Impressions 12-1-21

Florida Jim

Florida Jim

Florida Jim
Wine Impressions 12-1-21

2019 Dirty & Rowdy, Syrah Brosseau Vineyard - in the lightweight style so typical of D&R with old world Syrah aromas and flavors. If served blind, it would be hard to pick this as domestic. Still has room to improve in the cellar but is yummy now. With beef roast, all one could hope.

2020 Vincent, Gamay - the fruit of a good Morgon but the focused elegance I find in many Vincent wines. Ready now or later and excellent with green beans, mushrooms, cipollini onions, boiled potatoes and left over beef roast.

2015 Corte dei Venti, Brunello di Montalcino (magnum) - smooth, polished Brunello with one foot in the old world and one in the new. Quite aromatic and open considering it’s youth and format. Really fine with truffle Mac and cheese, and, charming by itself.

2018 Dom. Vissoux, Fleurie Poncie - not fully ready but so good now it seems pointless to wait. That doesn’t mean I won’t but it won’t be easy. Superb Fleurie.

2012 Cowan Cellars, Ribolla Gialla - skin-fermented and the color (copper) shows it. A spicy, aromatic wine that is resolved and complex. Every bottle I open seems better than the last.

2010 Cowan Cellars, Syrah Bennett Valley - decanted off moderate sediment; initial nose and flavors are of 100% dark chocolate and soil; no fruit, sweetness or nuance; savory only. As it airs, it acquires dark fruit in the mouth with hints of red fruit, ash tray and black pepper but it’s still savory. The nose evolves with mole sauce and wild strawberry hints added to the Baker’s chocolate aromas.
Structure is solid, tannins fine but evident and a bit drying on the finish. Needs food.
After eleven years, this is a very different wine - a wine that was fruit forward and exuberant in its youth, this evolution is fascinating.
The development of this bottle over two hours suggests this wine is just getting started. 13.3 abv.

2019 Birichino, Cinsault Bechthold Vineyard - medium to light weight but still intense aromas and flavors; all manner of red fruits with touch of earthy accents. One of the most versatile red wines in my cellar; yum.

Best, Jim
 
thank you Jim
being a little shy with west coast wines in the cellar, and knowing I really liked the reds I have had from Dirty and Rowdy, and a short lived venture in Sandlands that I thought was a real mess of a wine, even though I know one should not judge a winery on one wine, and being fond of run on sentences, other wineries that fall along the line followed by Dirty and Rowdy?
 
Mark,
Dirty & Rowdy has closed but Hardy is making wine under the Extradimensional label, including a 100% Mourvèdre from Evangelho Vineyard, which I always thought was the class of the D&R wines so my recommendation is to try those if you can find them, which is hard because they only sell on mailing list and the wines sell out very quickly; of course, if you visit the western mountains of NC or the west coast of FL I would be pleased to open any and all that I have and let you judge for yourself about some of the more esoteric domestics.
As for Sandlands, I have had excellent bottles and others I didn’t understand or care for. They lost a Napa Chenin vineyard which made wonderful stuff but the seldom seen Syrah from Santa Lucia Highlands is a nice drop.
I would also sample the wines of Idlewild (mostly Italian varieties), Enfield, Arnot/Roberts, Ryme, Birichino Cinsault from Lodi, Piedrassasi Syrahs and several others I can’t think of right now.

But above any of these, try the single vineyard Pinots from an Oregon winery called Vincent Wine Company. Their other wines are also excellent but the vineyard designated Pinots are special and long lived.

Best, Jim
 
originally posted by Florida Jim:
...try the single vineyard Pinots from an Oregon winery called Vincent Wine Company. Their other wines are also excellent but the vineyard designated Pinots are special and long lived.

Best, Jim
Click to expand...

With the added sentimental bonus that Vincent Fritzsche was a wineboard guy who used to post here.
 
originally posted by Florida Jim:
Mark,
Dirty & Rowdy has closed but Hardy is making wine under the Extradimensional label, including a 100% Mourvèdre from Evangelho Vineyard, which I always thought was the class of the D&R wines so my recommendation is to try those if you can find them, which is hard because they only sell on mailing list and the wines sell out very quickly; of course, if you visit the western mountains of NC or the west coast of FL I would be pleased to open any and all that I have and let you judge for yourself about some of the more esoteric domestics.
As for Sandlands, I have had excellent bottles and others I didn’t understand or care for. They lost a Napa Chenin vineyard which made wonderful stuff but the seldom seen Syrah from Santa Lucia Highlands is a nice drop.
I would also sample the wines of Idlewild (mostly Italian varieties), Enfield, Arnot/Roberts, Ryme, Birichino Cinsault from Lodi, Piedrassasi Syrahs and several others I can’t think of right now.

But above any of these, try the single vineyard Pinots from an Oregon winery called Vincent Wine Company. Their other wines are also excellent but the vineyard designated Pinots are special and long lived.

Best, Jim
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There aren't so many folks making wines in the same style as Hardy. His wines have always struck me as being sort of in the Pfifferling school. The Martha Stoumen wines have a similar vibe and are worth checking out.
 
Jim,
Chanterelle?
Little help . . .

BTW, all of my suggestions were not in the Hardy style - should have been clearer about that.
Of the Stoumen wines, which have gotten your attention?
 
originally posted by Rahsaan:
originally posted by Florida Jim:
Jim,
Chanterelle?
Little help . . .
Click to expand...

I'm guessing he meant Eric Pfifferling of Domaine l'Anglore.
Click to expand...
Thanks; went over my head.
Considering all the esoteric bottles I’ve had I’m a little amazed I’ve not had his wine.
 
originally posted by Florida Jim:
originally posted by Rahsaan:
originally posted by Florida Jim:
Jim,
Chanterelle?
Little help . . .
Click to expand...

I'm guessing he meant Eric Pfifferling of Domaine l'Anglore.
Click to expand...
Thanks; went over my head.
Considering all the esoteric bottles I’ve had I’m a little amazed I’ve not had his wine.
Click to expand...

Yes, l'Anglore. Jim, you really should try one of this Tavels. You left us Bay Area folks to fend for ourselves, but if you're ever back out here, perhaps we can find time to open one.

My tasting experience with Stoumen is not extensive. If I were sending you a three-pack (sorry, don't wait by the door), I'd do the Post-Flirtation red, one of the Carignans, and the Vermentino.
 
Jim,
I looked up his wines on wine-searcher, including the Tavel - it appears that the kindness of others may be my only chance. He, or his agent, is mighty proud of those.
I had Martha’s wines early on but haven’t for some time. I’ll look around.
Best, Jim
 
originally posted by Florida Jim:
Jim,
I looked up his wines on wine-searcher, including the Tavel - it appears that the kindness of others may be my only chance. He, or his agent, is mighty proud of those.
I had Martha’s wines early on but haven’t for some time. I’ll look around.
Best, Jim
Click to expand...

The WS prices for l'Anglore are secondary inflation. I pay about $40 for the Tavel, which is a fair price for the wine.
 
originally posted by Jim Hanlon:
originally posted by Florida Jim:
Jim,
I looked up his wines on wine-searcher, including the Tavel - it appears that the kindness of others may be my only chance. He, or his agent, is mighty proud of those.
I had Martha’s wines early on but haven’t for some time. I’ll look around.
Best, Jim
Click to expand...

The WS prices for l'Anglore are secondary inflation. I pay about $40 for the Tavel, which is a fair price for the wine.
Click to expand...

Remarkable.
Do you buy in Europe or . . .
(I assume ‘secondary inflation’ means the middle man.)
 
The WS prices for l'Anglore are secondary inflation. I pay about $40 for the Tavel, which is a fair price for the wine.
Click to expand...

I'm in Paris now - I saw the '18 l'Anglore Terre d'Ombre on the list at Le Servan last night for 36 euros. To the best of the my knowledge, the wines are released in the spring early summer and sell out quickly here, but there's a caviste around the corner from my place in the 3e that currently has 4-5 cuvees on the shelf in the 30 euro range.

I believe the secondary inflation you see on WS is driven mostly by a single retailer. If you're paying attention and have your wits about you, new releases show up in select retailers in New York over the summer and can be had for under $50.

BTW, Aaron Ayscough (paywalled) and Bert Celce have both recently posted interviews with Eric Pfifferling that get heavily into technical questions. I'd be curious if the comparison with Hardy's wines was grounded in more than stylistic similarities.
 
fillay,
I could only read the Celce piece which is mostly about Rose and, as yet, Hardy does not make one of those.
I see similarities and differences but the overall philosophy strikes me as in tune.

As to soils, Hardy would know - I don’t. All organic.
Hardy works in a custom crush (shared facility); Eric does not.
Hardy told me once that harvesting grapes reminds him of cooking steaks; always get the grapes off just before they’re done and let them rest. He harvests at night so they arrive chilled to the winery.
For reds, no sulphur, additives or commercial yeast; no de-stemming; foot tread.
Very light pressing,
Elevage in old wood, concrete eggs and possibly stainless (although I’m unsure of that).
No fining, filtering, additives, etc.
I assume limited sulphur at bottling but don’t know.

While Hardy does not own vineyards, the amount of time he spends in them is disproportionate to the amount of time in the winery. I suspect he is buying per acre not by the ton, hence he gets to do what he wants with the vines and fruit.

All of this information is several years old and accumulated when he was making for Dirty & Rowdy - D&R has since closed.

I offer this not by comparison (having never had any of Eric’s wines; Mr. Hanlon made the comparison comment) but so that you can make your own.

Best, Jim
 
The l'Anglore "Vejade" (which I believe is 100% Mourvedre) is sometimes reminiscent of some of my favorite D&R bottlings, particularly the (typically just a little darker than rose) Especial. It's red fruited, fresh, bright, and delicious in all the right ways, yet hard to find and sometimes a bit pricey stateside.

The La Clarine "Cedarville" Mourvedre is another bright red-fruited thing that has some stylistic affinity to D&R. It's usually around $25-30 at retail I think. It can be pretty high in acidity and I've seen some polarized reactions to it on the wine interwebs, but the couple of vintages I've had it I thought it was great. Pretty sure the winemaker there is a friend of Hardy's.

Finally, Jim--Hardy did make a couple of roses in the last D&R vintage (an MSG blend and a Syrah from Brousseau vineyard). They're both great too!
 
Marty,
Rose, too; how about that?
And yes, Hank and Hardy are friends.

Have you tried any of the Extradimensional stuff?
 
originally posted by Marty L.:
The l'Anglore "Vejade" (which I believe is 100% Mourvedre) is sometimes reminiscent of some of my favorite D&R bottlings, particularly the (typically just a little darker than rose) Especial. It's red fruited, fresh, bright, and delicious in all the right ways, yet hard to find and sometimes a bit pricey stateside.
Click to expand...

I've heard Hardy express appreciation for the Vejade, which is perhaps what connected his work with Pfifferling for me. I don't want to speak for Hardy, though, because he speaks very well for himself!
 
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