Edmunds St. John 2009 Gamay Noir Ros Bone-Jolly Witters (El Dorado County) Raspberry and something in the peach realm, deft and light and gripping the palate as loosely as possible. Deft but not dodgy, light but not ethereal; very present without being insistent. (5/10)
Edmunds St. John 2008 Gamay Noir Barsotti Ranch Porphyry (El Dorado) A stark, bare rock face of minerality with some tart, rhubarb/raspberry-ish fruit. Ungenerous and light, but long. Id like to see this one again after some time in the cellar; a little erosion would be welcome. (5/10)
Edmunds St. John 2007 That Old Black Magic (El Dorado County) Steves wines arent always this approachable in their youth, but the surplus here doesnt come at the cost of overall balance or integrity. Dark, deep, a little brooding, and quite solidand yet light and lively despite the gravitic press. Dark fruit, dark soil, dark carpeting. Really, really good. (5/10)
Kalin 1997 Sauvignon Blanc Reserve (Potter Valley) The opposite of fresh, and I mean that as a compliment. The entire metals section of the periodic table might be in evidence here. Such concentration, force, and presenceand yet, edging just up to the border of what the wines balance will tolerate, and no more. Dissipates into a liquid dust as it finishes. The only negative is a butterscotched character that lingers as a bagpipe drone through the breadth of the experience. But theres so much else to like that its easy to accept, though not ignore. (7/10)
Copain 2007 Syrah Tous Ensemble (Mendocino County) 14.2%. Very weighty and Californian, though appealing in that genre. Hot blue fruit, hot purple texture, hot black soil. Syrah, but only barelythough theres structure and, eventually, the weight settles in. I suspect this will be better after a few years, but its not my thing now. (5/10)
Ridge 2006 Lytton Springs (Dry Creek Valley) I taste each new vintage of Ridges flagship zinfandels with an increasing sense of despair. Not because the wines are bad theyre not, though there is the occasional vintage-by-vintage failure but because theyve become so anonymously tiring. Here we have bubblegummy fruit (not fully grenache-like, but still), coconut, toast, and a ton of obvious alcohol. Nothing to set it apart from dozens of other reasonable-quality zinfandels from the appellation. Wheres the singular character? Wheres the structure? Yes, this is a very young wine from a site that usually demands extended (for zinfandel) aging, but this is not the Lytton Springs of old in quality or character. (5/10)
Bonny Doon 2009 Clos de Gilroy Grenache (Monterey County) Simple-minded strawberry bubblegum, raspberry, and doofusberry. Yes, thats a new fruit. Not heavy but still managing to show its alcohol. Quite drinkable with aggressively-flavored animal parts and a switched-off brain, but the least bit of thought or attention leads to unpleasant reactions. (6/10)
Amador Foothill 2006 Zinfandel Clockspring (Shenandoah Valley) 14.5%. Very straightforward zinnish fruit: generous wild berries, a little feral, some pepper, a brief spike of alcohol on the encephalograph. Simple. Could be more ofsomething. Anything. (Hopefully not alcohol.) But OK. (6/10)
Lincoln Peak 2008 Marquette (Vermont) For a Vermont wine this is pretty good. Which means that, in the greater pantheon, its OK. Not all that foxy, but showing the slightly gelatinous fruit of the genre, here cut with enough acid for balance. Easygoing and nice to drink. (7/10)
Markham 2005 Merlot (Napa Valley) Solid dark fruit. Enough structure. Made from grapes. (5/10)
Pozzan Annabella 2007 Merlot Special Selection (Napa Valley) Over-toasted (assuming there are barrels involved; I dont want to over-presume), charredthe Starbucks dark roast of merlot. (5/10)
Murrietas Well 2004 Meritage (Livermore Valley) 51% cabernet sauvignon, 21% merlot, 18% petite verdot, 10% cabernet franc. Solid, straightforward, entirely decent. Dark fruit inhabiting the cassis/blackberry/black cherry range, medium-weight structure, a welcome note of green leaf and black pepper, but mostly about forward fruit and early generosity. Not overoaked, which is a blessing. Gets a little cumbersome late, and I think the wines future is portended by that tardy clumsiness. (5/10)
Beringer 2004 VPS White Zinfandel/Chardonnay Premier Vineyard Selection (California) 80% white zinfandel, 20% chardonnay. Childrens fruit gum, hand sanitizer, NyQuil, stale butter, minor sweetness. A little foxy, in a Welchs green grape juice sort of way, with acetic acid following. Actually tastes like wine, which is a surprise at this stage. Ive tasted worse. There: praise. (5/10)
Gallo Wild Vines Blackberry Merlot (Origin Unknown) Fruit of the Loom, but a few days after you ate the fruit. Fake, fake, fake. Contains 0% juice it says it right on the label and sweet. A scoop-and-mix fruit drink, at best. (5/10)
Edmunds St. John 2008 Gamay Noir Barsotti Ranch Porphyry (El Dorado) A stark, bare rock face of minerality with some tart, rhubarb/raspberry-ish fruit. Ungenerous and light, but long. Id like to see this one again after some time in the cellar; a little erosion would be welcome. (5/10)
Edmunds St. John 2007 That Old Black Magic (El Dorado County) Steves wines arent always this approachable in their youth, but the surplus here doesnt come at the cost of overall balance or integrity. Dark, deep, a little brooding, and quite solidand yet light and lively despite the gravitic press. Dark fruit, dark soil, dark carpeting. Really, really good. (5/10)
Kalin 1997 Sauvignon Blanc Reserve (Potter Valley) The opposite of fresh, and I mean that as a compliment. The entire metals section of the periodic table might be in evidence here. Such concentration, force, and presenceand yet, edging just up to the border of what the wines balance will tolerate, and no more. Dissipates into a liquid dust as it finishes. The only negative is a butterscotched character that lingers as a bagpipe drone through the breadth of the experience. But theres so much else to like that its easy to accept, though not ignore. (7/10)
Copain 2007 Syrah Tous Ensemble (Mendocino County) 14.2%. Very weighty and Californian, though appealing in that genre. Hot blue fruit, hot purple texture, hot black soil. Syrah, but only barelythough theres structure and, eventually, the weight settles in. I suspect this will be better after a few years, but its not my thing now. (5/10)
Ridge 2006 Lytton Springs (Dry Creek Valley) I taste each new vintage of Ridges flagship zinfandels with an increasing sense of despair. Not because the wines are bad theyre not, though there is the occasional vintage-by-vintage failure but because theyve become so anonymously tiring. Here we have bubblegummy fruit (not fully grenache-like, but still), coconut, toast, and a ton of obvious alcohol. Nothing to set it apart from dozens of other reasonable-quality zinfandels from the appellation. Wheres the singular character? Wheres the structure? Yes, this is a very young wine from a site that usually demands extended (for zinfandel) aging, but this is not the Lytton Springs of old in quality or character. (5/10)
Bonny Doon 2009 Clos de Gilroy Grenache (Monterey County) Simple-minded strawberry bubblegum, raspberry, and doofusberry. Yes, thats a new fruit. Not heavy but still managing to show its alcohol. Quite drinkable with aggressively-flavored animal parts and a switched-off brain, but the least bit of thought or attention leads to unpleasant reactions. (6/10)
Amador Foothill 2006 Zinfandel Clockspring (Shenandoah Valley) 14.5%. Very straightforward zinnish fruit: generous wild berries, a little feral, some pepper, a brief spike of alcohol on the encephalograph. Simple. Could be more ofsomething. Anything. (Hopefully not alcohol.) But OK. (6/10)
Lincoln Peak 2008 Marquette (Vermont) For a Vermont wine this is pretty good. Which means that, in the greater pantheon, its OK. Not all that foxy, but showing the slightly gelatinous fruit of the genre, here cut with enough acid for balance. Easygoing and nice to drink. (7/10)
Markham 2005 Merlot (Napa Valley) Solid dark fruit. Enough structure. Made from grapes. (5/10)
Pozzan Annabella 2007 Merlot Special Selection (Napa Valley) Over-toasted (assuming there are barrels involved; I dont want to over-presume), charredthe Starbucks dark roast of merlot. (5/10)
Murrietas Well 2004 Meritage (Livermore Valley) 51% cabernet sauvignon, 21% merlot, 18% petite verdot, 10% cabernet franc. Solid, straightforward, entirely decent. Dark fruit inhabiting the cassis/blackberry/black cherry range, medium-weight structure, a welcome note of green leaf and black pepper, but mostly about forward fruit and early generosity. Not overoaked, which is a blessing. Gets a little cumbersome late, and I think the wines future is portended by that tardy clumsiness. (5/10)
Beringer 2004 VPS White Zinfandel/Chardonnay Premier Vineyard Selection (California) 80% white zinfandel, 20% chardonnay. Childrens fruit gum, hand sanitizer, NyQuil, stale butter, minor sweetness. A little foxy, in a Welchs green grape juice sort of way, with acetic acid following. Actually tastes like wine, which is a surprise at this stage. Ive tasted worse. There: praise. (5/10)
Gallo Wild Vines Blackberry Merlot (Origin Unknown) Fruit of the Loom, but a few days after you ate the fruit. Fake, fake, fake. Contains 0% juice it says it right on the label and sweet. A scoop-and-mix fruit drink, at best. (5/10)