TN: New Boheme Release...(long/boring)

Tasted these w/ Kurt Beitler at his tasting room in Occidental on 12/7/18:

  1. TaylorRidge Chard (13.7%) 2015: Med.dark gold color; rather pencilly/oak strong melony/nutmeg/spicy
    quite aromatic nose; quite tart/tangy strong pencilly/oak ripe/melony/Chard/very spicy bit lemony
    flavor; very long/lingering strong melony/Chard/nutmeg/spicy some pencilly/oak balanced/fairly rich
    finish; a bit more restrained than the EnglishHill but a lovely balanced Chard. $45

  1. EnglishHill Chard (13.7%) 2015: Med.light gold color; less pencilly/oak strong melony/Chard/lemony/
    less ripe more spicy rather perfumed nose; bit tarter/leaner strong melony/Chard/lemony/very spicy
    very light pencilly/oak balanced flavor; very long/lingering light pencilly/oak strong melony/lemony/
    Chard/very spicy somewhat tarter beautiful complex finish; a beautiful balanced Chard w/ lots of
    spiciness; very slight preference over the TaylorRidge. $45

  1. TaylorRidge PinotNoir (100% Swan clone; 20% w-c frmt; 13.7%; 0.65 ton/acre; slight new oak) 2015:
    Fairly dark color; some toasty/oak very strong black cherry/black cherry cola/PN quite perfumed/aromatic
    nose; rather tart/tangy very strong black cherry/black cherry cola/some spicy/peppery light toasty/oak
    bit earthy flavor w/ modest gentle tannins; very long/lingering very strong black cherry/black cherry cola
    some toasty/oak finish w/ modest smooth tannins. $55

  1. EnglishHill PinotNoir (13.7%; 25% w-c frmt) 2015: Med.dark color; strong toasty/oak bit more earthy strong
    black cherry/black cherry/cola light earthy/peppery/spicy flavor w/ modest gentle tannins; very long/lingering
    bit more earthy finish; bit more earthy/Burgundian character and more structured but a bit less aromatic. $49

  1. Stuller Pinot (13.5%; 33% w-c frmt) 2015: Rather dark color; very strong black cherry cola/black cherry/PN
    more intense PN fruit bit more aromatic light earthy/Burgundian nose; fairly tart/tangy very strong black
    cherry cola/PN/black cherry some toasty/smokey/oak bit earthy/Burgundian flavor; very long/lingering very
    strong black cherry cola/PN slight earthy/Burgundian finish w/ modest smooth tannins; much more PN fruit &
    more aromatic than previous Stullers; maybe the best Stuller yet. $53

  1. OccidentalHills Syrah (100% EnglishHill; 3 brls; 50% w-c frmt; no new oak; 14.3%) 2015: Very dark color;
    beautiful Syrah/blackberry/blueberry/very spicy some c-c Syrah/black pepper light toasty/oak very perfumed
    some complex nose; lightly tart very strong blackberry/Syrah/blueberry/very spicy light c-c Syrah/black
    pepper rich/structured very light pencilly/oak complex flavor w/ modest ripe tannins; very long/lingering
    strong blackberry/Syrah/very spicy light c-c Syrah/black pepper light pencilly/oak complex finish w/ modest
    ripe tannins; a beautiful very spicy Syrah that hints at its c-c origins. $45

  1. ManciniRanch Zin (14.9%) 2013: Very dark color; very strong blackberry/Zin/very spicy some RRV/boysenberry
    light pencilly/toasty/oak light dusty/OV complex nose; lightly tart very strong blackberry/boysenberry/Zin/
    very spicy light toasty/oak slight earthy/dusty/OV structured flavor w/ modest gentle tannins; very long/
    lingering very spicy/blackberry/Zin/boysenberry light toasty/oak some complex finish w/ modest tannins;
    reminds more of the old Swan Zins (post '77) than the Carlisles; lovely very spicy Zin. $45

A wee BloodyPulpit:

  1. I’ve always been a fan of the Boheme wines from back in their RanchoBodega days when they were making Syrah
    from AlRago’s QueSyrah vnyd way out at the end of TaylorRidgeRd. KurtBeitler makes his Pinots & Chards in
    more of a restrained/elegant/graceful style that I would compare more to Dehlinger or Radio-Coteau than
    anything. These '15 would normally have been released back in the last Spring, but the release was held
    off until this Fall. I normally tasted thru them about the Spring release.
    I was particularly struck by the quality, across the board, of these 2015 wines. Perhaps because of
    the smaller yields in 2015, they seemed to show more depth & concentration than previous Bohemes on release.
    Perhaps the additional 9 months in btl contributed to that impression. At any rate, I was quite impressed by
    this release. The differences betwixt the two Chards and the three Pinots are relatively subtle, but they are
    distinct when tasted together. Of the Chards, I slightly preferred the EnglishHill. Of the Pinots, it was
    a tossup between the EnglishHill and the Stuller. But you can’t go wrong with any of these.
    Tom

Thanks Tom
We visited Kurt this past summer and were really impressed with the wines. I need to order some!

Tom,

Thanks for the the thoughtful notes-
For the record, I NEVER find your writing “long/ boring!” Ridiculous. Of course flattered you enjoyed this vintage so much.

Scott- Was a joy hosting you in Occidental. I hope to see you guys soon again in 2019.

champagne.gif

Kurt

Thanks for the notes Tom. For the 2014 line-up my favorite was the Stuller PN. Had my first Dehlinger (2010 Altamont) last week and can see that reference. I had a glass of Dumol PN a few days ago which reminded me of Boheme PN as well.

Drinking the 2015 English Hill Pinot and loving it. Does Boheme have a tasting room in Sonoma county? I think I picked up a sixer during the Beserker sale…but then again I’ve bought a lot of wine this year and my memory is foggy.

Yup, Bryan…Kurt has a tasting room there in Occidental. Not much in Occidental, so easy to find.
Tom

Bryan, Thanks for your compliments. The '15 (and '16/ current release) EH have shown very well lately.

Tom is right- our tasting room is in downtown Occidental (3625 Main St) - it’s the only TR in town. Drop a line if you’re coming; I’d be delighted to host and try to sneak in a vineyard tour if harvest permits!

[cheers.gif] Kurt

Was just in Occidental 3 weeks ago on a Tuesday, and the tasting room was closed. Then the guys at Furthermore told me how good the Boheme Pinots were which added to my agony, and now this. I need to go back up to Sonoma and pay these guys a visit!

Yeah, Jonathan…Kurt’s pretty much a one man operation and TR hours can be spotty.
Had dinner with Kurt & Katie a week ago at Canetti’s in Forestville. Terrific Italian Restaurant. Worth a visit.
Tom

We drank '15 Taylor PN last night–delicious!

Jonathan, sorry we missed you! Regular open days are Thurs - Sun, or by appointment. Definitely give a call next time. I look forward to meeting up and sharing our latest with you. [cheers.gif]

Scott, glad you’re enjoying your Taylor Ridge PN! The vineyard is 100% Swan selection and dry farmed; built to go the distance. We should be picking TRV ~1st of Oct this year. Some really wonderful late ripening conditions are upon us, with medium yields too — extremely optimistic about the vintage. :four_leaf_clover:

All best to you and P! :kissing_heart:

I had the 2014 Stuller PN last week, and it was really good.

I have drunk 3 bottles of the 2013 Old Mancini Ranch zin, and have raved over each one - so herbal and spicy!!

I have the 2010 Stuller PN mag earmarked for the family Thanksgiving dinner - a little over 2 months away!!

Shared the ‘14 English Hill Chardonnay at dinner with another couple. Excellent! The 4 of us are looking forward to our visit with Kurt in a few weeks

Dave, thanks for your kind words! It was a treat to work with that special old vineyard. Definitely let me know how the Stuller mag turns out—it should be excellent. [cheers.gif]

Jeff, we’re looking forward to hosting you in a couple weeks! Timing is perfect as I hope to have 90% of wines in barrel by then.
Best to you! :wine_glass:
Kurt

Always a falltacular favorite for those that want a sneak preview.

Jeff,
Ask Kurt about his green Chile addiction!!
He has probably the priciest green Chile in all Sonoma.
Tom

Tom,
If ONLY New Mexican chiles were the worst of my habits!
:sweat_smile: Kurt