TN: New Bucklin Reds....(short/boring)

WINE TALK
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We tried these (mostly) new Bucklin wines at Pig+Fig last night:

  1. Bucklin OldHillRanch Bambino FieldBlend (14.2%; Vines plntd in 1998; 78% Zin/14% PetiteSirah/8% AlicanteBouschet) 2021: Very dark color; very strong blackberry/boysenberry/Zin/bright/very spicy some SonomaVlly/peppery light toasty/oak lovely nose; slightly off-dry/rich/lush strong blackberry/Zin/spicy slight SV/peppery light toasty/oak flavor w/ light/ripe/soft tannins; med.long finish that reflects flavor; a rather good Zin for the price; a bit on the ripe side & lacking a bit on structure; doesn’t seem up to the level of previous Bambinos. $28.00
  1. Bucklin CabSauv BedrockVnyd SonomaVlly/SonomaCnty (14.7%; 100% CS; 27 yr old vines; Clone 337 on 110R rootstock; 18 mo. in Fr.oak; pH: 3.68; TA: 0.59%; 122 cs) Bucklin/Sonoma 2021: Very dark near black color; strong blackcurranty/CS/boysenberry some toasty/Fr.oak slight SV/peppery bit complex rather ripe nose; somewhat soft strong blackcurranty/CS/boysenberry/ripe some toasty/oak rather rich/lush/fleshy flavor w/ modest ripe tannins; very long/lingering ripe/blackcurranty finish w/ modest ripe tannins; a pretty classic SV CS that needs several yrs but not particularly distinctive; rather on the ripe side & a bit lacking in structure & grip; nice Cab for the price but just that. $38.00
  1. Bucklin OldHillRanch Ancient Field Blend (14.8%; Plntd in 1885; 278 cs) 2021: Very dark near black color; very strong blackberry/boysenberry/Zin/very spicy some toasty/oak quite SV/peppery some dusty/OV quite ripe/rich/lush nose; bit soft very rich/lush/ripe quite dusty/OV some toasty/oak quite youthful ripe flavor w/ modest soft/ripe tannins; very long/lingering very spicy/dusty/OV finish that reflects flavor; a pretty classic/youthful expression of OH Zin that needs some 2-5 yrs of age. $46.00
  1. Bucklin OldHillRanch Ancient Field Blend (15.3%; Plntd in 1885; 592 cs) 2018: Very dark color; fairly complex strong blackberry/Zin/boysenberry some peppery/SV fairly dusty/OV modest toasty/oak nose; fairly complex quite spicy/blackberry/Zin/boysenberry/ripe rather dusty/OV strong SV/peppery modest toasty/oak flavor w/ modest ripe tannins; very similar to the '21 but more complexity & spiciness & showing a bit of evolution; a pretty classic OH Zin. $42.00

More silertap from TheBloodyPulpit:

  1. These are the wines of WillBucklin, owner of the ancient OldHillVnyd, source of some of the greatest Zins in Calif (Ravenswood/Carlisle/Once&Future/Bedrock). I liked all four of these reds quite a lot. They all spoke strongly of SonomaVlly and of OldHill wines. The emphasis was clearly on ripeness. I felt the wines were a bit lacking in structure and are not going to be long-lived reds in the way the old Ravenswoods were. I think Bedrock/O&F/Carlisle make rather more interesting wines from these grapes. But they are all good/solid reds.
    Tom
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Mine arrived about a week ago. Might grab a bottle in another week or so.

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Thanks for the notes Tom. Drinking a 2018 Otto’s grenache as we speak. Damn tasty and in a really good spot. These ‘younger’ grenache vines are producing nice wines already.

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Pop and pour on the '22 Otto’s Grenache tonight. My first try from them and I’m very encouraged. A lot of strawberry notes, which I absolutely despise in California Pinot but work well with the weight of the wine. Gorgeous color.

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Edit: the pepper is really coming out and is probably why the strawberry is working well.

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From the recent Bucklin library release, I received a couple bottles of the 2017 Old Hill Ranch Otto’s Grenache. Grenache has not usually been my thing so I was slightly skeptical when I opened a bottle, but this was top notch. Definitely tannic on opening but that dissipated pretty quickly, nice fruit and good backbone. It was really quite good and drinking great now, so feel free to open if you have any.

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