Archaeological Edmunds St. John & Ramonet

M

Mike Klein

Mike Klein
I dropped by my wine locker today and couldn't help noticing two dusty boxes on the lower level that looked abandoned. Laying on top were two bottles of ESJ Mourvedre and I think the vintage was '86. I asked up front about purchasing them but apparently the widow of the original owner hadn't decided what she wanted to do with the the remaining few cases of wine in the locker. Too bad - I would have loved to try one.

On a more mundane note, the '01 Ramonet Chassagne Ruchottes continues to be delicious without a hint of rot, exoticism, premox or any other nonsense. Just gorgeous balance, mid-life fruit and a little mint.
 
originally posted by Mike Klein:
Archaeological Edmunds St. John & RamonetI dropped by my wine locker today and couldn't help noticing two dusty boxes on the lower level that looked abandoned. Laying on top were two bottles of ESJ Mourvedre and I think the vintage was '86. I asked up front about purchasing them but apparently the widow of the original owner hadn't decided what she wanted to do the the remaining few cases of wine in the locker. Too bad - I would have loved to try one.

On a more mundane note, the '01 Ramonet Chassagne Ruchottes continues to be delicious without a hint of rot, exoticism, premox or any other nonsense. Just gorgeous balance, mid-life fruit and a little mint.
Click to expand...

If that's the Mourvedre from Brandlin Mount Veeder, beg her for it. Trust me on this one.
 
originally posted by Christian Miller (CMM):
originally posted by Mike Klein:
Archaeological Edmunds St. John & RamonetI dropped by my wine locker today and couldn't help noticing two dusty boxes on the lower level that looked abandoned. Laying on top were two bottles of ESJ Mourvedre and I think the vintage was '86. I asked up front about purchasing them but apparently the widow of the original owner hadn't decided what she wanted to do the the remaining few cases of wine in the locker. Too bad - I would have loved to try one.

On a more mundane note, the '01 Ramonet Chassagne Ruchottes continues to be delicious without a hint of rot, exoticism, premox or any other nonsense. Just gorgeous balance, mid-life fruit and a little mint.
Click to expand...

If that's the Mourvedre from Brandlin Mount Veeder, beg her for it. Trust me on this one.
Click to expand...

I didn't look that closely but it could have been. I'll certainly try to make an offer to the owner next week.
 
originally posted by Mike Klein:
originally posted by Christian Miller (CMM):
originally posted by Mike Klein:
Archaeological Edmunds St. John & RamonetI dropped by my wine locker today and couldn't help noticing two dusty boxes on the lower level that looked abandoned. Laying on top were two bottles of ESJ Mourvedre and I think the vintage was '86. I asked up front about purchasing them but apparently the widow of the original owner hadn't decided what she wanted to do the the remaining few cases of wine in the locker. Too bad - I would have loved to try one.

On a more mundane note, the '01 Ramonet Chassagne Ruchottes continues to be delicious without a hint of rot, exoticism, premox or any other nonsense. Just gorgeous balance, mid-life fruit and a little mint.
Click to expand...

If that's the Mourvedre from Brandlin Mount Veeder, beg her for it. Trust me on this one.
Click to expand...

I didn't look that closely but it could have been. I'll certainly try to make an offer to the owner next week.
Click to expand...

And do remember about sharing and karma.
 
The '86 is from Brandlin, and quite special. I drank my last bottle roughly 3 years ago. It was lovely, and definitely on its descent, though not in any hurry. Better storage may yield slightly better results. I hope if it's the '86 you saw, that you can get a chance to enjoy it. For the record, though no one seemed to be asking these questions in those days, the grapes were organically farmed, by two really special old guys who did everything by hand, and the wine had only a little SO2 added , maybe 20-25 parts, total. Watching Francois Peyraud taste this wine from barrel, in February of '87, it was my pleasure to observe that when he raised the glass to his nose, his eyes opened dramatically wider, then, exhaling a long sigh, as his eyes rolled upward, and closed, blissfully, he whispered "la terre parle...," giving words to the sense I had of the wine, that I was being shown by it what wine was supposed to be. It was my 2nd harvest, and I'd made the picking decision for myself, for the first time, and felt blessed by my exceptional good luck.
 
Wow, now I really need to try harder to get in touch with the owner. Thanks very much for the information Steve and Christian - it is much appreciated.
 
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