Tasting notes for Alan Rath

[Steve_Saxon]

All wines were drunk in the past week. The notes will be short because there are a lot of them.

89 La Dominque: Probably the worst bottle of this wine I’ve had in years, no fruit, no nose, no nothing. Dead

88 Gruaud Larose: Now we’re talking, probably the best bottle I’ve had of this in a while, a very nice wine.

91 Duckhorn Three Palms Merlot: A nice wine but no blockbuster, I’m wondering if this wine has seen better days. Drink now if you have any.

81? Martin Ray: This wine was interesting because it didn’t show at all on day one but was much better on the second day. Not a great cab but it held up.

95 Laurel Glen: Never had a bad bottle of LG and this one was no different, a really nice cab.

84 Spottswood: Not good, flawed.

76 Jordan: Really good old school wine, no rush to drink it.

83 Ridge Howell Mountain: Good but nothing special, not sure it worth a buy.

05 Thomas Pinot: Love this vintage, it’s starting to drink really well.

98 Le Vieux Donjon: WS had this right when they said WOTY, love this wine.

84 Phelps Backus: Very good wine but was out shown by the Donjon, might have to revisit on it’s own.

95 Dunn Howell Mountain: Great young wine with a long life ahead, drinking well now but should get better.

77 Diamond Creek Gravellly Meadow: Pretty good but no where good as I was hoping, drink now.

77? Heitz Fay: Really in a sweet spot right now, drink now, don’t wait.

93 Etude: For those of you who like big fruit forward wines this is for you, hard to believe that it’s a 93, more like a 2003. Not my style.

We also had quite a few other wine, many champages, red and white burgs but I’ll let Phil Franks comment on those. It was quite a week.

Hope this fills your thirst for knowledge Alan.

[Jorge_Henriquez]

I wish I had an emoticon that allowed me to express how I feel about these terrible notes.

[Steve_Saxon]

@Jorge Henriquez

I wish I had an emoticon that allowed me to express how I feel about these terrible notes.

I think the one you’re using is pretty good.

[ToddFrench]

I ask this in ignorance, but how often does Ridge do, or how often have they done, Howell Mountain?

[Steve_Saxon]

@Todd F r e n c h

I ask this in ignorance, but how often does Ridge do, or how often have they done, Howell Mountain?

No clue either.

[Brad_S_w_a_l_l_o_w]

@Jorge Henriquez

I wish I had an emoticon that allowed me to express how I feel about these terrible notes.

Yes. I hope you don’t interpret this as lacking in civility, but you suck at writing tasting notes. And your father smelled of Elderberries.

[TomHill]

@Todd F r e n c h

I ask this in ignorance, but how often does Ridge do, or how often have they done, Howell Mountain?

Todd,
Not ignorance at all. Perfectly valid question.
Don’t think Ridge has done a HowellMtn Zin since the early '90’s, if that late.
They were taking grapes from BeattyRanch up there. Sometimes labeled it as HowellMtn, sometimes BeattyRanch.
This was a Zin that you had to be patient with. It had that distinctive HowellMtn earthy/dusty terroir and not a whole
lot of Zin fruit. It was a pretty rugged mtn wine that took some yrs to evolve. Generally not very exciting out the gate
and you had to know to be patient w/ it.
Tom

[Steve_Saxon]

@Brad S w a l l o w

@Jorge Henriquez

I wish I had an emoticon that allowed me to express how I feel about these terrible notes.

Yes. I hope you don’t interpret this as lacking in civility, but you suck at writing tasting notes. And your father smelled of Elderberries.

Just added 4 more wine.

This is why I don’t do tasting notes Brad.

[ToddFrench]

@TomHill

@Todd F r e n c h

I ask this in ignorance, but how often does Ridge do, or how often have they done, Howell Mountain?

Todd,
Not ignorance at all. Perfectly valid question.
Don’t think Ridge has done a HowellMtn Zin since the early '90’s, if that late.
They were taking grapes from BeattyRanch up there. Sometimes labeled it as HowellMtn, sometimes BeattyRanch.
This was a Zin that you had to be patient with. It had that distinctive HowellMtn earthy/dusty terroir and not a whole
lot of Zin fruit. It was a pretty rugged mtn wine that took some yrs to evolve. Generally not very exciting out the gate
and you had to know to be patient w/ it.
Tom

Thank you, Tom - it’s great to have your vast knowledge here, and I should have assumed when posing the question that you would know!

[Steve_Saxon]

I know Alan’s been online looking and was hoping he was happy but just in case I sent him a pm with the link to this thread.

[Phillip_F_r_a_n_k_s]

The Dunn HM was the 1985. Super young still but I loved it.

[Phillip_F_r_a_n_k_s]

We also had two bottles of the 2004 Vilmart Coeur de Cuvée that were rocking.

[Phillip_F_r_a_n_k_s]

@Todd F r e n c h

@TomHill

@Todd F r e n c h

I ask this in ignorance, but how often does Ridge do, or how often have they done, Howell Mountain?

Todd,
Not ignorance at all. Perfectly valid question.
Don’t think Ridge has done a HowellMtn Zin since the early '90’s, if that late.
They were taking grapes from BeattyRanch up there. Sometimes labeled it as HowellMtn, sometimes BeattyRanch.
This was a Zin that you had to be patient with. It had that distinctive HowellMtn earthy/dusty terroir and not a whole
lot of Zin fruit. It was a pretty rugged mtn wine that took some yrs to evolve. Generally not very exciting out the gate
and you had to know to be patient w/ it.
Tom

Thank you, Tom - it’s great to have your vast knowledge here, and I should have assumed when posing the question that you would know!

Except that were are talking about he Cabernet and not the Zin. Steve is probably hungover this morning or just lazy…or both.

[Phillip_F_r_a_n_k_s]

The only three other wines that I’m tracking are:

2002 Jean-Pierre Mugneret Echezeaux - Drinking very well at the moment. Drink up.
2010 Château de la Maltroye Chassagne-Montrachet 1er Cru Clos du Château de la Maltroye

2010? Didier Dagueneau Pouilly-Fumé Silex that was killer!

[TomHill]

@Todd F r e n c h

@TomHill

@Todd F r e n c h

I ask this in ignorance, but how often does Ridge do, or how often have they done, Howell Mountain?

Todd,
Not ignorance at all. Perfectly valid question.
Don’t think Ridge has done a HowellMtn Zin since the early '90’s, if that late.
They were taking grapes from BeattyRanch up there. Sometimes labeled it as HowellMtn, sometimes BeattyRanch.
This was a Zin that you had to be patient with. It had that distinctive HowellMtn earthy/dusty terroir and not a whole
lot of Zin fruit. It was a pretty rugged mtn wine that took some yrs to evolve. Generally not very exciting out the gate
and you had to know to be patient w/ it.
Tom

Thank you, Tom - it’s great to have your vast knowledge here, and I should have assumed when posing the question that you would know!

Uhhhhhhh, Todd…I’m a LosAlamos guy…I just make “stuff” up.

I seem to recall that Ridge once got grapes from another vnyd on HowellMtn as well…but can’t dredge up the name, though. Maybe Bree can help out.
Tom

[TomHill]

@Phillip F r a n k s

Except that were are talking about he Cabernet and not the Zin. Steve is probably hungover this morning or just lazy…or both.

Didn’t pick up that it was (probably) the Cabernet you all had.
Tom

[MarkH]

@TomHill

I seem to recall that Ridge once got grapes from another vnyd on HowellMtn as well…but can’t dredge up the name, though.

Park-Muscatine

[Brian_G_r_a_f_s_t_r_o_m]

That’s a cute little dig at Alan with the thread title, Steve. Classy.

[jcoley3]

@Phillip F r a n k s

We also had two bottles so the 2004 Vilmart Coeur de Cuvée that were rocking.

That wine is so good right now!