TN: Some Recent Arrivals....(long/boring)

We tasted tonight (1/16/19) Some More Recent Arrivals:

1. Failla Riesling HopewellVnyd/Eola-AmityHills (12.1%; www.FaillaWines.com) Carleton/OR 2017: Pale yellow color
   w/ lots of swirling/tiny bubbles/dissolved CO2; rather yeasty/Champagne-like very slight pineapple/R/little
   fruit almost vapid nose; very fizzy/frizzante/dissolved CO2 off-dry quite yeasty very little pineapple/R flavor;
   short rather fizzy/shallow/yeasty no fruit finish; rather vapid expression of R w/ only the strong yeasty
   character evident; very disappointing R. $22.00

2. Bedrock Riesling Erster Zweieiiger Zwilling ColeRanch/MendoCnty (13.0%; RS: 0.18%) 2017: Light gold color;
   attractive floral/pineapple/mango/R light earthy bit spicy/peppery bit simple pleasant nose; lightly tart
   fairly dry rather floral/R/pineapple/mango slight peppery/herbal/earthy slight metallic pleasant flavor;
   very long some pineapple/mango/R/floral fairly dry slight peppery finish; a rather pleasant Calif R but
   just that. $24.00

3. Failla GrunerVeltliner ChehalemMtnVnyd/ChehalemMtns (12.1%) 2017: Light gold color; some toasty/graham cracker
   light white pepper/GV bit floral/carnations/GV slight earthy bit quiet nose; soft bit toasty/oak/graham cracker
   light white pepper/GV/floral/carnations slight earthy flavor; med.short light white pepper/GV/floral bit toasty/
   graham cracker soft finish; speaks very quietly of GV but borders on vapid; disappointing for an EhrenJordan
   wine. $25.00

4. Bedrock Riesling Zweiter Zweieiiger Zwilling ColeRanch/MendoCnty (8.5%; Plntd: 1973; RS: 3.41%;
   Kabinett level) 2017: Med.light gold color; bit more juicy/grapey some floral/pineapple/mango/R bit spicy/earthy
   attractive nose; quite sweet lightly tart juicy/floral/R/pineapple/mango bit simple flavor; very long juicy/sweet
   some floral/R/mango finish; much like the Erster but a bit simpler and needs more acid for the level of r.s.
   $24.00

5. Arnot-Roberts GamayNoir ElDorado (12.5%) Healdsburg 2017: Light somewhat cloudy color; fairly strong cherry/
   strawberry/Gamay/juicy/fruity bit Bojo-like light earthy/mushroomy attractive nose; lightly tart juicy/Gamay/
   cherry/slight bannana oil/bubble gum light earthy flavor w/ little tannins; med.short juicy/Gamay light earthy
   finish w/ little tannins; a pleasant/simple bit Bojo-like Gamay a bit on the lean/eviscerated side but pretty
   overpriced for what it is. $27.00

6. Failla Gamay BjornsonVnyd/Eola-AmithHills (13.0%) 2017: Med.dark color; more earthy/mushroomy some Gamay/cherry/
   black cherry more serious Bojo GC pleasant enough nose; quite tart/tangy some juicy/Gamay/black cherry rather
   earthy/mushroomy pleasant flavor w/ light tangy tannins; med.long rather tart/tangy/metallic some Gamay/black
   cherry rather earthy/mushroomy/loamy finish w/ light tannins; a pleasant enough mor Bojo GC-like Gamay but
   rather overpriced. $30.00

7. Solminer Carbonic Syrah deLandaVnyd/LosOlivosDist (12.5%; 100% Organic grapes; Bttld: April 19/2018;
   Btl# 141 of 288) 2017: Dark color; slight blackberry/Syrah bit earthy/mushroomy rather fragrant slight Bojo-like
   interesting bit funky nose; fairly tart light blackberry/blueberry/Syrah bit funky/earthy flavor w/ light tangy
   tannins; med.long blackberry/Syrah/blueberry slight grapey/Bojo-like bit funky/earthy/mushroomy finish w/ light
   tannins; a bit of grapey/Bojo character but a rather strange/interesting rendition of Syrah not altogether that
   attractive. $32.40

8. thee & thou ElRucio SantaYnez (75% Syrah/25% Grenache; 12.5%) John Donaghue/PetardCllrs/PurityWines/SanFrancisco
   2014: Dark color; rather earthy/funky/bit mousey/hantavirus slight Syrah/blackberry rather unattractive nose; very
   sour/acid rather funky/hantavirus very slight Syrah rather earthy flavor w/ modest tangy tannins; long funky/mousey/
   hantavirus/stale mouse pee slight Syrah/blackberry quite sour/acid finish w/ light tangy/bitey tannins; a little
   bit of Syrah hiding in there but pretty much obliterated by the funky/hantavirus character; a wine only SweetAlice
   would love but undrinkable for me. $25.00 (WoP)

9. Ser Graciano JohnSmithVnyd/SanBenito (14%; 145 cs; www.SerWinery.com) NicoleWalsh/SantaCruz 2015: Med.dark color;
   rather attractive Graciano/floral/cherry/fairly spicy bit (no oak) Rioja-like/rustic quite attractive nose; fairly
   tart/tangy btight/cherry/Graciano/floral/rose petal rather spicy bit rustic flavor w/ light tangy tannins; very
   long bright/cherry/Graciano/floral bit tart bit Rioja-like/earthy/rustic quite lovely finish w/ light brisk tannins;
   shows lots of Graciano character and a very nice-drinking red; a bit of old-timey Gilroy red character; ranks right
   up there w/ Luisa’s Verdad Graciano. $26.00 (WoP)

10. Ser CabernetPfeffer WirzVnyd/CienegaVlly (14%; 100 cs) 2014: Med.light color; some earthy/dusty bit peppery/
    CabFranc-like quite spicy very interesting nose; lightly tart some dusty/OV rather peppery/spicy/bit CabFranc-
    like/sight herbal slight rustic/earthy rather interesting flavor w/ light tangy tannins; very long spicy/peppery/
    bit CabFranc-like fairly dusty/OV bit earthy/rustic very interesting finish w/ light brisk tannins; quite an
    interesting old-timey Gilroy red; reminds some of a lighter Frontnnais Negrette from Tolouse in SW France.
    $45.00 (WoP)

11. BeaverCreekVnyds Survivor PetiteSirah HorneRanch/LakeCnty (14.2%; Organic/Bio; 125 cs;
    www.BeaverCreekVineyards.com) Middletown/Lake 2017: Black/opaque color; intense blackberry/boysenberry/PS rather
    peppery/earthy bit old-timey/rustic quite attractive nose; lightly tart/tangy very strong blackberry/PS/boysenberry/
    ripe bit earthy/peppery structured flavor w/ ample ripe/chewey tannins; very long intense blackberry/PS/boysenberry/
    ripe slight earthy/rustic/peppery very light toasty/oak finish w/ ample chewey tannins; loads of ripe PS fruit
    w/o straying into over-the-top territory; a bit old-timey & rustic; maybe the best PS from LakeCnty I can recall
    at a great price. $18.00 (WoP)

12. Benandants Charbono ShypokeVnyd/Calistoga/NapaVlly (15%) 2016: Very dark/near black color; very strong toasty/
    Fr.oak/pencilly bit alcoholic/fumey strong boysenberry/licorice/classic Charbono light earthy/dusty/OV very
    interesting nose; slightly tart bit hot/alcoholic intense boysenberry/licorice/Charbono bit peppery/earthy
    rather dusty/OV very strong toasty/charred/Fr.oak structured/ripe flavor w/ ample hard tannins; very long/
    lingering boysenberry/licorice/ripe slight alcoholic very strong toasty/Fr.oak finish w/ ample hard/chewey
    tannins; on the ripe side & loads of Fr.oak but should evolve into something quite interesting w/ 4-8 yrs of age.
    $75.00

13. StolpmanVnyds Syrah Estate/BallardCnyn (14.1%; 50% w-c; Frmtd in concrete) Lompoc 2016: Very dark color; strong
    blackberry/Syrah bit c-c/black pepper some Rhonish/peppery/roasted/w-c lovely complex nose; some tart/tangy
    rather roasted/Rhonish/w-c/pungent some c-c/black pepper bit toasty/oak strong blackberry/Syrah quite attractive
    flavor w/ modest crunchy tannins; very long/lingering strong Rhonish/pungent/w-c/peppery some c-c/black pepper
    strong blackberry/spicy/Syrah finish w/ some hard tannins; needs 3-6 yrs; quite a good SBC Syrah w/ good Rhonish
    character and a great price. $24.00 (KK)

14. Gang of Six + 3 Shovel Blanc CabFranc SilettoVnyd/SanBenitoCnty (“Every citizen makes an equal effort crushing
    grapes to become a hero”) NV: Med.color; some toasty/Fr.oak/smokey bit herbal/CabFranc/spicy/peppery light dusty/
    OV slight licorice/chocolaty/ripe very interesting nose; soft fairly rich/lush rather herbal/thyme/CabFranc/spicy
    slight blackcurranty/Cab some toasty/Fr.oak restrained/balanced very interesting flavor w/ modest chewey tannins;
    very long bit herbal/thyme/CabFranc/spicy bit ripe/chocolaty/licorice light toasty/oak balanced/restrained finish
    w/ light chewey tannins; speaks of both CabFranc and CienegaVlly; needs 4-6 yrs; quite an interesting rendition
    of CabFranc. $nc (KZ)

More fiddlecarp from TheBloodyCellar:

1. Failla: These are the first wines from Ehren’s OR operation that I’ve tried. A winemaker whose wines I almost always
   like quite a lot. These were utterly disappointing. The R is a complete mystery to me as to what it’s intent was.
   Closed w/ the normal cork stopper. I can only guess that it was intended to be a pet-nat wine but can find no
   information to such. I had this wine back in early Nov and it was vastly different:

The GV, though no obvious dissolved CO2, showed only the slightest of GV character and was not very interesting.
The Gamay was the best of a sorry lot but not as good as many of the OR Gamays.

2. Bedrock: The name means “fraternal twins”, referring to the fact that these are the same wine, but one has a stopped
   fermentation. I recently had the WirzVnyd R and was mightly impressed by it. These two are pleasant enough but just
   that, not up to the Wirz. But I wouldn’t be surprised if they put on some weight in the next yr or two. Or maybe not.

3. Gamay: These two were made from authentic Gamay Noir a jus blanc. They were both pleasant enough, pricey compared
   to Bojo. Neither would hold a candle to Steve’s BoneJolly.

4. CabernetPfeffer: A sort of a mystery grape, pretty much only found in the CienegaVlly of Calif. It was supposedly
   bred by a Dr.Pfeffer from a cross of Cabernet X Trousseau, in LosAltos. DNA disproves this and has identified it
   as Mourtaou, an obscure French variety. Also known as Gros Verdot. But no Cabernet in it.
   When Almaden was run out of the SanJose area by housing growth, the went South to the Pacienes in SanBenitoCnty
   and planted large vnyds, including CabernetPfeffer. The first varietal CabernetPfeffer was made by EdFriedrichs
   under the Almaden Charles LeFranc label. It was actually quite good, as were most of the Charles LeFranc wines.
   The ClF Riesling was actually terrific. The CabPfeffer in the CienegaVlly was planted back in the late 1800’s.

5. Ser: This is a winery I stumbled across in Wines on Piedmont. “Ser” means expressing the identities
   of origins. The idea is to make wines, in a minimalist way, that express their vnyd origins. Probably has something
   to do with that “terroir” thing that wine geeks blather about all the time. The lady behind Ser is Nicole Walsh,
   who has extensive experience working w/ RandalGrahm at BonnyDoon. I liked both of these wines quite a lot…
   a good new discovery for me. I must try more of her wines, especially the Wirz Riesling, one of the best R vnyds
   in Calif.

6. ShovelBlanc: This is a wine made by KenZinns and his buddies at HarringtonWnry, where they help out Bryan. Bryan is
   such a silver-tongued devil to get all these wine geeks to work free for him. The ShovelBlanc label depicts the
   large plastic scoop shovels they use to shovel out the fermented pulp to go to press. A very clever label poking f
   un at the classic CabFranc wine, ChevalBlanc.

7. the & thou: Not a whole lot of info out there on this operation run by JohnDonaghue. I gather the focus is on
   “natural” wines by whatever definition you choose. This is a wine I stumbled upon at Wines on Piedmont. Not very
   inclined to try any others. No WebSite & scant information out there.
   Tom

Fascinating on those Failla Oregon wines, Tom. I’d suggest you test out their Oregon PNs, which are pretty darn good, in my (in)expert opinion.

And once again, kudos for your beautifully written tasting notes (and fiddlecarp).

Ser: Nicole Walsh is doing a terrific job and is someone to keep an eye on. Wines of wonderful purity.

Thanks for the comments, Tariq. How could you have possibly read thru all that (long/boring) crap in that
short amount of time??
I, indeed, like Ehren’s Pinots quite a lot. But buy them only infrequently as they’re a bit on the pricey side.
But I do intend to try his OR Pinots eventually.
Tom

Seems the wine you liked the most, Beaver Creek, didn’t warrant any fiddlecarp, what gives?

Thanks for your note on the Gang of Six + 3 “Shovel Blanc”, Tom - just wanted to fill in a few details. The vintage is 2017 - labels were a rushed last-minute thing for this wine and we missed adding the vintage to the label. The fruit was fermented in a small concrete tank with around 10% whole clusters. Aged in a 2009 Billon French oak barrel for about 9 months. We didn’t have quite enough wine to fill the barrel so there’s around 6-8% total added of Cabernet Sauvignon, Trousseau, and Freisa. We later tested out a few trial blends with Merlot (which we’d originally intended to blend in for the “Shovel Blanc” theme) but liked the wine better without. Didn’t have the final alcohol tested since it’s a non-commercial wine, but guessing that it’s around 12.2-12.3%. BTW, I have to credit Wes Barton with coming up with the “Shovel Blanc” name for the wine.

Sorry, Craig…that one slipped thru the cracks. It was one of my favorites of a rather disappointing
tasting, but I just forgot to go back and research them.
Tom

Hmmm…you spent over 2 Trillion $$'s for a French barrel?? Think of the wall you could build for that amount!!
All wines go better w/o Merlot!!
Thanks for fleshing out the details. Kudos to Wes on the name.
Tom