Bob Summers came rolling through town last weekend on his perimeter states of the U.S. circumnavigational motorcyle journey. He shipped six bottles beforehand, and we opened five of them (he took the sixth with him to Grand Forks, North Dakata, and who can really blame him. I provided the odd bottle here and there. These aren’t robust tasting notes, but should convey some impressions.
Friday
2012 Matteo Correggia Roero Arneis. This was our starter wine while Bob settled in. This continues to be a “go to” Arneus for me. Floral, citrus-y, oily. Decent amount of acidic lift. Drank on its own. Off to a good start. Then it was off to Tilia, one of the best, and most BYO-friendly restaurants in the Twin Cities.
2001 Qupé Roussanne, Alban Estate Vineyard, Edna Valley. WOTSP (wine of the six pack). This is just remarkable right now, and still has plenty to offer over the next couple of years. Hazelnut, honey, tangerine peel. Structured and bright. Wonderfully balanced. A revelation. Paired well with potted meat (pork), caramelized shallots, and grilled baguette slices.
2002 August West Pinot Noir, Rosella’s Vineyard, Santa Rita Hills. This wine has crested its peak, but still had plenty of raspberry to offer. A little bit of nettles. Some dill, which I’ve always found off-putting. Still holding together structurally.
2001 Bois de Boursan “Cuvee Felix” Chateauneuf-du-Pape. This is still on the upswing. Nice lacing of orange in this wine. But plenty of olive, peppercorn, and dark fruit. Silky tannins. Continued to develop complexity in the glass.
2010 Donnafugata “Ben Ryé” Passito di Pantelleria. Back home, I opened this 375 to close out the night. Gobs of apricot on the nose transforming to golden raisins on the finish. High level of acidity keeping this bright.
Saturday
We finished off the Correggia Arneis with Harbison’s Jasper Hill cheese while Bob worked his magic grilling veggies, and I worked a little less magic grilling sausages. With that meal…
1999 Tensley Syrah, Purisima Mountain Vineyard, Santa Barbara County. Drink 'em up, if you got 'em. This wine was tired, the flavor was fading and turning slightly pruney, and the structure was unraveling. There was some smoke and leather present, which added a touch of complexity. I wanted to like it, but was relegated to admiring it for what it probably was a couple of years ago.
2001 Edmunds St. John Syrah, Bassetti Vineyard, San Luis Obispo County. This wine, on the other hand, was in its sweet spot. A dinner that featured this and the Qupé would be Rhone Ranger heaven. We had to endure a bit of bottle stink at first, but that blew off in short order. This wine was toasty (in a garrigue way, not an oak way), floral (rose, voilet), earthy (pepper, damp woodsy). Solid backbone. Will probably drink like this for a while yet.
1998 Clape Cornas. Only because the Tensley fell short, I opened this. Poured it into a wide decanter right away. But we probably never experienced it fully open. It showed a bit backward, even though it was one of those wines you could just sit and smell. Black olives, black pepper, blackberry. But, as I mentioned, a little backward and clunky. Could just be in an odd place right now.
We had some Donnafugata left from the night before, which accompanied a strawberry shortcake I made. The dessert called for a more subtle wine, but that’s just the way it goes sometimes.