TN: 2003 Edmunds St. John Syrah Bassetti Vineyard

WINE TALK
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  • 2003 Edmunds St. John Syrah Bassetti Vineyard - USA, California, Central Coast, San Luis Obispo County (10/28/2009)
    Typical of the vintage, atypical of the producer. We liked the wine’s rich nose of smokey violets. On the palate, the ripeness of the 2003 vintage is evident, but managed pretty well with decent structure and acidity, although there’s some heat on the finish. Nice flavors of cassis and leather, along with plenty of drying tannins. There’s no escaping the effect of the warm vintage, but this wine manages to be both ripe and restrained - not blowsy or flabby like many '03s we’ve tried - which is quite an accomplishment. Another well-made wine from a house favorite producer.

Posted from CellarTracker

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Thanks, Steve - the florals are intriguing me. Price is not that bad either, being sub-$40…

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Thanks for the note. Opened one last month:

2003 Edmunds St. John Bassetti Vyd Syrah, San Luis Obispo County, CA
Olive tapenade, minerals, black briar fruit, plum Lekvar and spice. Integrated and multi-faceted with a bright vinosity, uplifting acidity and a playful medium weight midpalate. Playful, like kindergardeners savoring an overdue recess. Search elsewhere for the brooding, gloppy, sweet or clumsy. Excellent with a grilled burger. Closeout at PLCB for < $30 and undamaged. 13.3% abv…not a hint of heat. A Pinot lovers Syrah. Despite the label, this was crafted with plenty of skilled intuition and more than blind luck. If this is America’s response to the Mollydooker phenomenon…I’m saluting.

Were there many less ripe 03 Cali Syrahs of this quality? My lovely wife just picked up the last 2 at the local PLCB.

RT

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Richard, this is a wine I really like – and in answer to your various questions, I don’t think much luck was involved. These are choices made by Steve Edmunds, who I think is a member here. Perhaps he will stick his head in. He makes probably the most “European” Syrahs in the entire New World and it is entirely intentional and widely appreciated by those who know about the winery. I wish I had known about the PLCB sales, buying this wine gets awkward on the East Coast and I think I paid $50 each to a shop on Long Island and had to send a friend to pick it up because they wouldn’t ship to NJ.

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As I mentioned in my note, the ESJ portfolio is one of our favorites, precisely because they’re all so darn drinkable. Never overbearing or goopy, and always food friendly. Love their stuff, and always good to hear that others appreciate these wines too.

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Amen.

There are reportedly a few stragglers in the PLCB System but the inventories aren’t always reliable. PM if you’d like me to try and wrangle a few bottles.

RT

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Thanks Richard, I don’t want to put you to any trouble but Easton is drive-able for me and I have other friends in Phila. I’ll take a look at the URL you provided.

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Just finished another bottle over the past two nights. My wife declared it even better than the last one. She recently cleared the remaining bottles from the Lehigh Valley…after they were just sitting forlorn for a few weeks on a close-out table.

If I were managing that store, I would’ve assigned a clerk to stand next to the table. Any time a customer looked at a bottle, the clerk would ask them if they liked balanced northern rhone style Syrah. If they said yes, and didn’t buy a bottle, the clerk would’ve been instructed to kick the customer in the ass and invite them to reconsider.

RT

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Rich Trimpi drinks syrah? Say it isn’t so!

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That’s b/c Syrah from from California is 75% Pinot Noir neener

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[rofl.gif]

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Oh, we’re going to get a lot of milage out of this one. [winner.gif]

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No wonder.[swoon.gif]

It does say “Blind Luck” on the label, must be some kind of anagram for “Pinot Noir”. That Steve Edmunds is so clever!

RT

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My last bottle was popped and enjoyed last night. Thoroughly delicious with wonderful restrained Syrah typicity. No heat, no raisins, no imbalance. Paired with a slow roasted leg of lamb studded with garden rosemary and garlic. Should’ve bought a case+. Without exaggeration, it’s probably the best 2003 red from anywhere that I’ve tasted to date.

RT

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The standard lament when drinking ESJ: should have bought a case.

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Thanks for the note. I have a couple of bottles left and have been eyeing them after recently drinking my last '99 ESJ Durrell Vyd. syrah.

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Hmmmm…wonder where I’ve heard that phrase before??? neener
Tom

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Well I have followed you for a while. Not the very start of course.

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Only dinosaurs and Neanderthals have done that, David!!! :slight_smile: But ole SteveEdmunds is not too far behind them!!
Tom

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I have a bottle of the '03 that I might open soon based on these notes.

I opened a bottle of the '05 last June that still clearly needed more time. I will wait awhile before opening another one of those.