Edmunds St. John 1995 Syrah Durell (Sonoma Valley) 14.4%. Such a deep purple its like drinking a Jon Lord keyboard solo. Still very structured, with fine balance but with its cards held very close to its chest. It takes about five minutes to unwind from a cranky and difficult opening, and then it just sits there, unchanging, for hours. And hours. A touch of volatile acidity eventually develops in the glass, but its minor and non-hyper-sensitives probably wont even notice it. Five to ten more years, at least, are required here; its certainly not in a generous mood at the moment. (3/10)
Ridge 1999 Geyserville (Sonoma County) 14.8%. Open 24 hours and tasted from a mostly empty bottle. Coconut oil, spicy earth, walnut, and chocolate. Good acidity. This is in a slightly weird state, and I have a disagreement with the source of the bottle; he thinks its ready to drink, I think its in need of more time. (3/10)
Edmeades 2000 Zinfandel Ciapusci (Mendocino Ridge) 15.9%. Blackberry-infused whiskey, prune, licorice, and coconut rum. This might as well be 25.9% for all the heat, burn, and fire it shows. The wine has always been a wallop in the head, but I dont think trying to age it was a good idea. (3/10)
Fromm La Strada 2002 Pinot Noir (Marlborough) The hyper-masculine aggression of this wine has really been shed over the last year or so, which is something I didnt expect to happen quickly or, in my more pessimistic moments, at all. Its still no delicate flower, for sure, but now both the flavors and the overall body are something more recognizable as pinot noir, albeit still far, far on the fringes of the weight thats typical from anyone else growing this grape in Marlborough. (Well, except maybe Glovers, but thats mostly about tannin.) The dusty, black-soiled elements are now met by freshening acidity, while a scowling array of berries must accept the presence of lighter, crisper elements in their midst. This wine, always so brutish in the past, is undergoing a fascinating transformation, but I wonder if Ill have the patience to wait this story out to its denouement; Ive only a few bottles left. (3/10)
Cedarville 2000 Zinfandel (El Dorado) 15.7%. Ive never had a Cedarville wine that I didnt think was too oaky for its own good, and this caused me to give up on the winery despite palates I trusted trying to convince me otherwise years ago. Based on this bottle, I kinda wish Id listened. The oak, once lavish, has integrated; its not gone by any means, but it is now just a partner to the vibrant, spicy, mountain-pine and fields-of-berries fruit. That fruit, however, is still fairly primary, and there are no disjointed elements to the structure, so I cant say that I think this is any danger of needing consumption. In fact, it might not even be ready yet. (3/10)
Scholium Project 2008 Naucratis Lost Slough (California) 16.3% California verdejo, and isnt there just bound to be a massive potential market for such a thing? Very spicy. Perfumed roses, lots of skin to the structure, huge, and very hot. This is served blind, and I get nowhere even vaguely close. How could I? (3/10)
Easton 2008 Cabernet Franc Monarch Mine (Sierra Foothills) Fairly generic California wine, in style: big, brawny, laden with dark fruit, and yet not quite tasting entirely of fruit as such. A hint of greenness to the significant tannin is the only sign of real differentiation from the norm. Maybe (much) time will help this, but its tedious to the extreme right now. (3/10)
Lagunitas 2010 Olde Gnarly Wine Barley Wine (California) 10.85% alcohol, and it shows every bit of it. I wouldnt say its imbalanced, exactly, because the alcohol doesnt stick out from the piercing, coppery intensity, but man does it go to the head fast. Very, very strong, in many senses of the term. Too much for me, frankly. (3/10)
Donaldson Family Main Divide 2005 Riesling (New Zealand) Fruity and a little aggressive, but the bones are just starting to show through the skin, and the wines picked up a brittleness it didnt have even a few months ago. I dont know if its closing or fading. (3/10)
Ridge 1999 Geyserville (Sonoma County) 14.8%. Open 24 hours and tasted from a mostly empty bottle. Coconut oil, spicy earth, walnut, and chocolate. Good acidity. This is in a slightly weird state, and I have a disagreement with the source of the bottle; he thinks its ready to drink, I think its in need of more time. (3/10)
Edmeades 2000 Zinfandel Ciapusci (Mendocino Ridge) 15.9%. Blackberry-infused whiskey, prune, licorice, and coconut rum. This might as well be 25.9% for all the heat, burn, and fire it shows. The wine has always been a wallop in the head, but I dont think trying to age it was a good idea. (3/10)
Fromm La Strada 2002 Pinot Noir (Marlborough) The hyper-masculine aggression of this wine has really been shed over the last year or so, which is something I didnt expect to happen quickly or, in my more pessimistic moments, at all. Its still no delicate flower, for sure, but now both the flavors and the overall body are something more recognizable as pinot noir, albeit still far, far on the fringes of the weight thats typical from anyone else growing this grape in Marlborough. (Well, except maybe Glovers, but thats mostly about tannin.) The dusty, black-soiled elements are now met by freshening acidity, while a scowling array of berries must accept the presence of lighter, crisper elements in their midst. This wine, always so brutish in the past, is undergoing a fascinating transformation, but I wonder if Ill have the patience to wait this story out to its denouement; Ive only a few bottles left. (3/10)
Cedarville 2000 Zinfandel (El Dorado) 15.7%. Ive never had a Cedarville wine that I didnt think was too oaky for its own good, and this caused me to give up on the winery despite palates I trusted trying to convince me otherwise years ago. Based on this bottle, I kinda wish Id listened. The oak, once lavish, has integrated; its not gone by any means, but it is now just a partner to the vibrant, spicy, mountain-pine and fields-of-berries fruit. That fruit, however, is still fairly primary, and there are no disjointed elements to the structure, so I cant say that I think this is any danger of needing consumption. In fact, it might not even be ready yet. (3/10)
Scholium Project 2008 Naucratis Lost Slough (California) 16.3% California verdejo, and isnt there just bound to be a massive potential market for such a thing? Very spicy. Perfumed roses, lots of skin to the structure, huge, and very hot. This is served blind, and I get nowhere even vaguely close. How could I? (3/10)
Easton 2008 Cabernet Franc Monarch Mine (Sierra Foothills) Fairly generic California wine, in style: big, brawny, laden with dark fruit, and yet not quite tasting entirely of fruit as such. A hint of greenness to the significant tannin is the only sign of real differentiation from the norm. Maybe (much) time will help this, but its tedious to the extreme right now. (3/10)
Lagunitas 2010 Olde Gnarly Wine Barley Wine (California) 10.85% alcohol, and it shows every bit of it. I wouldnt say its imbalanced, exactly, because the alcohol doesnt stick out from the piercing, coppery intensity, but man does it go to the head fast. Very, very strong, in many senses of the term. Too much for me, frankly. (3/10)
Donaldson Family Main Divide 2005 Riesling (New Zealand) Fruity and a little aggressive, but the bones are just starting to show through the skin, and the wines picked up a brittleness it didnt have even a few months ago. I dont know if its closing or fading. (3/10)