TN: Bebame RedWine '08...(short/boring)

[TomHill]

Tried this as a mystery wine last week:

1. Bebame ElDoradoCnty RW (13%; 65% CabFranc/35% GamayNoir) AH Wines/FairPlay 2008: Med.dark color; bit tired rather herbal/CabFranc some ElD mushroomy/earthy bit of oldBdx haymow light/interesting/complex nose; tart bit tired/dried out light herbal/CabFranc/haymow fairly earthy/mushroomy/ElDCnty flavor w/ light bit drying tannins; long somewhat haymow/herbal/CabFranc rather dusty/mushroomy/ElDCnty bit tired finish w/ light bit drying tannins; showing a bit of tired/old fruit but speaks quietly of CabFranc; rather interesting light-weight red.

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A wee BloodyPulpit:

1. This was a special one-off blend that SteveEdmunds made for his WashState distributor. It was a pretty juicy/tasty CabFranc in its youth, but clearly its youthful days have passed, as it is for most of us.
   Tom

[TomHill]

Steve reports in on this wine:

@Steve

Tom, the '08 was the first vintage. I’m still making it for Don, who is currently my Oregon distributor. The first year we let Ron Mansfield persuade us to let the Cab Franc hang longer than I was inclined to do, and we had to patch the wine back together by using an inordinate amount of Gamay (which, in retrospect, is pretty clearly a strategy doomed to fail). I think the '08 was something like 35% Gamay.
Subsequent vintages, in which I followed my own inclinations about harvest dates, have been considerably more successful, and those wines are aging just fine. 2017 was the tenth harvest for Bebamé.

Tom

[Drew_Goin]

Thanks for the notes, Tom!!

I always scratched my head at this one. Cab Franc and Gamay don’t pop into my head as blood-brothers. I can see how the wine wouldn’t be kind to cellaring.

I certainly did not know that the Cabernet Franc was coming from Washington…

[Ken_Zinns]

@Drew Goin

Thanks for the notes, Tom!!

I always scratched my head at this one. Cab Franc and Gamay don’t pop into my head as blood-brothers. I can see how the wine wouldn’t be kind to cellaring.

I certainly did not know that the Cabernet Franc was coming from Washington…

I think you mis-read Tom’s note, Drew. All the fruit for this wine comes from El Dorado County.

FWIW, I included the 2014 “Bebamé” in a blind tasting of Cab Franc wines this summer (mostly lighter-style California bottlings plus a couple of Loire ringers). The 2014 was about 5% Gamay Noir. It was one of my favorites and I felt it was also one of the consensus favorites among the eight of us who were tasting.

My very brief notes on the 2014: quite fruit-forward, with fresh raspberry and a bit floral. Bit more detailed note from Pietro Buttitta of Prima Materia Winery: light, rose, plum, earth, red fruit core, bright acid, fresh, medium herb, neutral oak but no violet or cassis for me (Sierra?) lots of roses, raspberry, really delicate. Very good.

[resizeableimage=624,343]https://scontent-ort2-2.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t31.0-8/20900941_10208883212872213_7664069232544823408_o.jpg?oh=3c652c2d1a156258f095701faff23420&oe=5ABEDE31[/resizeableimage]

[Drew_Goin]

Thanks, Ken!

[Al_Osterheld]

Hey, I think that’s my gut in the background.

-Al

[Ken_Zinns]

@Al Osterheld

Hey, I think that’s my gut in the background.

-Al

Nope, not yours, Al. You were on the opposite side of the table.

[Al_Osterheld]

Whew, I thought it was looking a little too large.

-Al