Florida Jim
Florida Jim
Impressions 4-15-21
2014 Piedrasassi, Red Wine Harrison Clarke Vnyd. - a Ballard Canyon vineyard that produces a wonderful Mourvèdre and good Syrah; I don’t know the proportions. Opens with a shower curtain smell that blows off quickly; lots of depth to the nose and flavors, not as nuanced as say, a D&R Mourvèdre but excellent purity and intensity. Should age long term but ready now.
2009 Ladd Cellars, Pinot Noir Cuvée Abigail - there is no doubt this is Sonoma Coast Pinot; that sauvage element comes thru clearly; concentrated and well balanced such that at 12, it gives indications of being able to last and develop another dozen years. I liked this in its youth, I love it now.
2012 Leo Steen, Chenin Blanc “The Steen” - Jurassic Vineyard fruit. A wine that I think is past it’s best, although, maybe it will find another drinking window; hard to say. Clear Chenin tones but starting to muddy a little and the finish is shorter than I remember. For several years, this was a terrific wine but it seems smaller now. Fortunately, my last bottle.
2005 Bjornstad, Pinot Noir Van der Kamp Vnyd. - at 16, this is in full flower - open, generous, crunchy acids, complex and long. Considerable sediment so decanting needed but the wine is vital, lively, nuanced and intense. Not even a hint of age, other than its layers. A nice find from the back of the cellar.
2011 Cowan Cellars, Mourvèdre Rose - at 10, the only real difference from release is its softer. Not a great wine but solid, fun to drink and more expressive than I would have thought. With aged Manchego, just right.
2010 Clos de Mez, Morgon - the most tannic Beaujolais I’ve ever had. That said, it’s good with a pasta and red sauce dish but that it took 11 years to get here is not a selling point.
2019 Dirty & Rowdy, Chenin Blanc Orange Wine Brosseau Vineyard - does your life include sound-bytes, speed-dating, texting rather than talking; are you and your significant other ships passing in the night? Or do you read, sit and talk with your spouse/significant other, maybe even hold hands; do you do the NYT crossword?
Well, if you’re on the go, you probably don’t want this wine; it won’t like you. If your more measured and patient, then you’ll be just fine with this bottle.
At present, it’s a barrel sample and isn’t giving much more than phenolic cider - and don’t think decanting is going to help - it doesn’t. But if you put these bottles aside (my guess would be 5 years minimum) you’re going to get a nice surprise.
Orange wines grow slowly. This has sediment (it’s cloudy) and some very interesting nuances. But this absolutely requires time; to fill out, to calm that phenolic character while developing its own, and, to make its layers available to the contemplative taster.
Your choice.
I made orange wines for 5 years and they all needed 5-8 years to get going - all are still going strong and developing even at 10 and beyond. My choice is to bury these with confidence that they will reward patience.
2018 Cowan Cellars, Ribolla Gialla - a bright, fruit forward, clean wine that makes a great aperitif or accompaniment for lighter fare. Quite nice. Fresh.
2016 Louis Michel, Vaillons - when those of us who have dreams about Chablis dream, this is what we dream about. Rich, precise, au pointe, long. ‘Finest kind. (And to those who dis the vintage - this wine makes clear that vintage generalizations are misleading, at best.)
Oh my!
2014 Idlewild, Grenache Gris - served with pork, bean purée on toast with fried sage and Caesar salad; ridiculously good. I have championed this wine for years (so grain of salt) but tonight it was exactly right. Deep, subtle, grippy, so delicious. And it has developed unlike any Rose wine I know - it’s incarnation tonight makes me think aging it was a good thing. I have only one bottle left and it will likely outlive me . . . well, I’ll likely drink it first. Really strong and, IMO, one of the best wines Sam ever made.
2010 Cowan Cellars, Isa - (100% skin-fermented Sauvignon Blanc) In 2011, about a week after we bottled the 2010 Isa, we found several topping-wine kegs that had not made it into the bottling run. I hand bottled them, unfined, unfiltered and un-racked and stuck the bottles in a closet. Yesterday, 10 years later, I opened the first, decanted it off the lees and it was beautiful - brass color, crazy fresh and even more flavorful than the released version - ten years on the lees makes a difference. And I’ve got 6 cases to add to my cellar. Little victories.
Best, jim
2014 Piedrasassi, Red Wine Harrison Clarke Vnyd. - a Ballard Canyon vineyard that produces a wonderful Mourvèdre and good Syrah; I don’t know the proportions. Opens with a shower curtain smell that blows off quickly; lots of depth to the nose and flavors, not as nuanced as say, a D&R Mourvèdre but excellent purity and intensity. Should age long term but ready now.
2009 Ladd Cellars, Pinot Noir Cuvée Abigail - there is no doubt this is Sonoma Coast Pinot; that sauvage element comes thru clearly; concentrated and well balanced such that at 12, it gives indications of being able to last and develop another dozen years. I liked this in its youth, I love it now.
2012 Leo Steen, Chenin Blanc “The Steen” - Jurassic Vineyard fruit. A wine that I think is past it’s best, although, maybe it will find another drinking window; hard to say. Clear Chenin tones but starting to muddy a little and the finish is shorter than I remember. For several years, this was a terrific wine but it seems smaller now. Fortunately, my last bottle.
2005 Bjornstad, Pinot Noir Van der Kamp Vnyd. - at 16, this is in full flower - open, generous, crunchy acids, complex and long. Considerable sediment so decanting needed but the wine is vital, lively, nuanced and intense. Not even a hint of age, other than its layers. A nice find from the back of the cellar.
2011 Cowan Cellars, Mourvèdre Rose - at 10, the only real difference from release is its softer. Not a great wine but solid, fun to drink and more expressive than I would have thought. With aged Manchego, just right.
2010 Clos de Mez, Morgon - the most tannic Beaujolais I’ve ever had. That said, it’s good with a pasta and red sauce dish but that it took 11 years to get here is not a selling point.
2019 Dirty & Rowdy, Chenin Blanc Orange Wine Brosseau Vineyard - does your life include sound-bytes, speed-dating, texting rather than talking; are you and your significant other ships passing in the night? Or do you read, sit and talk with your spouse/significant other, maybe even hold hands; do you do the NYT crossword?
Well, if you’re on the go, you probably don’t want this wine; it won’t like you. If your more measured and patient, then you’ll be just fine with this bottle.
At present, it’s a barrel sample and isn’t giving much more than phenolic cider - and don’t think decanting is going to help - it doesn’t. But if you put these bottles aside (my guess would be 5 years minimum) you’re going to get a nice surprise.
Orange wines grow slowly. This has sediment (it’s cloudy) and some very interesting nuances. But this absolutely requires time; to fill out, to calm that phenolic character while developing its own, and, to make its layers available to the contemplative taster.
Your choice.
I made orange wines for 5 years and they all needed 5-8 years to get going - all are still going strong and developing even at 10 and beyond. My choice is to bury these with confidence that they will reward patience.
2018 Cowan Cellars, Ribolla Gialla - a bright, fruit forward, clean wine that makes a great aperitif or accompaniment for lighter fare. Quite nice. Fresh.
2016 Louis Michel, Vaillons - when those of us who have dreams about Chablis dream, this is what we dream about. Rich, precise, au pointe, long. ‘Finest kind. (And to those who dis the vintage - this wine makes clear that vintage generalizations are misleading, at best.)
Oh my!
2014 Idlewild, Grenache Gris - served with pork, bean purée on toast with fried sage and Caesar salad; ridiculously good. I have championed this wine for years (so grain of salt) but tonight it was exactly right. Deep, subtle, grippy, so delicious. And it has developed unlike any Rose wine I know - it’s incarnation tonight makes me think aging it was a good thing. I have only one bottle left and it will likely outlive me . . . well, I’ll likely drink it first. Really strong and, IMO, one of the best wines Sam ever made.
2010 Cowan Cellars, Isa - (100% skin-fermented Sauvignon Blanc) In 2011, about a week after we bottled the 2010 Isa, we found several topping-wine kegs that had not made it into the bottling run. I hand bottled them, unfined, unfiltered and un-racked and stuck the bottles in a closet. Yesterday, 10 years later, I opened the first, decanted it off the lees and it was beautiful - brass color, crazy fresh and even more flavorful than the released version - ten years on the lees makes a difference. And I’ve got 6 cases to add to my cellar. Little victories.
Best, jim