California Rhones
Tasted some New California Rhones the other night:
Qupe Santa Barbara County Ibarra-Young Vineyard Marsanne (12.5%) '97: Med.yellow color; fragrant floral/appley/honeysucklt bit oaked nose; tart bit lean/metallic floral light honeysuckle spicy flavor; med long tart lean/metallic honeysuckle/floral light oaked finish; as it warms up really develops a perfumed/fragrant/very floral almost Alsatian/PinotGris nose; a lovely white at a great price.
Jaffurs Santa Barbara County Stolpman Vineyard Roussanne (13.7%) '97: Med.gold color; fragrant floral/perfumed talc slight smokey/OscarMeyer weiner nose; tart citric/ grapefruity yet rich & lush perfumy/floral very spicy flavor; long tart/citric lush floral/perfumy finish; a big rich lush white w/ a hard/lean/tart edge to it; really becomes fragrant/aromatic as it warms.
Jaffurs Santa Barbara County Bien Nacido Vineyard Viognier (13.9%) '97: Med.gold color; fragrant/floral/ lovely pear/Viognier some peachy slight smokey/complex light oak nose; soft rich huge lush floral/pears/Viognier slight minerally flavor; long lush rich very pear/Viognier/floral light peachy/orange blossom spicy/smokey finish; almost a hair-oil/GWT character; a beautiful rich Viognier w/ some acidity & structure.
Ojai Vineyard Calif Roll Ranch Vineyard Viognier (13%) '97: Med.gold color; big lush peachy/Viognier/pears aromatic nose; rich lush peach/pear/Viognier very perfumed bit hard/hot/metallic flavor; med.long bit lean/hot perfumed peach/pear/Viognier spicy finish; very good Viognier w/ structure but a bit hot; not show as well tonight as the 6 other times I've had it.
Alban Vineyards Alban Estate Grenache (14.1%) '95: Very dark color; intense blackberry/ strawberry some dusty/smokey/oaked/licorice bit stemmy nose; tart rich lush very intense strawberry/blackberry/Grenache dusty/toasty/Fr.oak some tannic/astringent flavor; very long tannic/hard loads of strawberry/blackberry/Grenache some dusty/ toasty finish; needs 3-6 yrs; a huge fruit bomb of a Grenache but w/ great backbone & structure; much like old vine/Aussie Grenache w/o the overwhelming Am.oak; fabulous wine.
Alban Vineyard Edna Valley Alban Estate (14.3%) Grenache '96: Black color; very intense blackberry/strawberry/blueberry licorice toasty/Fr.oak perfumed nose; rich tart very intense strawberry/blackberry lush some tannic/hard toasty/smokey/Fr.oak flavor; very long bit hard/tannic loads of strawberry/blackberry/Grenache fruit some toasty/Fr.oak dusty finish; needs 3-8 yrs, a bit less intense fruit and a bit more harder/tannic; a killer wine, world-class Grenache.
Hartley-Ostini Santa Ynez Valley Fess Parker Vineyard (13.8%) Syrah '96: Dark color; strong pencilly/toasty/smokey/Fr,oak some gamey/blackberry/Syrah nose; tart bit lean very strong toasty/pencilly/smokey/Fr.oak rather gamey/blackberry flavor; long some lean/hard/tannic very toasty/smokey/Fr.oak finish; tastes much like their PN but more richness & extract; very interesting Syrah at a good price.
Dehlinger Russian River Valley Estate (14.5%) Syrah '95: Black color; intense licorice/ chocolaty/gamey/blackberry Syrah dusty nose; slight bretty intense blackberry/ gamey/Syrah some toasty/smokey/oak fairly tannic flavor; very long tannic intense blackberry/Syrah/gamey light smokey/toasty/complex finish; needs 4-10 yrs; best Dehlinger Syrah by far and world-class.
Ojai Vineyard Calif Syrah (14%) '96: Very dark color; beautiful toasty/gamey/black- berry/Syrah spicy/smokey/complex nose; tart very spicy/gamey/lush/ripe strong blackberry/Syrah complex/dusty/pungent flavor; very long complex gamey/blackberry/ Syrah tart dusty/pungent/smokey bit roasted/espresso finish; a beautiful beautiful Syrah & a steal at $17.00
Wild Horse Paso Robles James Berry Vnyd (12.8%) Syrah '95: Very dark color; intense strawberry/Syrah some brett/smokey/oak nose; very tart spicy rich strawberry/Syrah slight smokey/oak/brett/funky flavor; very long complex spicy bright strawberry/ Syrah some brett/smokey/oak tart tannic finish; needs 4-10 yrs; seems a bit shrill because of the acidity but will age very well; much like the early Eberle/Estrella Syrahs but more extract.
Alban Vineyard Edna Valley Alban Estate/Reva (13.6%) Syrah '96: Black color; intense very spicy smokey/gamey/blackberry/SYrah complex nose; tart very spicy roasted/ smokey/pungent intense blackberry/Syrah/gamey/lush flavor; very long intense blackberry/gamey/Syrah very spicy some toasty/peppery/pungent/roasted finish w/ fair tannins; needs 2-6 yrs; not as lush & fruit driven as the '95 but bit more lean & complex & Rhonish; terrific Syrah for the price.
Alban Vineyard Edna Valley Alban Estate/Lorraine (14.1%) Syrah '95: Black color; very intense chocolaty/blackberry/blueberry/Syrah licorice/peppery bit stemmy/herbal nose; big huge extracted tannic smokey/roasted intense blackberry/blueberry/Syrah light toasty flavor; very long intense blackberry/blueberry/Syrah smokey/roasted/ dusty bit herbal finish w/ ample tannins; a big huge extracted complex Syrah that needs 5-15 yrs; killer stuff.
Ojai Vineyard Santa Barbara County Stolpman Vineyard Syrah (14%!!) '96: Black color; intense dusty bit stemmy/walnutty some blackberry/Syrah toasty/smokey/Fr.oak nose; hard intense extracted tannic some walnutty/herbal blackberry/Syrah/dusty/earthy flavor very long extracted walnutty/blackberry/Syrah some toasty/smokey/pungent finish w/ ample tannins; needs 5-15 yrs; a big hard tannic Syrah.
Ojai Vineyard Santa Barbara County Roll Ranch Vineyard Syrah (13%) '96: Black color; intense licorice/perfumed/blackberry/Syrah very gamey intense fruit some dusty/smokey nose less hard loads of blackberry/Syrah gamey dusty/pungent flavor; very long ripe blackberry/gamey/Syrah dusty very framboise-like pretty tannic flavor; needs 5-10 yrs; terrific rich extracted Syrah.
Ojai Vineyard Santa Barbara County Bien Nacido Vineyard (13%) Syrah '96: Black color; very intense blackberry/Syrah/gamey dusty/roasted/smokey/pungent rather Rhone-like nose big huge rich extracted blackberry/gamey/Syrah dusty/roasted/smokey/complex tannic flavor; very long lingering extracted very blackberry/gamey/Syrah bit herbal rather smokey/roasted/pungent tannic finish; incredible Syrah.
Havens Carneros Syrah '92: Med.dark color; very strong bretty/smokey/roasted dusty/horsecollar fairly lush/blackberry/Syrah nose; soft rather brettyhorsecollar very gamey some blackberry/Syrah complex flavor; long some bretty/horsecollar/ funky some gamey/blackberry/Syrah finish w/ some tannins; in great shape & maturing well; very French in character. $Larry's mystery wine
Domaine Bernard Chave Hermitage (12.5%) '94: Med.dark color; rather herbal almost vegetal smokey/complex/roasted/espresso dusty/earthy nose; tart hard very roasted/ espresso/smokey/bacon fat/complex NorthernRhone flavor; very long roasted/espresso smokey/pungent/dusty light Syrah finish w/ some tannins; a beautiful classic Northern Rhone & ready to drink. $Howard's mystery wine
David Bruce Santa Cruz Mountains Estate Syrah (13%) '96: Black color; intense dusty/ boysenberry almost Zin-like very juicy/blackberry bit volatile/stemmy nose; rich intense blackberry/juicy toasty SCM/earthy dusty some roasted/charred/oak flavor; very long intense juicy/blackberry/framboise rather toasty/charred/pungent/oak finish w/ fair tannins; neds 2-6 yrs; big ripe juicy Syrah almost like a Zin; terrific Syrah from his first crop of 2 barrels. $Gary's mystery wine.
And the usual pompous pronouncements from the bloody pulpit:
1. An absolutely killer tasting; maybe the best one I've had all year. It used to be I had trouble rounding up enough people to taste Calif Syrah/Rhones. No more; the word's getting out that Rhones is where it's at in Calif. In a few yrs, WS & RP will figure it out, too.
2. The whites: I served them all at usual white wine temperatures, not particularly cold. They all seemed hard & lean & austere on the palate & not particularly aromatic. Once they warmed up to cool room temperature/red wine temperature; they were all beautiful aromatic/perfumey wines like I expected. These should best be served at a red wine temperature, in the low 60's. I've already preached the glories of Viognier & Roussanne in Calif. I also think Marsanne is a real sleeper. Not particularly exciting when young, with 4-5-6-10 yrs of age, they can take on the lovely nutty/hazelnutty/slightly oxidized character & become very complex beautiful wines.
3. Alsatian GWT is one of the real glories of the vinous world. I've only had one Calif GWT that every held a candle to Alsatian stuff, a Davif Bruce '79 (yeah, yeah.... I know.... Novarro, Storrs, Claibourne&Churchill make good GWT... but just that.... barely) and have long wondered why they can't/won't make great DRY Alsatian GWT in Calif, a la Zind-Humbrecht/Schoffit/Weinbach/etc. The winemakers always seem to leave so much residual sugar in them (even the "dry" ones) that they are very tiring to drink at meal. When questioned, they always mumble the same old song about how GWT won't sell. Of course it won't... not the way they make it.
So, anymore, I don't really give a r*ts a$$ if they don't make great GWT. I've got Viognier & Roussanne for an aromatic/perfumey white wine to drink. I find more and more, when I would normally have an Alsatian GWT or Tokay/PG, I reach for a Calif Roussanne or Viognier. And, of course, when I want a really GREAT white, it'll be Condrieu!!
4. Grenache: I've already sung the praises before of John Alban's Grenache. It's a variety that makes world class red wine. John's now is in that class. People seem to snort "$28 for a Calif Grenace??". But it is worth it, I feel. Even though you can still get world-class Aussie Grenache for less than that.
5. By now, the word's been out about what great Syrah (and other varieties) Adam & Helen Tolmach are making at Ojai Vnyds. Here's hoping RP naver makes it down to OakView from the Cabo-centric NapaVlly. These prices are all pre-release prices direct from the wnry. Some of these Syrahs have not yet been released to retail, so will become available there this Fall.
This is the first time I've tasted all his Syrahs side-by-side, under good conditions, since the Wine Cask Futures tasting. And what a stunning set they are. The Calif Syrah is just getting better & better; a real steal in a wine. At the Futures tasting, I thought the Stolpman was a bit on the lighter side. Visiting w/ Adam afore Raisin'Rhones, he pulled out a bottle to convince me otherwise. He was, of course, right. It's a huge wine. The Stolpman Syrah is not that old. With a few more yrs, we're going to be seeing some stunning Syrah (and other Rhones) from Stolpman.
So Adam has 3 great sources of Syrah. The Stolpman seems to give a bit harder and leaner & less fruit-driven Syrah. The RollRanch seems to give more pure Syrah/blackberry more monochromatic Syrah. And the Bien Nacido Syrah, from the same Hillside block that the Qupe Hillside comes from, seems to be more polychromatic (sounds sorta like Randall Graham now!!), more pungent/roasted more complex character. Truly one of the world's great Syrah vnyds.
6. The Dehlinger Syrah: In the past, their Syrahs have tasted like.... well... Syrah made by a PinotNoir producer. A bit heavy on the pencilly/toasty oak & not that big & extracted. With this '95 Estate Syrah, Dehlinger has moved into the top tier of Calif Syrah producers. It's stunning Syrah. Too bad it's so scarce.
7. Santa Cruz Mountain Syrah: The David Bruce is terrific Syrah. The first crop off his estate after replanting due to a bad Pierce's disease infection; only 2 barrels were made. Marty Mathis' Kathyrn Kennedy Syrah '96 is also a killer Syrah. Clearly, like Carneros, Santa Barbara, Edna Vlly; the SantaCruz Mtns has the capability to produce great, world-class Syrah. They need MORE plantings of Syrah up there.... lots more!!
8. The early Alban Syrahs were not that impressive, but showed potential. They were pretty hard, lean, tannic, bit heavy on the toasty/Fr. oak. With the '95 vintage, John Alban really had it all figured out and became one of the top Syrah makers in Calif. The '96 only adds to that reputation; first class Syrah. Actually, those first ones are turning into pretty attractie wines. John knew more back then about winemaking than I gave him credit for!!
He makes 2 different Syrahs... the Reva (named after his mom) and the Lorraine (named after his recent wife). The first Lorraine was made in '95 in a very small amount & most of it was consumed, apparently, at his wedding party & little got out into retail channels. The Lorraine comes primarily from a southern-most block on his property, and the Reva from an adjacent block just to the north. Since, presumably, John will not be having another wedding this year; there should be more of the '96 Lorraine to go around, when it's released.
There is a third Syrah block, as yet unnamed, that originally was a root-stock block of the vnyd, that has been slowely grafted over to Syrah. This has gone to Augie Hug and (I believe) a few others. With a little one on the way for the Albans, one can probably guess the name of this block. And then there is the Seymour block (named for his father) way up on the top of the hill of his property, directly under the power lines (which causes problems, government-wise, for the workers due to EMF emissions), planted mostly to Grenache, not yet producing. And he even has a vnyd planted down the road to..... Chardonnay... but doesn't seem particularly proud of that fact; so mum's the word!! Lots of exciting things going on at Alban vnyds and lots more great wines to come.
9. The Wild Horse Syrah was about the second most impressive Paso Robles Syrah I've had..... his '94 James Berry being the most impressive. The James Berry vnyd, located up on Willow Creek Rd on the WestSide, just off Hwy 46, is a vnyd to keep your eyes on. It's going to be producing some great wines down the road, I feel. They have other Rhone varieties planted there, in addition to the Syrah.
