The Pastor Is My Shepherd

[Oswaldo Costa]

Following Scott's trustworty recommendations from the Jos Pastor portfolio, ably enabled at Chambers by Chris Barnes.

2003 Seoro de P. Pecia Rioja Crianza 13.0%
Dill and cherry aromas. Acid surprisingly stronger than fruit before food, but good balance afterwards. Grippy tannins. Ripe, ma non tropo, especially given the vintage. Tasty, and effortlessly downed. Perhaps the best cost/benefit of the three. My first bottle of this impressed me more, but that may be because I had lower expectations.

2009 Seoro de P. Pecia Rioja Cosecha 13.5%
The CSW site calls this Joven but I dont see the word on the label. Choco-cherry aromas with medicinal (iodine) overtones. Good acidity, a bit hot. Not entirely satisfying, at least not before the embalming effect of food, because of a rather fast decay, but found a nice groove once paired.

2005 Federico Ribera del Duero Crianza 12.5%
Lots of rich and deep sour cherry laced with unbretty leather mixed with surprisingly dilly vanilla (I expected French oak, given that its Ribera). Satisfying mouth weight, grippy tannins, lively acidity. A well put together package that delivered more than the Pecias, but at almost three times the price of the preceding.

 

[VLM]

Overstated the case on these.

 

[Ian Fitzsimmons]

originally posted by Oswaldo Costa:
The Pastor Is My Shepherd ...

I always thought this was a rather Marxian metaphor, considering that shepherd sheers his sheep annually and eventually eats them.

 

[Oswaldo Costa]

2003 Seoro de P. Pecia Rioja Crianza 13.0%
Had another of these last night, and while the acidity remained adequate, this time the flavor of American oak was firing on all cylinders. Speaking of American wood, I wonder if anyone has ever made bottis from sequoias. No staves needed, just slice and carve.

 

[SFJoe]

Large redwood cooperage was very traditional in California. But made from staves, sadly.

 

[MLipton]

originally posted by SFJoe:
Large redwood cooperage was very traditional in California. But made from staves, sadly.

Ridge was still using them until fairly recently, IIRC. In fact, didn't Paul Draper go on record as saying that he liked the character that they imparted to certain wines? As a friend and former colleague quoted Kurt Mislow on the subject of Linus Pauling's theories about ascorbate: "If the Master says so, who am I to disagree?"

Mark Lipton

 

[scottreiner]

originally posted by VLM:
Reiner
Overstated the case on these.

damn, there goes what little street cred i had...

 

[John Kafarski]

originally posted by scottreiner:

originally posted by VLM:
Reiner
Overstated the case on these.

damn, there goes what little street cred i had...

You are working in the hinterlands now, you can pull the wool over the eyes of the wine consumers in the Garden State without ever fearing loss of credibility.

 

[Tom Glasgow]

originally posted by John Kafarski:

originally posted by scottreiner:

originally posted by VLM:
Reiner
Overstated the case on these.

damn, there goes what little street cred i had...

You are working in the hinterlands now, you can pull the wool over the eyes of the wine consumers in the Garden State without ever fearing loss of credibility.

like hell

 

[VLM]

originally posted by scottreiner:

originally posted by VLM:
Reiner
Overstated the case on these.

damn, there goes what little street cred i had...

I didn't say they weren't good, but I think both you and John overstated the case just a bit.