We tried last night (7/22/15) Some Wines:
-
Dashe Zin LeInfantsTerribles McFaddenFarm/PotterVlly/MendoCnty (13.8%; Native Frmentation; low SO2) Oakland 2014:
Med.light color; pleasant raspberry/Zin/cranberry rather earthy/dusty bit Mendo/tomatoey light-weight nose; tart
light raspberry/cranberry/Zin earthy/dusty/Mendo simple flavor w/ light tannins; med.long bright raspberry/
cranberry/Zin/slight spicy rather earthy/dusty/Mendo tomatoey finish w/ light tannins; a pleasant simple little
Zin but just that and overpriced at $27.00 (SFW&S)
-
Forlorn-Hope Suspiro del Moro Alvarelhao SilvaspoonsVnyd/AltaMesa/Lodi (13.12%; 767 cs) 2014: Med.dark color;
rather dusty/root cellar black cherry/plummy bit herbal/rosemary some grapey/port-like nose; soft bit herbal/
plummy/black cherry/cola some dusty/earthy/mushroomy bit grapey/port-like flavor w/ light/smooth tannins; long
rather plummy/black cherry some earthy/mushroomy rather grapey/port-like finish w/ light tannins; a lush
drinkable red that speaks strong of Lodi; quite good at a good price. $24.00
-
Bucklin Zin Bambino OldHillRanch/SonomaVlly/SonomaCnty (FieldBlend; 13.6%; 1142 cs; Plntd: 1998;
www.BuckZin.com) Sonoma 2012: Dark color; deep blackberry/boysenberry/Zin light vanilla/oak spicy/peppery classic
SonomaVlly Zin pure Zin lovely nose; bit tart/lean strong blackberry/blueberry/Zin some spicy light vanilla/oak bit
simpler pure Zin fruit flavor w/ light bitey tannins; very long bit tart/lean more bright/simple Zin fruit/
blackberry light vanilla/oak finish w/ light angular tannins; more simple bright Zin fruit and not the depth
of the ancient. $25.00 (SFW&S)
-
Bucklin Ancient OldHillRanch/SonomaVlly (Plntd: early 1880’s; FieldBlend; 15.4%; 732 cs) 2012: Dark color; very
strong blackberry/boysenberry/Zin/very spicy bit licorice/dusty/OV bit Pagani-like slight herbal/rosemary complex
nose; softer/richer/lusher very intense blackberry/boysenberry/Zin/very spicy/bit peppery rather dusty/OV complex
flavor w/ ample soft/ripe tannins; very long/lingering intense blackberry/boysenberry/Zin/very spicy slight
licorice/peppery some toasty/oak rather dusty/OV finish w/ strong soft/ripe tannins; clearly some dusty/OV
character and greater depth & intensity & ripeness; beautiful OV Zin much like a Pagani. $34.00 (SFW&S)
-
ErnaSchein SainteFumee “Goddess of Meat” Napa/Calif RW (70% Syrah/10%Mourvedre/10% PS/
10% PetiteVerdot; 14.8%; www.ErnaSchein.com) 2007: Very dark color; strong blackberry/Syrah/boysenberry/ripe rather
toasty/oak slight meaty/smokey nose; soft/fat/flabby/porky very ripe/Syrah/boysenberry rather toasty/oak rather
hot/fumey/alcoholic flavor w/ light overripe tannins; long fat/plump/porky very ripe/boysenberry/Syrah/licorice/
chocolaty hot/alcoholic strong toasty/charred/oak finish w/ light soft tannins; seems more Paso than Napa;
a classic over-the-top Behrens & Hitchcock Syrah w/ not much interes; overpriced at $40.00 (K&L)
-
eight arms Syrah StagecoachVnyd/NapaVlly/AtlasPeak (13.7%; www.EightArmsCellars.com) SuisunCity 2006: Very dark/
near black color; ripe Syrah/blackberry/boysenberry/framboise/licorice slight spicy/peppery attractive/ripe nose;
soft/rich/lush strong ripe/blackberry/boysenberry/Syrah/framboise/licorice loads of toasty/oak flavor w/ moodest
ripe/soft tannins; long ripe/boysenberry/blackberry/Syrah/framboise strong toasty/charred/oak finish w/ some
soft/ripe tannins; a bit on the soft/soupy side & quite ripe but somewhat interesting. $35.00
-
Favia Quarzo Syrah ShakeRidgeVnyd/Amador (14.8%; www.FaviaWines.com) FaviaErickson Winegrower/StHelena
2005: Dark color; very strong blackberry/briary/Amador/boysenberry/very spicy light toasty/oak lovely nose; bit
tart ripe/briary/blackberry/Syrah/boysenberry/licorice some toasty/oak flavor w/ modest ripe/smooth tannins;
very long ripe/boysenberry/blackberry/Syrah/very spicy/briary/Amador modeest toasty/charred/oak finish w/ some
soft/ripe tannins; quite a good ShakeRidge Syrah that speaks of Amador but way overpriced for what it is.
$65.00 (WH/SB)
-
AlbanVnyd Syrah Lorraine AlbanEstate/EdnaVlly (15.6%) 2001: Very dark/black color w/ no bricking; rather stinky/
sewer gas/reduced/outhouse nose that clears to intense boysenberry/blackberry/Syrah quite toasty/charred/burnt/oak
slight complex very primary very intense nose; rather tart very strong charred/burnt/smokey/oak intense boysenberry/
blackberry/Syrah/very ripe textured/mouthfilling flavor w/ light/bitey tannins; very long very strong burnt/charred/
toasty/oak intense boysenberry/blackberry/Syrah/very ripe bit complex very primary finish w/ light/angular tannins;
a classic intense/extracted Alban Syrah that has yrs to go.
-
AlbanVnyd Pandora Seymour’sVnyd/EdnaVlly (15.9%; Grenache/Syrah) 2001: Very dark/near black color w/ no bricking;
some reduced/ozone/sewer gas nose clears to rather Grenache/boysenberry/blackberry/Syrah/peppery strong smokey/
charred/burnt/oak more fragrant/perfumed/slightly brighter more complex nose; very strong charred/burnt/oak very
strong Grenache/strawberry/boysenberry/Syrah/blackberry fairly tart some complex flavor w/ light/gentle tannins;
very long strong charred/burnt/toasty/smokey/oak intense Grenache/strawberry/boysenberry/blackberry/Syrah rich/
textured finish w/ light/smooth tannins; very much like the Syrahs but a bit brighter fruit from the Grenache;
still very primary and not much complexity developed; tannins are fully resolved.
-
AlbanVnyd Syrah Seymour’sVnyd/EdnaVlly (15.8%) 2001: Black color w/ no bricking; very strong ozone/reduced/
sewer gas/diaper pail nose clears to very intense boysenberry/blackberry/Syrah/roasted meats very strong charred/
burnt/toasty/oak rather pungent/licorice/peppery some complex nose; very intense boysenberry/blackberry/Syrah/
framboise/licorice/peppery very strong burnt/charred/oak bit complex flavor w/ some smooth/ripe tannins; very long/
lingering strong burnt/charred/oak/smokey very intense boysenberry/blackberry/Syrah/peppery/licorice/smoked meats
bit complex finish w/ some smooth/ripe tannins; much like the Lorraine but much more interesting and not the sharp/
bitey tannins; still very primary and yrs to go.
Stuff from TheBloodyPulpit:
- Albans: These three wines were from my orphan stash lost in my garage for over 10 yrs under miserable/dreadful
storage conditions, standing upright. The corks in them were all sound, tight, and came out w/ a struggle using
my Ah-So. The wines show no signs whatsoever of oxidation or overheating and were still very/very primary. All
three showed the classic Alban highly reduced stink upon opening, but soon cleared in the glass.
These wines are progressing at a glacial pace, still very primary overripe fruit, and not a whole lot of
complexity developing, even though the tannins seem pretty resolved. These are the kind of wines that leave me
(and certain Monktown attourneys) shaking my head and wondering “what hath John wrought?”. It may very well be that
these wines may ever develop that complexity one desires in old Syrahs. These may very well go to their grave
still being very primary wines. I think back to the Qupe Hillside Syrah '01 I had not so long ago. That wine could
not hold a candle to these Albans in the intensity arena. But it showed way/way more balance and complexity than
these Albans ever will and was vastly more of a pleasure to drink, not to mention one 3’rd the cost. I guess I
hold no regrets for being dumped from the Alban mailing list. I can find more Syrah pleasure elsewhere.
- LeInfantsTerribles: This LIT Zin (and Grenache) are MikeDashe’s foray into natural wines and his pandering to
the SweetAlice crowd. I far/far prefer his regular DryCreek Zin to this. I give up…no more LIT for me.
- Bucklin Zins: Will Bucklin, owner/farmer of the famed OldHillRanch continues to make some of the best, most solid,
SonomaVlly Zins but seems to fly underneath everybody’s radar. It’s always interesting to taste the Bambino and
the Ancient together to wrap your mind around what dusty/OV character is. There’s quite a big difference in
alcohol levels betwixt these two which clutters things up a bit. I assume these were harvested at about the same
time and the higher alcohol in the Ancient reflects a greatly diminshed yield in the Ancient. Will’s style at
Bucklin reminds me more of Bedrock than of Ravenswood’s. I’d like to see what Mike or Morgan could do w/ these
grapes.
- 8Arms: This is the wine of IainBoltin. He now makes his wine at DasheCllrs in Oakland. I liked this wine rather
well. However, I’m not convinced that the StageCoach Vnyd of the Krupp family is all that good a vnyd.
- Favia: Thiis was my first experience w/ a Favia wine. The grapes come from AnnKraemer’s ShakeRidge vnyd above
AmadorCity. This is at a lower elevation than the ShenandoahVlly I believe, further South, in rugged mountainous
terrain. It is, indeed, one of the premier vnyds in AmadorCnty and a beautiful property. I liked the wine quite
a lot but it’s clear you gotta pay thru the nose for the Erickson name on the label.
Tom
