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.

 

Oz/French Rhones (mostly)
Tasted this week some Oz/French Rhones:
Columbia Crest Cote de Columbia ColumbiaVlly Grenache (13.0%) '94: Med.light color; oaked/dusty/earthy bit smokey light strawberry/Grenache nose; light some buttery/ oaked earthy/dusty bit tart/thin weak Grenache/strawberry flavor; short tart/thin bit metallic light strawberry finish w/ little tannins; rather unthrilling.
Basedow of the Barossa Barossa Bush Vine Grenache (13.5%; 10% CabernetSauv) '96: Med.light color; bit H2S/SO2/matchstick some fragrant/aromatic/perfumed talc light strawberry nose; tart spicy strawberry/Grenache light oaked light fruit flavor; med.short light strawberry bit thin/metallic light oaked finish w/ little tannins; rather simple and not worth $12.00
Tim Adams The Fergus Clare Valley Grenache (14.5%) '97: Med.color; very strong Grenache/ strawberry very spicy some dusty/eucalyptus/oaked nose; soft lush strawberry/spicy/ Grenache/clean flavor; med.long spicy/strawberry/Grenache slight dusty/menthol finish w/ light tannins; pleasant bit simple Grenache much like the BD Clos du Gilroy.
Charles Cimicky Gnarled Vine grenache Barossa Vlly (14.4%) '97: Dark color; intense strawberry/blackberry/Grenache dusty/old vines complex nose; soft rich very strong blackberry/strawberry/cassis/cherry liquer spicy slightly bitter light oaked flavor; long intense strawberry/Grenache/cherry liquer/blackberry slight bitter finish w/ some tannins; a big juicy Grenache w/ an almost liquer character. Good value at $18.00
Henschke Johann's Garden Bush Vine Grenache (14.4%; 80% Grenache, 10% Mourvedre, 10% Shiraz) '96: Med.dark color; some minty/menthol/eucalyptus/oaked intense strawberry/blackberry/Grenache/licorice complex/dusty nose; tart/spicy strong blackberry/strawberry/licorice/Grenache some menthol/eucalyptus/oaked bit dusty/ old vine flavor; med.long very spicy/strawberry/Grenache bit menthol/oaked finish w/ light tannins; very nicely done balanced Grenache but not worth $37.00
Noon Winery Eclipse (65% Grenache, 35% Shiraz; 16.3%) '97: Black color; very intense licorice/chocolaty/plummy/strawberry/blackberry/Grenache complex/dusty/old vine perfumed/cassis light oaked nose; soft rich chocolaty/licorice/plummy/strawberry/ blackberry/Grenache very intense balanced light menthol/oaked loads of fruit flavor; very long intense strawberry/blackberry/cassis/licorice/chocolaty/ruhbarb almost appley/juicy light menthol/oak finish w/ fair tannins; carries the alcohol well and no hot or late harvesty character; stunning Grenache & worth $35.00
Domaine du Colombier Crozes-Hermitage Cuvee Gaby (12.5%) '96: Med.dark color; rather stinky/fecal/diaper pail/pungent/H2S/reduced smokey/tarry nose; soft weak pungent/smokey/tarry rather dilute/washed out flavor; very short weak/tarry finish w/ no tannins; just vanishes on the palate; inept winemaking or grapes. Way overpriced at $20.00
Alain Graillot Crozes-Hermitage (12.5%) '97: Very dark color; bit green/herbal/ green olive rather toasty/charred/smokey/roasted/complex dusty nose; excruciatingly acid/grapefruity rather herbal/green olive some pungent/smokey/tarry/roasted flavor; long hard very acid/grapefruity some pungent/roasted/smokey finish w/ some tannins; needs age badly but not sure enough fruit is there; a very good classic Graillot nose but very hurtey on the palate.
J.L.Chave St.Joseph Offerus (12.5%) '97: Black color; bit closed dusty/earthy/ smokey/pungent bit roasted light blackberry/Syrah almost Calif-style nose w/ some toasty oak; tart bit lean light strawberry/Syrah/blackberry some spicy bit thin flavor; tart some thin/lean light strawberry/Syrah bit pencilly/oaked finish w/ some tannins; fragrant nose but lacks lushness & richness; reminds me much of the Eberle Syrahs. Not worth $30.00 even w/ Chave on the label.
Robert & Patrick Jasmin Cote-Rotie (12.5%) '96: Med.dark color; intense tarry/ pungent/roasted/smokey bit fecal/stinky/diaper pail/reduced nose; tart some tarry/ roasted/pungent/charred/smokey bit fecal/diaper pail little fruit flavor; med.long tarry/roasted/charred/pungent bit fecal/funky very tart finish w/ some tannins; at last a Jasmin w/ some extract but not sure just what an extract of; a pretty weird/funky wine w/ some interesting things therein.
Marienberg South Australia Shiraz Reserve (13.0%) '95: Med.dark color; strong oaked/menthol/eucalyptus strong blackberry/Syrah/very peppery nose; tart spicy bright strawberry/blackberry/Syrah some menthol/oak/eucalyptus flavor; med.long bit smokey bright rich strawberry/blackberry spicy menthol/oaked finish w/ some tannins; an attractive juicy Aussie Syrah at a good price. $15.00
Peter Lehman The Barossa Barossa Shiraz (14.0%) '96: Very dark color; very intense blackberry/boysenberry/Syrah/licorice some Am.oaked/vanilla/toasty nose; soft rich lush intense blackberry/boysenberry/Syrah/licorice very spicy loads of fruit some menthol/vanilla/oaked nose; very long very spicy blackberry/boysenberry/Syrah some eucalyptus/menthol/vanilla/oaked finish w/ some tannins; loads of intense Syrah fruit; needs several yrs; great Shiraz at a great price.
Clarendon Hills Brookman Vnyd Shiraz (14.0%) '97: Very dark color; very strong walnutty/green chile/herbal/SantaBarbara Syrah dusty/complex nose; tart very herbal/ walnutty/green olive complex dusty/earthy very extracted some blackberry/Syrah flavor; huge extracted very herbal/walnutty/SBSyrah/green olive almost vegetal very dusty/earthy finish w/ ample tannins; verrrrry weird Shiraz for an Aussie; lots of SantaBarbara herbal/olive/walnutty character; needs much age but no telling where this wine will go; not worth $65.00
Clarendon Hills Piggott Range Vnyd Shiraz (14.5%) '97: Black color; riper licorice/ chocolaty/blackberry/Syrah some herbal/walnutty/green olive some earthy/dusty complex nose; softer extracted intense licorice/chocolaty/blackberry/Syrah/black cherry some herbal/walnutty some dusty/earthy/complex charred/oak flavor; very long extracted tannic chocolaty/licorice/blackberry/Syrah some herbal/walnutty toasty/oaked finish w/ ample tannins; needs 4-10 yrs; some of the SBSyrah character but more fruit to it; still a bit on the weird side for Oz Shiraz; not worth $77.00
Qupe Hillside Estate Santa Barbara Cnty Bien Nacido Hillside (13.5%) Syrah '95: Very dark color; very strong toasty/oaked/pungent/smokey some blackberry/Syrah bit complex nose; strong toasty/oaked/pungent/smokey bright blackberry/Syrah very spicy some complex flavor; very long strong toasty/charred/oaked pungent/smokey strong blueberry/Syrah bit earthy finish w/ some tannins; surprisingly drinkable; nose develops a bit of the walnutty character in the glass w/ airing; lots of toasty Fr.oak & lots of blueberry/Syrah flavor.
Jade Mtn Mt.Veeder Paras Vnyd (14.5%) Syrah '96: Med.color; strong Calif/Syrah/ blackberry very spicy bit meaty/complex/dusty come toasty/Fr.oak/pencilly nose; tart very spicy toasty/Fr.oaked ripe blackberry/Syrah some pungent/smokey flavor; very long tannic very spicy blackberry/meaty/Syrah/black cherry some charred/toasty/ Fr.oaked very spicy finish w/ fair tannins; needs 2-5 yrs; lots of spicy blackberry/ black cherry fruit.
Arnoldo Caprai Sagrantino di Montefalco '94: Med.light color; slight musty/earthy some licorice/pungent/dried rose petal oaked old Zin-like some complex nose; tart lean hard rich dusty/earthy/pungent/smokey complex some violets/rose petal floral flavor; med.long hard earthy/dusty/pungent smokey floral/rose petal some oaked old-Zin finish w/ some tannins; still neds a few yrs; much like an older Zin.

And the usual sermon from the bloody pulpit delivered w/ purple-stained tongue:
The RightReverend Hill has preached on the glories of Grenache as a world-class variety of Cabernet/Pinot/Syrah quality from this pulpit before. Many of those from Australia, many from Tarragona and Priorat in Spain, a little estate in the Rhone known as Ch.Rayas, and AlbanVnyds & AndrewMurray in Calif are all wines I'd drink any day over Arajuo or Screaming Eagle or Latour. In claim in 10 yrs from now Calif will be known for Grenache as well as they are for Syrah (at least amongst the cognesenti that KNOW about the glories of Calif Syrah). The NoonEclipse was a stunning wine, the first late harvest Grenache I've ever had. No reason in the world that Calif can't make a wine like that, or like a Banyuls. No reason at all. It WILL be done.
The Alain Graillot Crozes-Hermitage has always been one of my favorite wines; loads of roasted/Hermitage character, much better than its appellation would warrant. This '97 was not one of them!!
The two Clarendon Hills Shirazs were certainly atypical. They are wines that need to breathe in the glass as you drink them. They both had a strong walnutty/herbal green olive character I sometimes find in SantaBarbara Syrah; specifically the Lane Tanner ones and the Qupe HillsideEstate. So I was provoked by Blair Swartz to pull out one of my Qupe Hillsides. It was not so strong as a recalled the last time I had it.
The Sagrantino was Howard&Rhoda's mystery wine. We had had one last Fall, brought back by friends from Italy, that was badly corked. Howard couldn't stand the thought that bad thought may be harbored in the group on one of his favorite varieties; so he brought this one. I thought it (blind) to be a rather tannic old Zin, from about '87 or '88 vintage.
The Aussie wines were pretty impressive. They, as a group, struck me as a bit more balanced and less overwhelmed by Am.oak has they have been in the past.