Wine impressions 9-13-22

Florida Jim

Florida Jim

Florida Jim
Wine Impressions 9-13-22

2015 Piedrasassi, Red Wine Harrison-Clarke Vineyard - 50/50 Syrah/Mourvèdre from Ballard Canyon; rich, nuanced, fruit driven and long. The more age this gets the more engaging it becomes. Very fine.

2021 Vinatigo, Rosado de Listan Negro - from the Canary Islands; light, bright, slightly vegetal and delicious. A purity without weight.

2019 Piñon, Vouvray Sec - crackling acidity, wet stones and a white pepper accent to lovely, clear white fruit. Has more concentration than expected but is light on its feet.

2018 Picq, Chablis Dessus La Carriere - unmistakably Chablis with focus and a presence in the mouth. Seems like it will last a long time but drinking well now.

2020 Maje’, Pigato - floral, fruity and a touch of herbs, maybe a hint of mint in the mouth and, in some ways, reminds me of Vermentino. Nice.

2020 Luis Pato, Maria Gomes - fresh orange zest with a mineral edge and citrusy fruit. More body in the mouth than the nose indicates and quite tasty.

2016 Cowan Cellars, Syrah Bennett Valley - really, really good with chocolate!

2019 Pepiere, Clisson - real concentration and texture here with great acids and floral/white fruit smellies and flavors. Bigger than most Muscadet but balanced and delicious.

2021 Vinatigo, Marmajuelo - smells and tastes much like Muscat; not my favorite but well made and quite good with food.

2019 Vincent, Pinot Noir Ribbon Ridge - always good

2019 Vincent, Pinot Noir Temperance Hill - more complex than the preceding wine and still a little tight but still a feminine, elegant Pinot.

2019 Louis Michel, Chablis Montmain - vivid, crystalline, fruit filled, all supported by an underlying chalk/oyster shell note. Great wine.

2021 Vinatigo, Gual - reminds me some of Albariño but it’s looser and more complex than most Albariño. An interesting grape that I’d not had before.
(These Canary Island wines will definitely get your attention.)

2020 Clos Cibonne, Rose Cuvée Tradition - precise, fruit driven but graceful; as easy to drink as any wine could be. Yum.

Best, Jim
 
Jim, your opportunity to sample such a wide variety of wines is enviable...and surprising if you're still in the mountains of NC.

. . . . . . . Pete
 
originally posted by Peter Creasey:

Jim, your opportunity to sample such a wide variety of wines is enviable...and surprising if you're still in the mountains of NC.

. . . . . . . Pete
Click to expand...
I rely upon the generosity of friends.
 
originally posted by Florida Jim:
originally posted by Peter Creasey:

Jim, your opportunity to sample such a wide variety of wines is enviable...and surprising if you're still in the mountains of NC.

. . . . . . . Pete
Click to expand...
I rely upon the generosity of friends.
Click to expand...

So the Mountain is not a desert?
 
Not over rich or over ripe. And not like Texier.
More in line with good St. Joseph in my opinion, but this wine’s proportions take it out of an all Syrah type.
I had the chance to component taste this wine before it was bottled; the Syrah was excellent but the Mourvèdre was other worldly - I wish it had been bottled stand alone.
FWIW, I’ve tasted many of the Piedrasassi stand alone Syrahs and all are good wines; the Rim Rock is often the class of the field.
And somewhere I heard that Sashi was going to get X block Syrah from Bien Nacido but I’ve never seen a bottle - that would be interesting.
Best, Jim
 
originally posted by Florida Jim:
Not over rich or over ripe. And not like Texier.
More in line with good St. Joseph in my opinion, but this wine’s proportions take it out of an all Syrah type.
I had the chance to component taste this wine before it was bottled; the Syrah was excellent but the Mourvèdre was other worldly - I wish it had been bottled stand alone.
FWIW, I’ve tasted many of the Piedrasassi stand alone Syrahs and all are good wines; the Rim Rock is often the class of the field.
And somewhere I heard that Sashi was going to get X block Syrah from Bien Nacido but I’ve never seen a bottle - that would be interesting.
Best, Jim
Click to expand...

There is a Piedrasassi Bien Nacido Syrah now. Worth checking out.

I like all the wines. There are three single vineyard Syrahs -- one from Santa Rita Hills, the Rim Rock, and Bien Nacido. They are in a different lane from ESJ, but that's basically true of everyone in California. More fruit driven, but the fruit is well balanced and there are other terroir elements. With no recent vintages of ESJ Syrah, I've turned mostly to Piedrasassi.

Another to look for is the Holus Bolus wines (sometimes labeled as "Black Sheep Finds"), also from Santa Rita Hills. Their Roussanne from Bien Nacido is cool wine too.
 
Jim,
Bien Nacido, X-block is pretty notorious and I suspect that designation would appear on the label if the fruit was sourced there.
Do you know the block where Sachi’s Bien Nacido comes from?
 
originally posted by Florida Jim:
Jim,
Bien Nacido, X-block is pretty notorious and I suspect that designation would appear on the label if the fruit was sourced there.
Do you know the block where Sachi’s Bien Nacido comes from?
Click to expand...

It’s from X and Z. You should check it out.
 
originally posted by Jim Hanlon:
originally posted by Florida Jim:
Jim,
Bien Nacido, X-block is pretty notorious and I suspect that designation would appear on the label if the fruit was sourced there.
Do you know the block where Sachi’s Bien Nacido comes from?
Click to expand...

It’s from X and Z. You should check it out.
Click to expand...
Thanks, I will.
 
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