Scholium Tasting - Red Hook Brooklyn Part 1
Scholium Tasting - Red Hook Brooklyn Part 2
Scholium Tasting - Red Hook Brooklyn Part 3
Scholium Tasting - Red Hook Brooklyn Part 4
Scholium Tasting - Red Hook Brooklyn Part 5
Scholium Tasting - Red Hook Brooklyn Part 6
Scholium Tasting - Red Hook Brooklyn Part 7
Scholium Tasting - Red Hook Brooklyn Part 8
Scholium Tasting - Red Hook Brooklyn Part 9
Scholium Tasting - Red Hook Brooklyn Part 10
Scholium Tasting - Red Hook Brooklyn Part 11
Great photo essay. All my years in Brooklyn and you know, I don’t think I have ever been in Red Hook! Besides Chuey what else did you think shined in the shadow of the Gowanus Expressway?
Man, sorry I missed this Robert, the photos look great. Looking forward to seeing some tasting notes.
Tasting a new Scholium release is like going to the record store to pick up your favorite bands latest album on the first day it is released. Because Abe is constantly tweaking his vineyards he is like a great musician that keeps changing members of the band. The voice and the lead (think Billy Corgan or Anthony and Flea who are I think on their seventh guitar player; sidenote Frusciante was and always will be the best RHCP guitarist) are always familiar but the new members always bring something new.
The Whites:
2010 Riquewihr - Lost Slough Vineyards
Exotic flavors including Lychee, minerals and smoke. Great acidity. More elegant than past Riquewihrs. Fermented in barrel. A small amount of residual sugar. The highest Ph of any of Abe’s wines. Delicous.
Ph 4.0
2010 The Wisdom of Truth (Super Naucratis) - Lost Slough Vineyards
Abe is no longer getting enough Verdelho from Lost Slough to be able to make Naucratis in the old way (which is to process in a large steel tank a wine that is intended for early drinking) so he decided to ferment the 2010 Verdelho from Lost Slough in wood and steel barrels. Reminds me of a Wachau Gruner. Lots of depth and structure. I think this will age extremely well, especially since the 2005 I had last year aged well and it was made in the old style. I will miss the old Naucratis but this is a great wine.
- 1% abv
At the after party we discussed making a Gemischter Satz ((Gemischter Satz - The New York Times)
from the Lost Slough Vineyard. I hope this happens!
2010 La Severite di Bruto - Farina Vineyards
Simultaneously powerful and elegant wine. Abe thought it was the wine that would benefit most from some additional age and said it was closed. Farina is an extremely rock vineyards.
Ph 3.1
16.75% abv
2010 Prince in His Caves – Farina Vineyards
The skin fermented brother (who is now a drag queen) of LSB and usually my favorite of the whites. This really is a superb food wine that shines at the table because of the exotic flavor components and the tannin. The 2010 PIHC is really the most well behaved of all of the PIHC and should serve as a nice intro to anyone who is looking to be a bit more adventurous but is not ready for a freak show like the 2007 (a personal favorite). I can wait to drink this with some Japanese raw fish.
2009 Michael Farady - Matthiasson Family Vineyards
This is pure white burgundy in California (think Pacalet Chablis). Oily texture, intense flavors and great minerality. Abe mentioned that the vineyard is a flat vineyard planted over a very large rocky subfloor. Abe mentioned their approach to this wine was to just get out of the way…”We whole cluster pressed the fruit, fermented the juice in 2 year-old oak barrels, and left the wine alone, without topping, racking, or sulfur until the spring of its second year.”
Overall a stunning array of white wines that in no way show their alcohol and will be superb with the right foods.
Great notes! I love your description of anticipating a new Scholium release…you know that the hand of the artist will be recognizable, maybe kind of familiar, but you never know what exactly to expect. Hope to have an opportunity to try these soon on the west coast.
thanks for sharing!
On to the Reds:
Abe was very excited to debut Chuey, a Cabernet from Sonoma. The fruit comes from a hillside vineyard planted with a massale selection from the Jack London vineyard in the 1970s.
2009 Chuey – Nelligan Road Ranch
Beautiful smooth dark fruit profile. Black cherry. Balanced with a hint of meat/animale. Unlike Margits this is approachable in its youth. Delicous. Although it should age for 10-20 years. This was harvested on November 3rd.
Named for Chuey Ordaz who planted and has dry farmed the vineyard for its whole life.
14.25% abv
2008 Bricco Babelico – Tenbrink Vineyards
Dark as night. Lots of Tannin and fruit. Meat. Smoke. This wine is put in a barrel for three years and not checked on until after year two. It is not racked and deprived of oxygen intentionally.
NV Gardens of Babylon
This was a really nice surprise. Abe has tinkered with the Blend and added some Zinfandel which make it much smoother and gulpable.
2009 Babylon – Tenbrink Vineyards
WOW! Surprise of the tasting. Surprise of the tasting because I have had all of the Babylons since 2003 and I thought I knew what to expect. The Babylon is a monumental wine but it is so smooth. I think this will age like some of the 1970s era Ridges. Complex and elegant despite its size…like a offensive lineman who seriously studies ballet.
Up next what I learned…
Robert - are you affiliated with Scholium in any way?
Thanks.
No affiliation or economic interest in Scholium other than I have a large investment in my cellar and consider Abe a dear friend who I met through buying his wines from the very beginning (similar to Jay, Glenn and others on the Board).
I am also part of a group of seven people including Abe that purchased some very small abandoned vineyards in Maury. This is a micro project and I can assure it is a not-for-profit/money losing venture.
got it - thank you.