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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.

Some Old and Less Old Rhones - February 25, 2015

We tasted last night (2/25/15) Some Old & Less Old Rhones:

  1. BonnyDoonVnyd Clos du Gilroy Grenache Calif TW (Cuvee Tremblement de Terre) SantaCruz 1989: Med.light color w/some bricking; some cedary/pencilly/cigar box light strawberry/Grenache slight alcoholic light floral/violets/old Barolo-like complex very pretty nose; soft bit tangy/metallic/aged light strawberry/cranberry/Grenache somecedary/cigarbox slight menthol/minty quite complex flavor w/ very light/gentle tannins; med.long soft some strawberry/cranberry/violets/floral very delicate some cigarbox/cedary/pencilly slight earthy somewhat tangy/metallic finish w/ very light/gentle tannins; reminds a lot of a very old Barolo some; very delicate & complex but not dried out & tired; quite a pretty little old lady in the twilight of her yrs; amazingly good. $6.95
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  2. Ch. la GrandeRoche NapaVlly RW (13.0%; Grenache/Duriff) R.W.Forman/StHelena 1988: Med.dark color w/ slightbricking; rather earthy/dusty slight funky/wet wool bit smokey/oak somewhat tired nose; very tart/tangy/metallic earthy/dusty quite sour no fruit flavor w/ bitter/tired tannins; med.long quite earthy/dusty/loamy tired/metallic/tangy rough/coarse finish w/ hard/drying tannins; fruit pretty much all gone and not much left but dem bones of hard/coarse tannins.
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  3. EdmundsStJohn LesCotesSauvages Calif TW (Grenache/Syrah from Mendo/Sonoma cnties/Mourv from NapaCnty old plantings and ContraCostaCnty) 1987: Med.color w/ some bricking; lovely very Rhonish/old CdP/green olive some smokey/earthy slight plummy very complex/Rhonish nose; soft somewhat Rhonish/old CdP/earthy slight green olive some metallic/tangy bit smokey/earthy complex w/ light metallic/bitey tannins; very long some Rhonish/old CdP/green olive smokey/earthy/dusty finish w/ light tangy/metallic/bitey tannins; a beautiful old Rhonish nose but starting to dry out on the palate. $14.05 (SWC)
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  4. EdmundsStJohn Syrah Calif TW (DurrellVnyd + 10% Syrah/PetiteSirah from GibsonRanch/McDowellVlly)Berkeley 1987: Med.dark color w/ slight bricking; very burnt/charred/some bretty rather musty/wet cardboard/TCA/corked rather earthy/dusty nose; rather sour/metallic/aged/earthy rather musty/TCA flavor; pretty much destroyed by the TCA.
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  5. JosephPhelpsVnyd Syrah NapaVlly (13.3%) 1985: Dark color w/ some bricking; some earthy/dusty/loamy some licorice/blackberry/ Syrah/boysenberry/spicy bit cedary/smokey/pencilly rather young slight herbal/earthy fairly complex nose; rather earthy/dusty light licorice/blackberry/Syarh/spicy fairly hard/tannic bit metallic/tangly/slightly tired flavor w/ hard/angular/drying tannins; med.long hard/tannic/metallic some blackberry/Syrah/spicy/boysenberry/licorice some complex finish w/ hard/austere tannins; not really dead, not really dried out, but just has not evolved into anything very pretty. $8.79 (K)
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  6. RosenblumCllrs AppellationSeries/SanFranciscoBay Mourvedre (16.0%) 2004: Dark color w/ some browning; very hot/fumey/ alcoholic very overripe/late-harvsty/chocolaty/boysenberry/blackberry liquer/pruney nose; soft/fat overripe/pruney/late-harvesty quite hot/alcoholic/pruney flavor that burns & hurts going down; long/lingering viscous very hot/fumey/alcoholic intense chocolate/pruney/overripe/ blackberry liquer slightly finish w/ little tannins; truly a painful wine to drink. $18.00
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  7. RosenblumCllrs AppellationSeries/SantaBarbaraCnty Syrah (15.6%) 2004: Dark color w/ slight bricking; strong burning metal/ burning brake shoe/pungent some minestrone-like very overripe/ plummy/late hrvsty/chocolaty/boysenberry burnt oak/charred very weird nose w/ no Syrah character; soft/fat very overripe/plummy/chocolaty some tangy/metallic rather burnt/charred/oak fairly hot/alcoholic flavor w/ hard/rough/sour tannins; long very overripe/plummy/boysenberry/chocolaty late-harvesty/ hot/fumey/alcoholic burnt/charred/oak finish w/ample hard/rough tannins; no Syrah character that I can find; very over-the-top/overextracted red. $18.00
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  8. RosenblumCllrs Fran'sVnyd/Rockpile Reserve Syrah (15.8%) 2004: Dark color w/ little bricking; somewhat overripe/late-hrvsty rather blackberry/boysenberry/Syrah/chocolaty/licorice rather dusty/mineral/graphite some burning metal/pungent somewhat interesting if strange nose; soft/fat rather overripe/hot/fumey some tangy/metallic/burning metal/pungent boysenberry/jammy/Syrah/late-hrvsty some charred/toasty/oak flavor w/ ample/hard/coarse tannins; long rather hot/fumey/overripe strong boysenberry/Syrah/licorice/jammy some charred/burnt/oak slight graphite/mineral/pungent finish w/ ample/hard/rough tannins; an over-the-top/overextracted wine that at least speaks some of Syrah; way over-priced at $45.00
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  9. TerraSanctus AC: CdR Villages (60% Grenache/40% Syrah; Plan de Dieu) 2010: Dark color; some Grenache/strawberry/candied rather blackberry/Syrah/black pepper some dusty/OV bit complex lovely nose; bit tart rich/plummy/chocolaty some Grenache/candied rather sour/earthy/dusty/OV flavor w/ some hard tannins; very long fairly intense candird/strawberry/Grenache some blackberry/Syrah/bit peppery some dusty/OV finish w/ ample/hard tannins; speaks mostly of Syrah; a pretty big/rich/powerful CdR at a very good price. $15.00 (PMW)
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  10. Boheme Syrah QueSyrahVnyd/SonomaCoast (13.5%; www.BohemeWine.com; 110 cs) KurtBeitler/Rutherford/Occidental 2005: Dark color w/ no bricking; very strong musty/TCA/corked nose w/ slight cold-climate/peppery buried underneath; very strong badly corked/TCA-infected/wet cardboardy/musty flavor w/ not much underneath; one of the most TCA-infected wines I can recall. $nc (KB)
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  11. Dom.GeorgesVernay Syrah de Mirbaudie VdP: CollinesRhodaniennes (12.5%) Condrieu 2012: Med.dark color; strong blackberry/Syrah/ripe/grapey slight candied Calif-like nose w/ very slight Rhonish/roasted/smokey character; rather tart/hard dusty/OV rather blackberry/Syrah/peppery slight roasted/NRhonish flavor w/ ample hard/rough tannins; very long strong blackberry/ Syrah/peppery some earthy/dusty/OV very structured finish w/ample hard/chewey/rough/coarse tannins; more Calif in style & little NRhone character; a clunky/hard/austere Syrah; may develop into something interesting but a gamble; overpriced at $31.50 (Gom)
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  12. GeorgesVernay Terres d'Encre AC: StJoseph (MeBalP; 12.5%) Condrieu 2012: Dark color; lovely some roasted/smokey/Rhonish/ smoked meat some balckberry/Syrah/peppery rather dusty/OV fairly tight/closed nose; fairly tart some balckberry/Syrah/peppery/ blueberry slight NRhone/roasted/smokey/coffee/black olive some dusty/OV/earthy light smokey/oak structured/hard/ austere/ rough/ rustic flavor w/ abundant hard/rough/austere tannins; very long some blackberry/Syrah/peppery/green olive slight NRhone/ roasted/ smoked meats/coffee tart/hard/rough/coarse finish w/ ample hard/rough/austere tannins; not a lot of fruit & not a lot of NRhone character; a hard-as-nails/rough/tannic Syrah w/ questionable potential to turn into anything profound; way overpriced at $61.00 (AV)
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  13. EricTexier AC: Hermitage (NonFiltre; 13%) 1999: Med.color; light smokey/earthy/celery seed somewhat ersatz Rhonish bit mushroomy/dusty/loamy slight blackberry/Syrah not very NRhonish strange nose; rather tart/hard/lean somewhat earthy/dusty/mushroomy/loamy smokey very slight blackberry/ Syrah flavor w/ hard/coarse tannins; med.long very hard/rough/coarse some smokey /mushroomy/ earthy/dusty finish w/ rough/hard tannins; hardly any fruit and almost no NRhone/Hermitage character; has evolved into a rather bizarre wine; I thought it might be an old EdStJohn Wylie-Fenaughty and not a very good one; very disappointing Hermitage. Larry's mystery wine. $55.00
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  14. Melville Syrah Verna's/Estate (15.3%) 2007: Very dark/near black color; very ripe/overripe slight graphite/burnt metal/ozone/arc welding intense boysenberry/blackberry/Syrah/chocolaty/jammy bit toasty/oak nose; soft/fat/porky overripe/boysenberry/Syrah/jammy somewhat hot/alcoholic some toasty/Fr.oak flavor w/ some soft/ripe/round tannins; long very ripe/chocolaty/boysenberry/Syrah/jammy bit fumey/alcoholic some toasty/oak finish w/ some soft tannins; very much on the overripe side, lacks structure & acidity, and not evolving well. Costigan mystery wine.


More pedantry from TheBloodyPulpit:

1. Rosenblum: I have, of course, followed KentRosenblum from the very start. These three '04's were appalling wines. Way too alcoholic & over-the-top & overextracted....goopy messes. Kent sold to Diageo in 2008, so these were made under his regime. And time has not been kind to these wines. The Rockpile was a sorry best of this threesome. All three closed by a NeoCork, but no signs (that I could tell) of closure failure.
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2. BonnyDoon: I had another btl of this about two months ago and could hear the death-rattle in its breathing. This (last) btl was far/far better and in amazingly good condition for a 25 yr old Calif Grenache. Just a pretty/pretty/delicate old wine that's playing well above its pay-grade.
This was a wine that was harvested on the day of the LomaPreita earthquake on Oct 17. As I recall the story, the grapes had just come into the wnry when the earthquake struck.
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3. Boheme: What a shame this wine was. When I was out there a yr ago, I got together w/ KurtBeitler and walked some of his vnyds. We sat out on a picnic table & tried his current releases and then finshed up w/ this QueSyrah '05. It was absolutely spectacular..one of the best mature Calif Syrahs I've had. Kurt was so excited by it they we stopped of at his TaylorRidge home to grab another btl that he wanted me to share w/my group. This was that btl. Ohhh well...$hit happens.
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4. Phelps Syrah: They were, of course, the ones who started it all when they made their '73 Syrah from a badly virused FrenchSyrah vnyd of the ChristianBros in StHelena. The wine was not very good and set the market back for Syrah in Calif probably 10 yrs. Made by WalterShug, it was made like his Pinots w/ a ton of charred/toasty/Fr.oak & a real paucity of Syrah fruit. Phelps never really did very good w/ Syrah, nothing of the stature of the Insignia. Whatta shame because CraigWilliams knows how to make great wine. When their Monterey plantings came on-line, there was a (small) up-tick in their quality; but Phelps never was a real player in the Syrah game.
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5. Vernay: Another couple of very disappointing Vernays. Both of these Syrahs were hard as nails and I doubt they'll evolve into anything really profound. His good stuff (Viognier) is very/very good but way overpriced. Not a producer I'm tempted to rebuy.

TomHill

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