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.

 

Rhones
In order to "hit the ground running" at Hospice du Rhone next month, tasted thru some French/oz/Calif Rhones last night:
Noel Verset Cornas (12.5%) '96: Med.dark color; classic roasted/bacon fat/smokey/ NorthernRhone/earthy fairly complex nose; very tart/lean bit thin some smokey/ bacon fat/pungent/espresso almost grapefruity kind of hurtey flavor; med/short very tart/lean rather tannic light smokey/roasted/bacon fat finish; a classic NorthernRhone/roasted nose but a mean little wine on the palate; probably will turn into a nice/fragrant little wine w/ a few yrs age.
Clape Cornas (13%) '96: Dark color; rather dusty/smokey/pungent/earthy slight roasted nose; softer but rather hard/lean some dusty/pungent bit smokey/roasted somewhat dilute/diffuse flavor; med.long earthy/dusty slight smokey finish w/ some tanins; needs several yrs; bit softer & rounder than the Verset but still on the lean & narrow side; some like SantaBarbara Syrah in character.
Eric & Joel Durand Cornas (12.5%) '96: Very dark color; lovely complex/roasted/coffee/ espresso/bacon fat some mushroomy/pungent/earthy bit herbal/vegetal nose; tart bit lean much richer smokey/pungent/earthy some roasted/bacon fat/espresso bit green olive/herbal/SantaBarbara flavor; med.long toasted/roasted/mushroomy/earthy some roasted/espresso/bacon fat bit green olive/herbal finish w/ some tannins; needs 2-4 yrs; easily the best of these 3 Cornas; bit pricey at $33.50
Edmunds St.John Rocks & Gravel Calif RTW (EdPallini Mendocino Grenache + Durell Sonoma Valley Syrah; 14.2%) '97: Very dark color; very attractive pungent some toasty/oaked/ smokey/earthy some strawberry/fragrant/perfumed nose; soft/round some toasty/smokey/ oaked fairly lush/forward/spicy rather strawberry/grapey flavor; med.long soft/lush forward some toasty/smokey/oaked light pungent/strawberry finish w/ light tannins; a very likable/up-front/spicy/lush red but w/o the usual peppery/complex character and structure of his LesCotesSauvages.
Neyers Napa Valley Syrah Hudson Vnyd/Carneros (15.2%) '97: Black color; very strong toasty/smokey/oaked rather pungent/licorice/earthy slight blackberry/boysenberry complex/spicy/cloves/thyme nose; big huge extracted strong/toasty/oaked pungent/ licorice some blackberry/earthy/dusty spicy/cloves flavor w/ slight hotness; very long big/extracted rather smokey/toasty/charred/oaked strong licorice/pungent complex light blackberry/Syrah finish w/ ample tannins; needs 4-10 yrs of age; a big/huge/brooding/extracted Syrah w/ lots of toasty Fr.oak; terrific.
Truchard Carneros Napa Valley Syrah (14.3%) '97: Very dark color; very intense Syrah/ blackberry/juicy/boysenberry earthy very spicy some toasty/oaked clean nose; rich ripe juicy/boysenberry/blackberry/Syrah/spicy fairly lush light toasty/oaked flavor; very long bit tannic strong juicy/blackberry/Syrah/boysenberry light earthy/ toasty/oaked finish; needs several yrs; very well-made Syrah.
Lane Tanner Santa Ynez Valley JK Vnyd Syrah (13.8%) '97: Dark color; very fragrant/spicy/ aromatic some dusty/complex/peppery/licorice bit toasty/charred/oak nose; tart very spicy/complex/licorice some toasty/Fr.oaked/pungent light blackberry/Syrah flavor; very long very spicy/aromatic some toasty/oaked rather pungent/licorice/smokey light blackberry/Syrah finish w/ light tannins; very well-made Syrah at a good price. $20.00
AlbanVnyds Central Coast Syrah (14.5%) '97: Very dark color; very strong smokey/oaked/ toasty very ripe blackberry/Syrah some pungent/licorice lovely/complex nose; soft very lush ripe/blackberry/peppery/very spicy some vanilla/toasty/oaked flavor; lovely blackberry/peppery/very spicy vanilla/toasty/oaked licorice finish w/ light tannins; very well-made spicy Syrah at a great price. $18.00
Andrew Murray Santa Barbara Cnty Syrah Les Coteaux (13.5%) '97: Black color; strong fumey/volatile/EA very intense blackberry/Syrah/boysenberry grapey/late picked nose; tart bit citric bit fumey/hot intense/ripe/blackberry/Syrah light toasty/oaked bit over-the-top flavor; long very ripe/blackberry/Syrah bit hot/fumey late-picked finish w/ some tannins; a bit volatile but loads of intense Syrah fruit.
Andrew Murray Santa Barbara Cnty Syrah Roasted Slope Vnyd (5% Viognier; 13.5%) '97: Black color; very strong blackberry/boysenberry/Syrah some toasty/Fr.oaked rather aromatic/perfumed nose; rich very spicy/ripe/blackberry/Syrah some toasty/charred/ Fr.oaked slight bretty/earthy flavor; very long rather tannic strong blackberry/ boysenberry/Syrah some toasty/Fr.oaked slight earthy/bretty finish w/ some tannins; needs 2-4 yrs; more forward & drinkable than his previous Syrahs; outstanding.
Gregory Graham Napa Valley Syrah (13.2%) '97: Very dark color; beautiful very spicy/ aromatic blackberry/Syrah/peppery/cloves dusty/complex/truffly/earthy some vanilla/ toasty/oaked slight roasted nose; tart some gamey/meaty/sauvage/NRofaG strong ripe/ blackberry/Syrah/truffly/very spicy some peppery/earthy bit toasty/oaked flavor; very long very spicy/blackberry/Syrah/complex/truffly slight bretty some toasty/ vanilla/oaked lovely finish w/ light tannins; a lovely/complex very interesting Syrah.
Rosemont Estate Mountain Blue Mudgee Shiraz/Cabernet (14%; 10% CS) '96: Black color; very intense eucalyptus/menthol intense licorice/Syrah/spicy/blackberry fairly strong Am.oaked nose; soft very lush/ripe very intense eucalyptus intense blackberry/ boysenberry/Syrah somewhat vanilla/milky/Am.oaked flavor; very long ripe/lush intense eucalyptus/menthol intense blackberry/Syrah rather vanilla/oaked finish w/ some tannins; needs 2-5 yrs; a classic Aussie Shiraz w/ loads of eucalyptus character that a koala bear would die for. Fair price.
Rosemont Estate Balmoral Syrah McLaren Vale (14.0%) '96: Black color; beautiful/complex intense blackberry/boysenberry/Syrah very spicy/cinammon/cloves/oregano/thyme rather smokey/toasty/pungent nose; rich intense/mouthfilling/very complex boysenberry/ blackberry/Syrah some gamey/pungent/toasty/smokey very spicy flavor; very long/ lingering very spicy intense blackbery/boysenberry/Syrah pungent/smokey/toasty complex earthy/truffly finish w/ fair tannins; an incredible complex Syrah; as good, maybe better than the '93 Balmoral; actually more Calif in style than the flamboyant Aussie style; terrific killer Syrah.
Jim Barry The Armagh Clare Valley Shiraz (14.0%) '95: Black color; slightly corked/musty strong very Am.oaked/milky spicy/blackberry/complex perfumed nose; tart/tannic huge/ rich/mouthfilling strong toasty/milky/Am.oaked/minty/menthol intense blackberry/ Syrah slight gamey flavor; very long very hard/tannic/extracted strong milky/Am.oak/ menthol intense blackberry Syrah finish; needs much age; too bad about the slight corkiness but great intensity to the wine.
Aime et Michael Arnaud Domaine La Milliere Vielles Vignes Reserve (vinNonFiltre; 13%) '90: Med.light slight brick color; strange earthy/mushroomy bit Grenache/strawberry spicy somewhat aged bit roasted/earthy/dusty nose; soft bit bretty/horsecollar/ complex slight roasted/earthy/dusty aged CdP flavor; med.long slight tobaccoy/bretty/ roasted/horsecollar complex finish w/ little tannins; an interesting fully-mature slightly aged CdP. Larry's mystery wine.
M.Chapoutier Hermitage Monier de la Sizeranne (13.3%) '89: Very dark color; slight diaper pail/fecal nose clears to strong pungent/smokey/earthy/gamey/strong Syrah/ blackberry/licorice some pungent/roasted/smokey classic complex Hermitage nose; rich earthy/mushroomy/gamey/Syrah/licorice some roasted/smokey/coffee/toasted flavor; very long bit tannic classic Hermitage/licorice/pungent/blackberry/gamey some toasty/roasted finish w/ light tannins; still can use a few yrs but really developing into a lovely/classic Hermitage. Howard & Rhoda's mystery wine.

And the usual effluvium from a mind tainted w/ too much Syrah at the bloody pulpit:
When I removed the capsule from the LaneTanner Syrah, I glanced at it and noted that it was rather light in color & unusually homogeneous in marking. Gave it no mind, whipped out my LeverPull and broached the bottle w/ no trouble at all. But then when I peered closely at the "cork" in my paws there, I noticed it was NOT cork, it was (gasp) ARTIFCIAL!! But one like I'd never see'd afore. It had a kind of coarse, spongy texture on the inside and then an outer "skin" about 1 mm thick that was quite smooth, but a little "grippy" (not too unlike that garlic peeler tube thingy). This must be..... drums roll, loud huzzahs from the crowds.... Stu Yaniger's NEOCORK (TM). If that being so, this is the first commercial use I've seen of this new "cork" and I am mightly impressed. I hate the BoonyDoon/St.Francis CelluCork because of the (oftentimes) hideous/ugly colors but, more importantly, they're sooo tough to remove and they play havoc w/ the ScrewPull/LeverPull. This new "cork" is as easy, nay, maybe easier, to remove w/ my LeverPull as any "real" cork. If this be the wave of the future, the guys over in Portugal better be looking over their shoulders, 'cause the competition is gaining fast. I should add that I have NO commercial interest in NeoCork. But if you're reading this Stuart, any recompense for this ringing endorsement, in a 750ml size, w/ something like Ogier Cote-Rotie on the label, will NOT be spurned!! I'm partial to the '89 & '90 vintages, FWIW!
Steve Edmunds recently moved his wnry from back behind the Oaks Card Shop on San Pablo in lovely downtown scenic Emeryville, up to Berkeley. With that move must have come a name change in the winery?? It is whimsically labelled: "Produced&Bttld by Intuition & Blind Luck" !! Not quite sure how the BATF approved that label, it seems much too frivolous for those humor-challanged bureaucrats to approve.
Neyers Syrah: I have not been particularly impressed with the Syrahs from Lee Hudson's Carneros vnyd (jadeMtn, Neyers, Koongsgaard). They have had to me a kind of clunky/earthy character to them w/ not a lot of bright Syrah fruit, much like many of the Carneros Pinots. So I was fully prepared to be underwhelmed by this latest Neyers Syrah. Alas, I was quite struck by this wine. Still not a strongly fruit-driven Syrah like many Calif Syrahs and quite a bit of new toasty Fr.oak; it has an unusual pungent/licorice character that I sometimes find in very good Hermitage. By far, the best Carneros Syrah I've ever had and, by far, Bruce Neyers best Syrah yet. It'll be interesting to watch this wine age. Killer stuff.
Truchard Syrah: This has always been one of my favorite Calif Syrahs. Some of them (like the '95) have been on the funky/bretty side that has given them sort of a Rhonish character. This '97 was totally clean and loaded w/ a juicy blackberry/Syrah fruit that I really liked. It didn't seem quite as big & tannic on the palate as previous versions, but it should do well with age, I expect.
LaneTanner Syrah: I've always liked the LaneTanner Pinots as some of the classiest most Burgundian-style of Pinots from SantaBarbara. Her first two Syrahs ('96 and '97 SanLuisObispo/PasoRobles) were quite striking, very much like Syrahs made by a Pinot producer. This '97 SantaYnez is a much bigger Syrah; but it still has an elegance & class to it that brings Pinot to mind from all its aromatics; yet it is definitely Syrah. Very well made & yet another style of Syrah from Calif.
Alban CentralCoast Syrah: This is, I believe, John Alban's first Syrah made from non-Estate grapes. It is one of the best PasoRobles Syrahs I've tasted. Not quite as dense & structured as his two Estate versions; it is still distinctly JohnAlban Syrah. Alas, only some 3 barrels made and all went to Jeannie Eberle's distribution.
AndrewMurray Syrah: The Andrew Murray reds just keep getting better and better. These two versions are a bit more restrained/less tannic than previous versions, yet w/ that customary intense AndrewMurray Syrah fruit. To me, they seem to be gravitating more to the Aussie style os Shiraz, but w/ French oak rather than American. This is the third btl of the LesCoteaux I've tried. It has a bit high levels of volatile acidity/EA/fumey character. The first time I tried it I didn't care for it at all. Since then, I've really grown to like it. It is a bit of an over-the-top type of Syrah. But in the genre of a Ridge PasoRobles LatePicked Zin, it fits right in. It has a bit of a hotness on the palate due to the volatility and the 13.5% alcohol declaration on the label is.... a bit suspect! The RoastedSlope Syrah is much more mainstream AndrewMurray. It has a perfume and an aromoticity to it that I suspect comes from the Viognier addition. I've always sort of regarded the addition of Viognier to Syrah in Calif as sort of gimmicky; of trying to be a Cote-Rotie me-too sort of thing. Maybe there's something to it after all!
G.Graham wines: I have always been very impressed w/ Greg Graham's Viogniers (Knight's Valley and NapaVlly). I've usually preferred the Napa slightly over the Knight'sVlly and have regarded it as one of the best Viogniers made in Napa; loads of lush peachy/pear/Viognier fruit. This is Greg's first Syrah and a very well-made one it is. Not particularly big or structured, it has a lot of very interesting/spicy complexity to it. It reminds me a lot of the JadeMtn Mt.Veeder Syrah in the complexity it shows. Clearly, another Rhone producer to keep your eyes on. Can be found at: www.ggwine.com .
This was an absolutely terrific tasting of Syrahs. Almost makes me dread going to Larry Archibald's Cabernet/Bordeaux tasting Monday..... borrrring variety. But I will buck-up my will and go anyway. Besides, the opportunity to have LBD slobber and drool on my bare leg is too great an opportunity to pass up!! But I digress. What really struck me was the diversity in styles of these Syrahs. The French, always sort of stodgy and set in their ways, still make their great Hermitages and Cote Roties and have no reason to change. But the Aussie style seems to be diversifying a bit. Still that intense Syrah fruit, they seem to be toning down on the oak a bit; making more balanced & structured wines, than they ever have before. It ain't just only Grange anymore. And the Calif ones just keep getting better and better w/ their own diversity in style. Early on, they all seemed to go overboard on the new French oak. They are showing a lot more restraint nowadays. The styles range from elegant/classy/ perfumey Pinot-like Syrahs to intense blackberry fruit-driven Syrahs to pungent/ licorice/smokey Hermitage-like Syrah to over-the-top LatePicked/LateHarvest/Essence like Syrahs, and everything in between. Certainly, one's preference in style may vary, but they're all getting soooo bloomin' good. Thank God that RP and the Wine Spector are still clueless to the greatness of Syrah in California. Let them stay in their Cabernet/Chardonnay box, I say!!