TN: LaClarine/muRder riDge/Drew Wines...(long/boring)

We tasted tonight (10/25/17) Two New Wineries:

1. LaClarine Farm Albarino SierraFoothills WW (13.5%; U/U; www.LaClarineFarm.com) 2016: Light gold
   somewhat cloudy color; slight VA/EA rather earthy/appley bit stony/chalky slight candied/lemon drop/
   angel food cake somewhat interesting/unusual nose w/ little Albarino character; fairly tart rather
   appley/apple cider/apple juice bit candied/angel food cake rather unusual/interesting flavor; very
   long quite appley/apple juice/alpple cider tart/tangy/metallic very dry/bit austere bit stony/mineral
   finish; a rather interesting/peculiar expression of Albarino like I’ve not seen before; certainly
   not a bad wine, just unusual; would be better w/ food. $24.00

2. LaClarine Farm al basc Albarino SierraFoothills WW (8 mo. skin contact; U/U; 11.4%;
   www.LaClarineFarm.com) HankBeckmeyer/Somerset 2016: Med.gold bit burnished bronze quite cloudy color;
   very strong appley/apple juice/apple cider rather phenolic/resiny baked/spiced apples rather complex
   nose; very tart/tangy/metallic rather phenolic/apple cider/resiny some baked spiced apples bit bitter
   quite tannic/apple skin quite skin-contact white flavor; very long quite tart/tangy bit bitter/apple skin
   rather phenolic/resiny/apple cider some earthy some baked spicy apples quite resiny finish; no obvious
   Albarino character and lots of resiny/skin-contact white character; quite an interesting/unusual/maybe
   bizarre skin-contact white; needs food w/ it to tame the bitterness. $28.00

3. LaClarine Farm PetitManseng SierraFoothills WW (13%; U/U) 2016: Med.light gold color; very strong appley/
   apple juice slight stony/mineral rather interesting nose; tart/tangy/acidic very appley/apple juice bit
   metallic little fruit flavor; long very acidic/tart/tangy apple juice/apple cider slight stony/mineral/
   metallic finish; no PetiteManseng character that I can identify and lots of apple cider character. $30.00

4. LaClarine Farm Gar-Ma SierraFoothills RW (74% Grenache/26% Mataro; 12%) 2016: Light garnet slight bricked
   bit cloudy color; rather earthy/dusty/loamy somewhat mushroomy/rustic/coarse slightly volatile nose; very
   acidic/screechy/teeth chattering rather earthy/dusty/loamy/rustic no Grenache some slight Mataro/mushroomy/
   plummy flavor w/ light raspy tannins; med. rather earthy/loamy/dusty mushroomy/rustic/bit coarse quite
   acidic/screechy little fruit finish w/ light gritty tannins; no Grenache character that I can identify and
   only slight Mourv character; not sure how the fruit was obliterated in a Grenache; a rather bizarre wine.
   $24.00

5. LaClarine Farm Mourvedre CedarvilleVnyd SierraFoothills RW (12.7%) 2016: Med. bit cloudy color; rather
   earthy/dusty/loamy/mushroomy bit funky light plummy/Mourv light apple cider bit spicy nose; lightly tart
   earthy/dusty/mushroomy some Mourv/plummy slight cherry/cpicy flavor w/ light tangy tannins; long light
   Mourv/plummy/bit cherry rather earthy/loamy/dusty/root cellar bit apple cider lightly tart finish w/ light
   grippy tannins; only LaClarine to show any varietal character; best of the LaClarines. $30.00

6. muRder riDge PinotNoir PerliVnyd/MendoRidge (14.6%; 70 cs) SteveAlden/LeslieSisneros 2015: Med.color; strong
   oaky/vanilla/ZagNutBar/toasted coconut some blackcherry/PN/black cherry cola bit earthy/dusty some bright
   cherry rather attractive nose; fairly tart strong oak/toasted coconut/coconutty/vanilla some earthy/dusty
   bright cherry/black cherry/PN/bit spicy flavor w/ light smooth tannins; very long strong cherry/black cherry/
   PN/black cherry cola some vanilla/toasted coconut/oak slight earthy/rustic finish w/ light smooth/polished
   tannins; not the bright high-toned character of AndersonVlly Pinot and a bit of a sauvage character but quite
   an interesting Pinot. $48.00

7. muRder riDge Zin Wildlands/MendoRidge (15.3%; MurderRidge.com; “Farming in the Wilderness”;
   70 cs; Fashauer Vineyard+PerliVnyd) Sebastapol 2014: Med.darl color; strong blackberry/black cherry/Zin/spicy
   some earthy/dustylight vanilla/oak/toasted coconut nose; fairly tart strong blackberry/black cherry/black cherry
   cola/Zin some toasted coconut/vanilla/oak bit earthy/dusty/forest floor flavor w/ modest smooth/bit tangy tannins;
   very long strong blackberry/black cherry cola/Zin/spicy some vanilla/toasted coconut/oak some earthy/dusty/
   pungent/forest floor finish w/ smooth/ripe tannins; alcohol doesn’t show at all; lots of blackberry/Zin w/ an
   interesting forest floor/pungent/damp pine needles component; quite an interesting Zin. $35.00

8. muRder riDge Zin PerliVnyd/MendoRidge (15.5%; 70 cs) 2014: Med.dark color; light earthy/dusty/forest floor strong
   blackberry/black cherry/Zin/quite spicy very light toasty/oak more spicy lovely nose; somewhat tart/tangy very
   spicy/blackberry/Zin/boysenberry light toasty/oak bit earthy/dusty/forest floor/slight loamy flavor w/ modest
   smooth tannins; very long/lingering very strong blackberry/Zin/boysenberry/very spicy some earthy/dusty/forest
   floor slight herbal/pungent/thyme light toasty/oak finish w/ some smooth/round/ripe tannins; a bit less intrusive
   oak and a bit more extraction than the Wildlands; quite an interesting/attractive Zin. $38.00

9. muRder riDge Maylena PerliVnyd/MendoRidge (15.3%; Syrah/Merlot) 2014: Dark color; very strong blackberry/
   boysenberry/Syrah/spicy light dusty/earthy light vanilla/oak fairly aromatic nose; fairly tart strong blackberry/
   boysenberry/Syrah/ripe/very spicy slight plummy/herbal some dusty/earthy light toasty/oak bit complex flavor w/
   light tangy tannins; very long strong blackberry/boysenberry/ripe/Syrah/plummy/black cherry light toasty/oak
   slight herbal/forest floor complex finish w/ light tangy tannins; carries the alcohol well; a bit on the rustic
   side compared to the Drews but a very interesting/complex if somewhat burly Syrah. $45.00

10. Drew Syrah PerliVnyd/MendoRidge (14.2%) 2010[/b]: Very dark color; very strong toasty/oak very espresso/roasted/
    coffee bean bit herbal/pungent/thyme/rosemary strong blackberry/Syrah very Rhonish complex nose; some tart
    very strong espresso/coffee bean/roasted/Rhonish very strong blackberry/Syrah/pungent bit herbal/thyme/rosemary/
    pungent almost Hermitage-like flavor w/ light smooth tannins; very long/lingering very strong blackberry/Syrah/
    spicy some toasty/Fr.oak herbal/thyme complex finish w/ light gentle tannins; lots of spicy Syrah fruit w/ loads
    of Rhonish/Hermitage-like character; fully mature and hitting on all cylinders. $40.00

11. Drew Syrah PerliVnyd/MendoRidge (13.7%; 3 yr.old Fr.oak; 30% whole-cluster; 100% native fermentation;
    5% Viognier coferment; 1.5 tons/acre; Drk: 2014-2024: JD) 2012: Very dark color; strong smokey/toasty/Fr.oak very
    strong blackberry/boysenberry/Syrah/very spicy/licorice bit herbal some w-c/peppery beautiful nose; fairly tart
    spicy/peppery/w-c very strong blackberry/Syrah/spicy light smokey/oak slight herbal/pungent flavor w/ light crunchy
    tannins; very long/lingering very strong blackberry/Syrah/boysenberry/spicy some w-c/peppery some smokey/oak bit
    complex finish w/ light chewey tannins; much more Calif in style and less Rhonish; beautiful Syrah. $38.25

12. Drew Syrah PerliVnyd/MendoRidge (13.7%; 30% w-c; 5% Viognier co-frmtd; 1.8 tons/acre) 2013: Very dark/near black
    color; strong w-c/peppery very spicy/blackberry/Syrah strong toasty/oak/smokey slight herbal/thyme/pungent complex
    nose; rather tart bit Rhonish/smoked meats/coffee very strong blackberry/Syrah/very spicy some toasted/charred/
    Fr.oak fairly peppery/w-c flavor w/ ample hard tannins; very long/lingering very strong blackberry/Syrah/very spicy
    slight Rhonish/roasted fairly strong peppery/w-c fairly toasty/smokey/oak slight herbal/thyme finish w/ ample
    hard tannins; much like the '12 but a bit more intense and Rhonish; a beautiful Syrah that needs age. $45.00

13. Drew Syrah PerliVnyd/MendoRidge (13.9%; 30% w-c; 25% 1 yr old Fr.oak puncheon; Clones: McDowell/Cote-Rotie
    Slctns; Drk: 2018-2027: JD) 2015: Very dark color; some earthy/dusty/ bit w-c/peppery spicy/blackberry/
    Syrah/black cherry slight herbal/earthy/dusty/forest floor light toasty/oak classic Drew Syrah bit sauvage
    complex nose; lightly tart rich/lush quite blackberry/black cherry/Syrah/very spicy some toasty/oak light
    w-c/peppery structured slight herbal/thyme complex flavor w/ modest firm tannins; verylong/lingering very
    strong blackberry/black cherry cola slight herbal/forest floor some toasty/oak structured finish w/ some
    ripe/firm tannins; will benefit from 5-10 yrs of age; a rather unusual expression of Calif Syrah and more
    like a Perli Zin than a classic Calif Syrah. $48.00

14. Jaffurs Syrah BienNacidoVnyd/SantaBarbaraCnty (14.0%) SantaMaria 1999: Med.dark color; rather charred/smokey/
    Fr.oak roasted/Rhonish/smoked meats/espresso light blackberry/Syrah/licorice very complex nose; bit soft
    very strong charred/smokey/Fr.oak rather Rhonish/smoked meats/roasted/espresso light blackberry/blueberry/
    Syrah/licorice pungent complex flavor w/ light bit drying tannins;very long very strong charred/toasty/Fr.oak
    light blackberry/Syrah/licorice rather roasted/Rhonish/espresso finish w/ light drying tannins; starting to
    drop its fruit and drying out but loads of interesting Rhonish character. Sterbenz mystery wine.

More alt-pontifications from TheBloodyPulpit:

1. LaClarine: These are the “natural” wines of HankBeckmeyer, one of the darlings of SweetAlice. I wanted to like
   these wines. Alas, I didn’t. Most of the group actively disliked them. The wines were not “bad”, per see. I
   suspect they would show better if taken w/ food.
   The three whites had pretty much the same apple cider character and not any varietal character that I could
   detect. I was excited to try the PetiteManseng, as I find that an interesting variety. Alas…disappointing.
   The “natural” winemaking interfered any take on the potential of this variety in Calif.
   I will go back and retry these w/ food over the next few weeks.

2. MurderRidge: I happened to come upon this producer a few months ago when I was looking up some info on the
   PerliVnyd. I’ve liked quite a lot what JasonDrew does with these Syrah grapes over the yrs. I discovered that
   the grower, SteveAlden, makes his own wines under the muRder riDge label. The WebSite tells an interesting story
   about a murder up on this isolated ridge many a yr ago. The strange puncuation is ment to convey a sense of a
   typed ransom note sent to a newspaper. Kinda dark humor. The winemaker is LeslieSisneros.
   The Maylena Syrah was sold out, but Leslie sprung for a library btl to include in my tasting. It was my favorite
   of her wines. Alas, there will be no '17 Syrah. A local bear (presumably…but, who knows, he may have come from
   miles away because the PerliRidge Syrah grapes are so special!!) took a liking to their Syrah grapes and devastated
   the crop. There’s a great video on their WebSite of this voracious bear. I bet one CaseyHartlip would not have
   let this nefarious bear have his way w/ the Syrah.
   I liked the two Zins quite a lot. They both had an interesting forest floor component that reminds me of
   digging thru a pile of rotting pine needles out in the forest. A bit of a sauvage/rustic character w/ not a lot of
   high-toned fruit notes. Neither had any signs of overripeness that the alcohol levels would suggest. They reminded
   me some of JedSteele’s old Anzilotti Zins w/o the overbearing oak. Both unusual renditions of Zin for Calif.
   I would dearly love to see what JasonDrew would do with this Zin fruit.

3. PetiteManseng: I tried another btl of this Fri afternoon. As I expected, it was much better w/ food (oven roasted
   peppers/artichokes/onions w/ a very garliky aioli) to tame the acid on the palate. More interestingly, after
   being opened for two days. it finally started to show a bit of floral/pineapple aromatics. Still not a wine that
   I’d seek out, though.

4. Drew Syrahs: I’ve been a big fan of Jason & Molly Drew’s Syrahs from their days down in SantaBarbara. They moved
   up onto MendoRidge, planted a vnyd, and have been making wines that have been darlings of the IPoB kids. They
   also make a Valenti Syrah that I like quite a lot, though I think I prefer the Perli.

5. PerliVnyd Syrah: So from this tasting, I should be able to identify the PerliVnyd Syrahs blind?? Not a chance.
   The Syrahs seem to show a wild/sauvage/rustic side that you don’t often find in Calif Syrah. Maybe I’d
   characterize it as the Cornas of Calif Syrah vnyds. The muRder riDge seems to show more of that character than
   the Drews. Jason use of w-c probably his Syrahs a bit more of a Rhonish character. At any rate, clearly this
   tasting gives me a much greater appreciation of Perli as one of Calif’s best Syrah vnyds.
   Tom

Thanks for the notes, Tom. I’ve found that I prefer the La Clarine reds to the whites, though I’ve found that some of the whites take awhile to come around - worth checking them out again in a year or two. The La Clarine Cedarville Vineyard Mourvèdre and Sumu Kaw Vineyard Syrah have been my favorites of their wines.

I discovered the Murder Ridge wines in spring 2016. I’ve known Leslie Sisneros for about 10 years and was glad to find that she’s continuing to work with Perli fruit - I tasted the Pinot she made from there back when she was the winemaker at Arista in 2011. I really like the Zin from Perli - Mendocino Ridge is a great (and still largely undiscovered) region for Zin. FWIW, I opened a bottle a couple of months ago of Leslie’s 2007 “Maylena” that she made for her Ispiri label (which I don’t think is around anymore) - that one was a Merlot-based Bordeaux blend that was really nice.

I’m also a fan of the Drew Syrahs. Their Pinots are very good but I think the Syrahs are the star of the show there. Visited the vineyard a few months ago and tasted through the current releases and a bunch of 2016 barrel samples with Jason. I have a slight preference for the Valenti Syrah over the Perli but tough to pick - they’re both consistent winners. Also of note is their Syrah called “The Ornbaun” - a really nice blend from the two vineyards that should be a bit more of an early drinker than either of the two single-vineyard bottlings.

I had a 2014 La Clarine Farm fiano/arneis last night. Varietally correct? I have no idea, but it was extremely delicious with only a twinge of a cider-y natural tell. I’ve worked my way through about a dozen of those LCF wines over the past two years and have really enjoyed them, although one—a red blend called Elvis, was badly flawed.
Enjoyed your impressions and I’d be interested to try that orange Albariño.

Thanks Tom for the notes. I do think La Clarine can be hit or miss at times, and they do verge on the more natty end of the spectrum, but their wines can be enjoyable in context. Their Petit Manseng was the first of the varietal that I’ve tried; the only other domestic one I’ve seen is from Tablas Creek, and that seems more of a dessert wine. For what it is, I’ve really enjoyed it. I remember when I first saw the wine at Lou Wine Shop here in LA and we had asked what to pair with it, and they recommended fried chicken, with the fattiness of the food counteracting the sharp acidity of the wine, and it really worked. I do see the apple skin/almost chenin like flavors and I have no idea if that’s traditional for the variety, but with fatty/rich food, a lot of the floral/honey notes become more prominent.

For the reds, agree that the Cedarville mourvedre is nice. Also liked the Home vineyard blend, and their Tempranillo.

I hope this is true! My sole bottle of wine from La Clarine Farm is the “Cedarville” Mourvedre!

We remain big fans of Hank’s La Clarine Farms offerings, though I believe I missed the most recent one. It was crazy here is my excuse.

His wines mandate time sideways. I’ve not found one except perhaps Ambrosia (a one-off Mourvedre I believe) that showed well young. We just had the acid test that was his 2013 Petit Manseng last month and I felt that was still a few years away from being truly friendly. Like Ken, we really dig his Sumu Kaw Syrah and consider it one of California’s best QPR bottles but it requires 5 years bottle age. Piedi Grande is his Nebbiolo blend and that shows nicely at around age five. I am aiming to age my bottles of Home Vineyard a decade.

Cedarville is a bottle you can approach with less cellar time.

Hank also makes a cool Rosé from Syrah, Mourvedre & Counoise that will age with grace: Alors.

True dat. 2011 Sumu Kaw barely coming around now.

Tom, I’ve seen plenty of bear damage and I’m not fond of the buggers. I know Steve and know he’s a deer hunter. Except for the fact that bears are usually quite nocturnal in our area, I’m not quite sure why Steve hasn’t shot some of them. Probably afraid of the possible fallout from bunny huggers. Our wonderful state issues bear tags legally and if you wanted to get state involved you could.

A long time ago at my former job we left about half a ton of chard as we fulfilled the contract while picking. It was quite a distance away from many of our other blocks. I went back about a week later to see the condition of the fruit and it was gone! Nothing but bear scat everywhere. They also have a habit of ruining deer fences and then you have deer problems. This early summer I had issues with them and my chicken coup and garbage. I’m not a fan.

It figures, Casey. Bears, at least from what I know about them thru BrerBear in UncleRemus (do they even condone that book any more?),
are not the best & the brightest. So they would like Chard. My gawd…think if there had been Merlot out there, too!! Or even WhiteZin!!
Tom