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by Tom Hill

A self-admitted wine geek, Tom lives in Northern New Mexico and works as a computational physicist at Los Alamos National Laboratory doing numerical neutron transport & large scale code development. He has been tasting wines since 1971, participates locally with a couple of large tasting groups in his area, and is practically a fixture at most California wine festivals, such as the Hospice du Rhône, Rhône Rangers, and ZAP. Other interests: Tom is heavily into competitive sport fencing (foil & epee), biking, cooking, basketball, skiing, backpacking, mountain climbing.

Old Vine Reds - January 9, 2013

We tasted tonight (1/9/13) Some New OldVine reds:

  1. WindGap Old-Vine Mourvedre BedrockVnyd/SonomaVlly (1 ConcreteEgg + 1 Barrel/pp cs; 13.2%; #729) 2011: Med.color; some roasted/Rhonish/chalky/mineral slightearthy/plummy/Mourv/cherry / pomengranate rather interesting/complex nose; very tart earthy/dusty/chalky/mineral some roasted/Rhonish rather plummy/cherry/ pomengranate somewhat bitter/tannic quite lean/tight flavor; very tart somewhat bitter/tannic rather cranerry/cherry/pomengranate slight Rhonish/roasted/smokey finish; a rather austere/lean Mourv w/ some Rhonish character that needs more time; not attractive now but should improve (I think). $32.00
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  2. Carlisle Mourvedre BedrockVnyd/SonomaVlly (14.8%; Planted in 1888; 130 cs) 2010: Med.dark color; strong plummy/Mourv/black cherry classic varietal Mourv some toasty/oak bit dusty/OV lovely nose; softer strong plummy/Mourv/black cherry some dusty/OV light toasty/oak bit astringent/hard/tannic flavor; long rather tannic/astringent strong plummy/Mourv/black cherry fairly dusty/OV light toasty/oak/butterd popcorn finish; needs more age; surprisingly tannic for a Carlisle but should be a good one. $39.60
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  3. Carlisle TwoAcres/RRV RW (14.7%; Planted in 1910; Mourvedre/PS/Syrah/Carignane/AlicanteBouschet/ Peloursin; 130 cs) 2010: Med.dark color; strong plummy/blackberry/Mourv some dusty/OV bit earthy/Languedoc-like quite spicy/perfumed light toasty/oak lovely nose; very strong very plummy/chocolaty/blackberry some dusty/OV/truffle bit earthy flavor w/ some tannins; long soft/rich/lush rather dusty/OV quite spicy/ plummy/blackberry/blueberry light toasty/oak somewhat complex finish w/ some tannins; needs more age; seems a bit leaner/tighter than previous young Twackers. $42.50
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  4. BedrockWineCo EvangelhoVnydHeritage/ContraCostaCnty RW (15.2%; CenturyOld/OwnRooted; 40% Zin/15% Carignane/25% Mourvedre + 10% Mixed Whites) 2011: Med.dark color; very strong plummy/blackberry/Zin/black cherry/bit licorice some dusty/earthy/OV/mushroomy fairly bright/zippy quite attractive nose; fairly tart bright/cherry/plummy/spicy/black cherry some dusty/OV bit ContraCosta/ mushroomy flavor w/ modest tannins; long slight alcoholic tart quite bright/cherry/plummy/black cherry/almost Pinotish some dusty/OV/mushroomy finish w/ light tannins; fairly drinkable now but will benefit from some age; speaks distinctly of ContraCosta/mushroomy/earthy but much more bright fruit and acidity than usually get from there; quite atypical of most ContraCosta reds. $31.00
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  5. BedrockWineCo DolinsekRanchHeritage/RRV RW (14.8%; 101 yr old vines;< 0.5 tons/acre) 2011: Med.dark color; strong blackberry/Zin/boysenberry very spicy quite dusty/OV/earthy very perfumey/ fragrant/complex nose; fairly tart bright/very spicy/blackberry/boysenberry/Zin some dusty/OV rather structured/textured slight licorice/ pungent very perfumed flavor w/ modest tannins; very long/lingering bright cherry/blackberry/cherry cola/Zin-like very spicy/perfumed some dusty/OV finish w/ modest tannins; lots of very spicy/perfumed character and a lovely complex OV red that speaks mostly of Zin. $38.00
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  6. BedrockWineCo TheBedrockHeritage/SonomaVlly (14.3%; 123 yr old vines; 22 different varieties; 60% Zin + Carignane/AlicanteBouschet/PetiteSirah/GrandNoir de Calmette/Syrah/Tempranillo/ Trousseau/Mission/ Merlot/CabSauv + many others) 2011: Dark color; strong very spicy/blackberry/ boysenberry/Zin/briary/framboise fairly dusty/OV slight menthol/eucalyptus rather complex very lovely/very spicy nose; fairly tart big/spicy/ blackberry/boysenberry/Zin/black cherry cola/briary some dusty/OV bit licorice/pungent rather complex flavor w/ ample tannins; very long tart very spicy/blackberry/black cherry cola/Zin/briary/licorice rather dusty/OV finish w/ some tannins; lots of spicy/briary character and good complexity; terrific Zin. $37.00
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  7. BedrockWineCo Zin OldVine/SonomaVlly (14.8%; StellwagenVnyd + CasaSantinamaria + LosChamizal + RossiRanch + MonteRosso vnyds + Carignane/Mourvedre from BedrockVnyd) 2011: Med.dark color; rather dusty/OV somewhat low-key spicy/blackberry/raspberry quite attractive nose; tart rather dusty/OV bright/raspberry/blackberry/Zin quite spicy bit lightweight flavor w/ modest tannins; long bright/spicy/raspberry/blackberry/Zin some dusty/OV finish w/ light tannins; a lighter Zin but lots of OV character and lots of pretty bright fruit; almost DryCreekVlly in character; a great wine for the $. $23.00
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  8. Carlisle Zin OldVines/RRV (15.9%; 50% CarlisleVnyd planted in 1927/50% MontafiRanch planted in 1926 + interplanted/ mixed varieties; 270 cs) 2010: Very dark color; very strong very spicy intense blackberry/boysenberry/Zin light toasty/oak some herbal/pungent/ozone/WWII beacon rather dusty/OV very/very spicy complex nose; soft intense blackberry/boysenberry/framboise some dusty/OV bit herbal/pungent/rosemary quite complex flavor w/ fair tannins; very long/lingering slight alcoholic intense blackberry/boysenberry/framboise slight herbal/rosemary/pungent light toasty/oak some complex finish w/ ample tannins; a terrific Zin and a bit unusual for a Carlisle; my easy favorite of the Carlisles. $39.60
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  9. BedrockWineCo PaganiRanch Heritage/SonomaVlly RW (15.0%; Planted: 1880's) 2011: Med.dark color; strong blackberry/ Zin/spicy some dusty/OV bit sauvage/meaty/gamey slight alcoholic rather complex nose; fairly tart rather dusty/OV very strong blackberry/Zin/spicy/boysenberry/plummy bit gamey/sauvage very light toasty/oak flavor w/ fair tannins; very long very strong blackberry/Zin/boysenberry/spicy slight earthy/gamey some dusty/OV slight alcoholic finish w/ fair tannins; needs more age; a beautiful expression of Pagani. $38.00
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  10. Carlisle Zin PaganiRanch/SonomaVlly (16.3%; Planted in 1900; + AlicanteBouschet/Carignane/PS; 100 cs; U/U) 2010: Very dark/black color; very intense blackberry/boysenberry/Zin some licorice/pungent some toasty/oak slight herbal/ gamey classic Carlisle Zin nose; rich/lush intense blackberry/boysenberry/Zin/some spicy some licorice/pungent/ DrPepper bit hot/alcoholic flavor w/ fair tannins; very long/lingering intense blackberry/Zin/boysenberry/spicy light toasty/oak slight earthy/licorice/DrPepper/pungent some dusty/OV complex finish w/ fair tannins; needs more age; speaks strongly of Carlisle and not so strongly of Pagani; not as spicy as the OldVines; a beautiful Carlisle Zin. $44.00
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  11. Carlisle Zin BedrockVnyd/SonomaVlly (15.8%; Planted in 1888; 225 cs) 2010: Very dark color; very intense blackberry/boysenberry/Zin slight vanilla/oak rather dusty/OV some licorice/pungent/DrPepper slight earthy/ truffley complex nose; very strong blackberry/Zin/boysenberry/spicy some dusty/OV bit pungent/DrPepper/RCCola light toasty/oak complex flavor w/ modest tannins; very long/lingering spicy/blackberry/Zin/boysenberry light toasty/oak somewhat dusty/OV slight pungent/DrPepper/licorice finish w/ fair tannins; not quite the sauvage/ bass notes of the Pagani and a bit more spicy character than Pagani; a terrific Zin in the Carlisle style. $39.60
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  12. BedrockWineCo CabSauv BedrockVnyd/SonomaVlly (14.5%; 26 mo. in 80% new Fr.oak) 2010: Black color; very strong toasty/Fr.oak/charred/smokey/pungent intense blackcurranty/Cab/kirsch slight minty/menthol very fragrant/ perfumed nose; rather toasty/Fr.oak/charred/pungent intense blackcurranty/Cab slight earthy some minty/menthol flavor w/ ample tannins; very long/lingering strong toasty/charred/Fr.oak intense blackcurranty/kirsch/Cab slight earthy finish w/ ample tannins; a rather old-timey Cab like they used to make; very structured and made for the long haul; seems a bit monolithic compared to the other Bedrocks but should develop into something very interesting; a steal at $40 (are you listening NapaVlly??). $40.00


And the usual stuff from the BloodyPulpit:

1. Carlisle: These wines are all from the the '10 vintage. It was a "vintage from hell" and Mike & crew had to really bust their a$$ to make these wines (hmmmm...if he would make "natural" wines...then he wouldn't have had to and the wines would have made themselves!!). Early frosts and then some horrendous heat spikes at the end of ripening cut yields way down and created a lot of other problems...particularly for Zin. Some vnyds had almost no crop...hence the Carlisle & Montafi were blended to a single OldVines Zin. Not an easy crush...for a lot of folks.

(Presumably) because of this tough vintage, these wines were a bit of a departure for the Carlisles. I thought they showed more diversity in style and were a bit more expressive of the individual vnyds than before. Mike's Zins generally carry a hefty alcohol (according to the label), but I find they usually carry those alcohols well and almost never show any hot/fumey character. On these, the alcohols showed a bit more than usual...though none of them were really over-the-top to my palate. And the tannins, which are usually covered by the ample fruit Mike is able to get, stuck out a bit more. But, on the balance, another terrific set of Zins for Carlisle.
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2. Bedrock: This is, of course, the effort of Morgan Twain-Peterson. Followed him from the very start. He & his Dad (Joel Peterson...another guy I followed from...before...the very start...when I met him on a visit to JoeSwan's) bought the BedrockVnyd and started making wines from there. It's been exciting to watch the growth and maturation of the Bedrock effort as he's taken on other vnyds. The wines do resemble a bit his Dad's early Ravenswood Zins...though w/ less of an oak presence. One of my no-brainer purchases every year.
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3. OldVines: SonomaCnty (and a few others) are blessed with a fair number of old-vines vnyds, mostly Zin but other mixed stuff planted as well. Mike/Morgan/Tegan/DaveGates/MikeDildine have all been passionate and ardent supporters of the preservation of these old-vine vnyds. They can yield very interesting wines, as this group here testifies to. Is it because the vine's roots go so deep that they are able to tap into the terroir better than younger vnyds?? Beats the heck out of me...I haven't a clue. I find that wines, particularly Zins or mixed blacks/blends, have a certain signature that characterizes these very old vnyds. But it not a signature that is writ large in big JohnHancock for the King (no...not a snide reference to Monktown) to see. It's a subtle and quiet signature you have to look for. I doubt I could pick it up blind. But these wines mostly all had that dusty/earthy/mushrooomy/truffley character that I look for in old-vine reds and it was a bit more obvious in this group than I've observed in other tastings.
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4. BedrockCab: Back in my formative/youthful days, I tried nearly every Calif Cab that came down the pike. But been there/done that and Cabernet is pretty much off my radar anymore. I only buy the Ridges, the ChesterAnvil, occasionally the DryCreeks...but that's pretty much it. RedBordeaux?? Hah, twenty yrs ago was my last purchase. So...when the last Bedrock offer came out, I saw Morgan's first Cabernet (I assume this is a newer planting in the Bedrock vnyd). Well...I'l order a token btl just to try it. Whatta doofus I was. I was mightly impressed by this Cabernet. It reminded me a lot of some of the monumental Pickberrys that his Dad made at Ravenswood in yrs goneby. Pretty terrific Cab it is. I won't make that mistake again.
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5. Pagani: I have followed PaganiVnyd from the very start (well...not THAT very start...but when it first started being a vnyd designate) and have almost always been impressed by the wines that come out of there. Morgan has a good article on his WebSite about Pagani written by DavidDarlington:
(http://hosted.verticalresponse.com/383171/927a09ae4c/1648552441/153556b93b/)
Of the Ridge OV wines, the Pagani has consistently been my favorite (though not in 2010...thus far, anyway) over the Lytton and Geyserville. They have also made some AlicanteBouchet from Pagani that I really liked..maybe the best Alicantes ever made. Pagani is a very special vnyd and I'm delighted that both Mike and Morgan have the opportunity to work w/ those grapes.
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6. Carlisle/Bedrock: This is the first time I've tasted so many Carlisles beside so many Bedrocks, and from the same vnyd source. It was one of the best tastings I've held in a number of yrs. Even though the two principals are close friends and colleagues, their styles are definitely different. Mike's Zins seem to be a bit richer/ riper/lusher than the Bedrock. Though Mike's Zins are all pretty unique expressions of their respective vnyds; they seem to have a stronger impression of Carlisle than the Bedrocks have of Bedrock winemaking. That is, the Bedrocks seem to be a bit purer expression of their vnyd sources. That "terroir" thing, I guess. The Bedrocks seem a bit more restrained and controlled than the rambunctuous Carlisles. If I'd have to characterize them, I'd say Morgan is Brahms to Mike's Wagner. Probably not an analogy Morgan could relate to. And this is a bit of comparing apples to oranges because they're different vintages.

At the end of the tasting, I was asked, if I had to choose, would it be Bedrock or Carlisle?? What a
Hobson's choice (or probably more a Morton's fork). Don't think I can make that decision. They are both different and unique expressions of the same thing.

TomHill

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