Mid-week getaway dinner at Walter Hansel Bistro. Both wines were iffy on pop and pour but excelled after some time in the glass and decanter. Morgan should try his hand at Pinot again if he can pull off something like this. Stellwagen OTOH has been torn up by some con artists who literally stole the vineyard. Sad.
2000 Vino Bambino Pinot Noir- USA, California, Napa / Sonoma, Carneros (7/27/2016)
Faded brick red almost orange. A little disjointed on opening but really blossomed through dinner. Rose petals, bright cherry, hints of leather. Give it a couple hours and it shines. Overdelivers! Very impressed with how this developed over the course of the evening.
2002 Joseph Swan Vineyards Zinfandel Stellwagen- USA, California, Sonoma County, Sonoma Valley (7/27/2016)
Very different from the last bottle of this I opened back in May. 2hrs decanted before it came together. Blackberry, cloves, tart acidity, mild tannins. A touch of age on the nose but overall fresh and lively when it finally opened up. Really good.
1.) What caused the abandonment of the Rebecca’s Vineyard Pinot by Bedrock? I know that “Vino Bambino” was Sangiacomo Vineyard fruit, but still? In the MTP blog days of Rebecca’s, Ode to Lulu, and me asking when a straight Mourvedre would happen were the dominant topics.
#2.) What happened to Stellwagen? It was stolen, and now resides in a government warehouse with the Ark of the Covenant?
I’ve had a few Swan Zins from the 90s as well as some older Ridge. In my somewhat limited experience, the Ridge wines seemed much fresher, while the Swans nearing their second decade were not terribly interesting. YMMV.
I have yet to taste a diverse range of Joseph Swan Zinfandel wines.
I am excited for the upcoming VHSR Redux. I will have to try that.
My experience with the Bedrock Zins, etc, PLUS the fact that MTP’s 16+ year old Pinot Noir wines are drinking so well would lead me to believe that any project he attempted would be a hit.
I see aged Swan zins out there at retail and auction for dirt cheap, and I’ve always waffled on whether to get some. I was recently looking at some from late 90s and early 2000s that were $20 or so. The CT notes seem split between people thinking these are past their prime or a great experience.
I’m sure I’ll try a few at some point - at that price, it’s not hard to take a flyer, and I do like aged zinfandels.
I’ve had pretty good luck with Swans on WineBid. Vamsi brought a '69-/'71 vintage blend to an offline we had before the HVS Tour and Dinner back in May and it was stunningly alive. For about an hour then it faded away.
I’m one of those folks who has taken the flyer. IMO, it’s pissing away money. I wouldn’t say that they were necessarily shot, but they were over the hill and it wasn’t a pleasurable experience. YMMV.
I read yesterday that the Stellwagen Vineyard is now known as the Armor Plate Vineyard. It was purchased by the Hamell Family Winery. The new vineyard moniker is found on the Historic Vineyard Society website.
According to the Wines & Vines website:
"The original 1-acre vineyard has grown to more than 90 bearing acres with 25 acres in development, and the Hamels now own a few notable Sonoma vineyards.
"The family purchased the 2-acre Stellwagen Vineyard and the 6-acre Chauvet Vineyard (both in Sonoma Valley). The Stellwagen Vineyard was planted in the 1880s and is about 90% Zinfandel. The Hamels have renamed it Armor Plate Vineyard. The Chauvet vineyard is also Zinfandel and has been managed by Coturri since the 1970s. Both vineyards will support the Hamels’ Zinfandel program, but the family also purchased the Nuns Canyon vineyard in the new Moon Mountain AVA, which is situated in the hills above the winery. The Nuns Canyon vineyard is comprised of about 60 planted acres with 13 more in development.
“The Hamels also have nearly 30 acres of estate vines, which include a small portion of Grenache. The original vineyard is now part of 6 acres planted almost entirely to Sauvignon Blanc and Semillon used for the Hamel Family Wines’ white program.”
I have access to a few older Zins of Swan but have been hesitant because they’ve exceeded 15% ABV and I feared they wouldn’t hold up at all. This makes me want to go try a few!
