aromatics that belie the austere steely/minerally character on the palate; quite a terrific food wine at a very good price. $20
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3. EdmundsStJohn BoneJolly ElDorado GamayNoir Rose; P&B by Hook or by Crook/Fairplay 2006: Pale rose/strawberry color; fragrant/aromatic very grapey slight earthy/dusty interesting nose; tart/lean some stoney/earthy/minerally quite grapey/framboise btight/zippy flavor; med.long bright/grapey/strawberry some earthy/stoney finish w/ little tannins; quite perfumed but rather Beaujolais-like earthiness. Very fairly priced at $16.
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4. EdmundsStJohn BoneJolly GamayNoir WitterVnyd/ElDoradoCnty 2006: Pale red color;
rather grapey/Gamay/strawberry slight earthy/dusty/mushroomy nose; softer very grapey/ strawberry/Gamay rather mineral/dusty/earthy flavor; med. grapey/Gamay/strawberry/violets/lilacs tart some earthy/minerally finish w/ light tannins;more bright strawberry fruit than earlier BJs, maybe Steve's best one yet.
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5. Josef Solva Weingut Niklas Sudtiroler Lagrein 2004: Very dark color; very intense plummy slight licorice very perfumed/fragrant some spicy/peppery slight earthy/stoney/slatey lovely nose; tart very rich/very plummy/licorice/spicy/peppery some earthy/minerally flavor; long very plummy/ berry/licorice rather earthy/minerally finish w/ some tannins; a big plummy/earthy red at a terrific price. $18
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6. Holdredge Schioppettino MacBrydeVnyd/RussianRvrVlly (12.9%) 2005: Very dark color; very interesting very spicy/dusty/peppery some taosty/smokey/pungent/oak spicy/berry/blackberry /licorice/plummy nose; tart some pungent/toasty/oak/smokey rather spicy/peppery/plummy bit dusty/earthy complex flavor; very long some toasty/pungent/oak quite spicy/peppery/plummy/ licorice/slight black cherry/Pinotish bit dusty/earthy w/ some tannins; needs several yrs; quite an interesting red. $50
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7. Berson IGT RavennaRosso 2003: Very dark color; slight bretty/funky/horsey slight plummy/ licorice/earthy nose; funky/bretty/musty/earthy rather tannic flavor; seems to be rather off and probably a bit corked. Too bad. $16
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8. EdmundsStJohn BassettiVnyd/SLOCnty Syrah (14.2%) 2005: Black color; huge blackberry/
Syrah quite spicy/peppery/cold-climate bit pungent/smokey/roasted quite Rhonish complex nose; huge tart very spicy/peppery/cracked white pepper very strong blackberry/boysenberry/Syrah/ licorice very structured/tannic some roasted/pungent flavor; very long intense blackberry/Syrah roasted/cracked white pepper smokey/pungent finish w/ ample tannins; stunning cold-climate Syrah. Fall release at about $40.
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And a bit of a BloodyPulpit:
1. EdStJ PinotGris: This wine is a distinct departure in style from Steve's earlier PinotGrigio. Much bigger/riper/richer than his previous efforts (the '05 had a lean/austere almost schrrechy acidity to it), it is much more in an Alsatian style. Hence the name change. Yet it still has the slightly earthy
quality you oft find in ElDorado whites. Actually, it speaks a bit more of AltoAdige PinotGris than Alsace...at least what most Alsace PG is now like. But probably Steve's best PG yet.
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2. BoneJolly: Good news...Steve has two BJs this vintage. The Rose was made specifically as a rose wine, rather than just using saignee juice as is often done in Calif. Consequently, it has much more flavor than most Calif roses. In fact, the regular/red BJ was only slightly darker than the Rose. But they both have that kind of earthy minerality that you get in real Beaujolais...it's not just about grapiness. The Rose has just been released but the regular BJ is scheduled for a Fall release.
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3. Holdredge Schioppettino: This was my first test drive w/ John's Schioppettino. It's always hard to taste a lesser-known variety when the ones (some 15-20) you've had vary all over the map; hard to find the niche or pigeonhole for it in your taste memory. Nonetheless, I liked this wine quite a lot and thought it as good as any Italian Schioppettinos I've had thus far. It had a bit of the earthiness
I often find in Northern Italian reds, yet also had the peppery character I find in RussianRvrVlly reds, particularly Zin and Syrah. Distinctly NewWorld in style because of the oak, yet I didn't feel it overoaked at all. It probably reminded me more of an oaked Teroldego or Picolit Neri than anything, but w/ more bright fruit. One of the things that struck me about John's wine was the anemic alcohol
level (by today's standards), yet it seem fully ripe, packed w/ flavor, and not the least bit underripe or green. I'm sure, however, as Schioppettino becomes the next Pinot wave, we'll get the 16% versions that will achieve big scores. Probably the only way Schioppettino is going to achieve greatness in Calif. Alas, sold out at the wnry and prospects for an '06 version are dim I understand.
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4. Burson: This is a wine from Roberto at WineExpo/SantaMonica. It is made from uva Longanesi, a grape variety recently discovered there in the Emilia/Romagna area. It is thought to be an ancient Roman variety that exists nowhere else in the world. This bottle seemed slightly corked and not nearly the fruit & quality of the previous one I had.
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4. EdStJ Bassetti: The Bassetti vnyd, way out towards the Cambria/coast west of Paso is truly one of the world's great Syrah vnyds. This is how J-L Chave would grow Syrah if he could. Alas, this is the last year Steve will have Ellis & Susan's grapes. I presume they'll continue to go to Mat & Augie, plus some for their own label. I've followed this vnyd from the very start and think that Steve's version of that Syrah is probably the best, much more Rhonish in character (not to put down the other three..they too are outstanding). This '05 edition is purt-near (Kansas colloquialism for damn close) the quality of his '03 version, one of Steve's (and Calif's) greatest Syrahs ever made. It will probably outlive this '05 version. When I'm scooting my walker down the hallways at LazyDazy Assisted Living Facility, I'll probably still be muttering to myself about when's this '03 ever going to come around, as I drain another glass w/ my chicken fried steak. So sad....the end of an era (the EdStJ Bassetti...not me).
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5. The two Sudtirol wines were brought by Oliver (www.OMWines.com) and are two new additions to his portfolio. They are particularly terrific values I think. Sorta like the EdStJ wines... it's dishonest to sell wines this good that cheaply.
Tried this new wine last night (3/26/07):
1. Vare RibollaGialla NapaVlly (14.5%; 237 cs; http://www.VareVineyards.com) George&Elsa Vare/Napa 2005: Med.light gold color; attractive slightly floral rather stoney/steely/minerally/slatey interesting/unusual nose; tart very stoney/steely/minerally quite lean/austere lightly fragrant/floral slight grapefruity/citrisy flavor; med.long stoney/steely/very minerally finish; definitely a food wine; like sucking on a pebble picked up in the bed of a stream high in the PecosWilderness; very interesting rendition of RG, went great w/ the risotto. $25.00/500ml
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And a wee BloodyPulpit:
1. Picked up this xtra btl for Bobby Stuckey (Frasca), but turns out he already knew of this wnry, so immediately cracked it myself. Having had several dozen RG from Friuili, I was expecting an up-front/fruity/Calif-version of RG. Couldn't have been further from the truth. This is not a wine to have in a tasting, but to accompany food. It has a steely minerality that you seldom find in Calif whites, reminiscent of the Alsace Rieslings of yore afore Z-H perverted the market. Yet it does NOT have at all that green character you get in Calif whites from underripe grapes, the flavors seemed fully developed. GeorgeVare developed a love for the whites of Friuli and I think he's done a remarkable job of making this RG in that style. Interesting wine and worth seeking out for something out of the usual paradigm.
Two outta three ain't bad. Tried over the weekend 3/10/07:
1. Ramsay NapaVlly Abouriou "Early Burgundy" (13%) 1995: Very dark color w/ slight browning; strong dusty/earthy somewhat grapey/plummy slight horsecollar/brett some pungent/leathery rather Italian/old Dolcetto interesting nose; tart bit licorice/grapey dusty/earthy bit tannic/bitey some old Dolcetto bit dried out/tannic flavor; long rather tannic/dried out old Dolcetto rather dusty/earthy some complex finish; interesting wine much like an old Dolcetto.
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2. Ramsay NapaVlly Syrah Reserve (13%) 1994: Dark some browning color;rather dusty/earthy little fruit slight floral/perfumed/licorice bit tired nose; tart dried out/astringent slight licorice/pungent astringent/dried out flavor; med.long astringent/dried out slight pungent/licorice little fruit finish; pretty dried ou & tired; disappointing for a Syrah.
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3. Ramsay NorthCoast Nebbiolo (13%) 1992: Very dark color w/ little browning; classic Nebb light floral/violets some pungent/tarry/licorice rather ethereal/perfumed complex nose; tart fairly smooth light tarry/licorice/pungent slight earthy some floral/plummy/black cherry/violets flavor; med.long tart bit tannic/bitey light floral/violets some licorice/tarry/pungent light plummy/black cherry
finish; starting to dry out a bit & starting downhill but a classic older Nebb and quite interesting to drink.
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1. Abouriou: This is an obscure/minor grape grown in the Bergerac os SW France. Known in Calif as Early Burgundy. It is NOT related to the Gamay, as some suggest. If I were a Calif grapegrower, I'd be in no rush to plant this grape.
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2. Ramsay: This label is named after Cecelia Ramsey, Kent Rasmussen's wife. It's the label Kent uses for wines he makes from purchased grapes. Over the yrs, he's produced some very interesting wines under this label; including Calif's first Dolcetto and Refosco (Mondeuse). They're usually pretty good and resonably priced. Fortunately, Kent is not a cult winemaker and flys under everybody's radar. RobertParker has no clue about Kent. I have followed him from the very start.
2/17/07
Every once in awhile a book drops into your lap (even a blind nut catches a few squirrels!!) and you wonder why it's not better known. Well...I'm here to tell you about Blithe Tomato...An Insider's Wry Look at Farmer'sMarket Society.
We had DeborahMadison & PatrickMcFarlin over for dinner a week ago. Deborah has written a number of very/very good cookbooks, mostly vegetarian, many of which are my favorites (must admit...never could bring myself to love her tofu book!!), and was founding chef of Greens and CafeEscalera. Patrick is an artist of some repute, done some drawings of NapaVlly winemakers, done a few wine labels (Two-Tone Farm is one), and also drives a cab as a GraphisDesigner at LosAlamosNationalLaboratory. I'd vaguely recalled that her brother had written a book, couldn't remember the name, but asked her to bring a copy for my perusual. She brought a jointly autographed gift copy.
So Deborah has done the foreward and Patrick the pen&ink drawings for the book, with her brother Mike writing it. Mike lives in Winters, Calif, not far from Davis (Deborah's home town). He's a farmer, mostly flowers, some vegetables, and sells at many of the local Farmer'sMarkets, a movement Deborah has been an ardent supporter of across this GreatNation. The book is a whole series of short viginettes, of people mostly, of Mike's farm life.
So's...I started reading it a few nights ago, preparing to read a book that was rather earnest and pontifical on the artisinal farmer movement. Boy...was I ever wrong. It's one of the funniest things I've come across since my 7'th viewing of BlazingSaddles. It leaves me in stitches every essay in it I read. Last night's one on gophers really cracked me up. Yet....it still has a lot of wisdom and philosophy packed within the pages. Gets in a few very/very clever digs at RonaldReagan, JimmyCarter, and BillClinton. I can hardly wait to resume reading it again tonight.
Anyway...BlitheTomato...not to be missed....I think most of us winos/foodies will find it a hoot.
Tried this last night 1/14/06 w/ Barolo-braised beef:
1. EaglePointRanchWnry Syrah MendocinoCnty (13.9%; http://www.EaglePointRanch.com) 2001: Black color; some pungent/toasty/oak plummy/blackberry/Syrah bit dusty/minerally/gamey rather spicy/peppery very interesting nose; tart some tannic toasty/spicy/pungent/smokey/oaked strong blackberry/blueberry/acai minerally/dusty rich/mouthfilling flavor; long bit hard/tannic very strong blackberry/acai/Syrah spicy/peppery/minerally finish; great structure & power and needs another few yrs.
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Casey deserves a BloodyPulpit:
1. This wine is, of course, from our very own CaseyHartlip, farmer extraordinare of both pigs and grapes. This is the first of his Syrahs we bought in any quantity and haven't tried it in several yrs. It's starting to develop some secondary characteristics now in the btl. But it still has plenty of power and structure and will probably go another 6-8 yrs I'd guess. One of the best, maybe the best, Mendocino Syrahs I've yet had, as good as any anywhere in Calif.
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2. Acai: This is a fruit that grows down in SouthAmerica (Brazil) that started appearing in this country as a frozen puree several yrs ago. I just noticed it at WholePaycheck last week in a bttld fruit juice drink form and tried several of them. Very intriguing flavor. I've made some killer gelatos from the puree w/ cracked black pepper added.
So this is probably going to become one of the Nation's trendy artisinally-grown fruits I expect in the near future. TomHill and trendy are not two words you seldom see together, though. Xpect Casey is probably getting ready to put in some acai at EaglePoint right now...though suspect it doesn't feel much like Brazil up there right now!!
Tom
