TNs: '06 Wind Gap Grenache and '12 Bedrock Syrah

WINE TALK
1

Here is a tale of two wines, opened for a poker game last night for some WB guys and mexican food. At about 130AM, I decided I had nothing left in the tank and tossed both the wines below into the fridge. With the Dr Mrs gone out of town, decided to see what was in the fridge, so out came the two wines. The WG from my cellar, the Bedrock from Rob Winn, well, who we affectionately call Robo.

  • 2006 Wind Gap Wines Grenache Booker Vineyard - USA, California, Central Coast, Paso Robles (7/26/2014)
    Opened this up y/day. Brig’s note appears just below mine and while I have great respect for Brig’s palate, he appears to like it more than I, to be good with the oomph the wine shows. For this bottle, I think it may have been the first bottle I had bought from what was then the introuductory Wind Gap release after the Pax divorce. This is an interesting wine to consider, as within the Wind Gap approach, this wine would not fit the contemporary WG mode as I see it: it’s pushing over-ripe, big fruit, smells like a fruit forward Paso red in the aromatic. However, there is some grip still here, some tannin that keeps it from being flabby. Listed at 15.5%, the wine’s alcohol level hits after a glass and that’s about as much as I’d want to drink in one sitting. Dark red fruit, a big wine.
  • 2012 Bedrock Wine Co. Syrah North Coast - USA, California, North Coast (7/26/2014)
    This was brought to a poker game at the last house last night. With no cork, I just dropped into the fridge last night with a cork, about a 1/3rd of the bottle left. I didn’t taste it last night, first impression now. Pours dark, looks nearly opaque in the glass. Dig the aromatic, has the markers I like in syrah which is pepper, smoke, creosote, reminds me a lot of the Novy SLH bottlings I have opened over the years. The palate? Dark, riich, a decadent tone–dark boysen and blue, graham cracker (?#, a molten quality, licorice, black olive and plenty of structure in the finish that leaves it with some chalk. Notable stuffing too persists in light of how I stored this wine and the slow ox air it has seen. The whole cluster and push from the fruit, along with the aeration, creates a nice glass of wine. For a drink window, this does well for me, but I am a structure lover and drink my wine young, so take that into context, for a drink window of now #with good air) and for the next 4-5 years.

Posted from CellarTracker

2

130am? Quitter! I was worried driving home at 645am because if I got pulled over… [wow.gif]

Great food, crazy poker pots, and always entertaining crew.

What do you mean I can only play two cards out of my hand in Omaha? DOH! A costly mistake you only make once. The fact I didn’t even have the best hand wasn’t the point. [berserker.gif]

  • 2006 Wind Gap Wines Grenache Booker Vineyard - USA, California, Central Coast, Paso Robles (7/26/2014)
    Wasn’t sure what to expect with this one. Giant fruit bomb that’s fallen away with age? Nope, a beautiful wine. Dark garnet color fading at the edges. Fine tannins are the base for a clean dark berry fruit flavor combined with garrigue. This would slip past a Rhone lover. (92 pts.)
  • 2011 Carlisle Zinfandel Sonoma County - USA, California, Sonoma County (7/26/2014)
    Beginning to lighten up, some bricking. I picked this out of FMIII cellar to pair with great Mexican food before getting after it playing poker. I like the balance in this wine, good zin fruit and noticeable chalk mid palate.

Is the single vineyard Carlisle better than this QPR star? Don’t think so… (92 pts.)

  • 2010 Sandler Wine Company Pinot Noir Clos Pepe Vineyard - USA, California, Central Coast, Sta. Rita Hills (7/26/2014)
    The wine looks crimson colored. The legs are medium. There is no sediment in the bottle. It smells like strawberry, cranberry and espresso. It tastes like strawberry, cranberry, coffee, vanilla and garrigue. The body is medium. The wine has smooth texture. The wine finishes medium. The wine has medium acidity. (91 pts.)
  • 2004 Camille Savès Champagne Brut Millésimé - France, Champagne, Bouzy, Champagne (7/26/2014)
    Fine bubbles and lightly colored. The most intriguing nose in a bubbly, there’s bread, yeast, green apple, and carnauba wax. Fascinating. Medium plus acid keeps with fresh. (90 pts.)
  • 2007 Vincent Dauvissat (René & Vincent) Chablis 1er Cru Vaillons - France, Burgundy, Chablis, Chablis 1er Cru (7/26/2014)
    Lean, lean, and lean. Acid driven, I mean really driven! Light lemon and tree fruit but taking a back seat to the edginess. Wine shows very angular. (90 pts.)

Posted from CellarTracker

3

Nice notes Frank.

The '06 Wind Gap might be a transitional wine from the old Pax style into the Wind Gap style. Then again it is Paso, and IIRC '06 was a stinking hot summer. Maybe just vintage and AVA showing through that one.

That Bedrock I think probably benefited from your extended aeration. To my palate that one needs some time.

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No question the wind gap was fruit forward but it looks like it’s mellowing.

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Brigger, i believe you have more tolerance for wines of this higher ripeness level.

crap, I got up on Sat AM and the house was empty–you, Chris and Sean must have left before the sun rose!