Ok, this was a really bad idea

L

Larry Stein

Larry Stein
I went to a wine lunch event yesterday. The theme was CA wines that show European-like balance (that is, no gobs). We brown-bagged them for shits and giggles.

I brought '01 ESJ Peay Vnyd. Syrah. I figured it would show some nice secondary characteristics, although like the majority of Steve's Syrah-based wines, it still wouldn't be fully mature.

Fully mature? Not even close. It was still a monster. Primary and tannic, but well-balanced. Give it another 20 years.

I have but a single bottle left (I only bought 2). I'm going to pretend it doesn't exist.
 
Thanks for this. Quite timely. I have one in the cellar and was thinking of opening soon. Will wait.

I recall about a year or so ago, Steve mentioned to me that he didn't like then wine: too ripe. Steve, am I recalling your views on the wine properly?
 
I love Steve's wines, but the '01 Peay Syrah is not really a representative bottle. IIRC, the vines were very young, not a great deal of complexity here. Both the '01 CA and '01 W-F Syrah are in a good place.
 
I wish I could work with Peay's Syrah grapes now. The '01 was the first year the vines produced, and like all smart growers Nick didn't hang much fruit that first year. When there was a heat spike (and there was a big one, I recall) the grapes dehydrated quite a bit, and the Brix came in really high. Much higher than we measured, actually, and it took the stuff forever to ferment. I know wine people for whom I have a great deal of respect who adore the wine, and compare it to Cote-Rotie. That isn't how it struck me, but I wish it was.
 
originally posted by Jim Diven:
Anything stand out, or was it a bust across the board?
Click to expand...

I didn't take notes and there were more wines than at our usual lunches so I may have missed some. A few ringers were thrown in for good measure

We only had 3 whites and '01 Mt. Eden Chardonnay was terrific.

For reds, '79 and '80 Chalone Pinot Noir. Most guessed that they could've been Burgundy. The one mind-blower, only because everyone thought it was Bordeaux (and good Bordeaux at that) was '95 Pahlmeyer. Absolutely no gobs.

I ended up bringing home about 1/4 btl left of the Peay. Corked it and stuck it in the frig. The tannins softened up on night 2, but the fruit barely budged.
 
I've been tempted to try, having spied them at a local retailer; but if the reference is CdB, they aren't bargains - at least the estate bottlings.
 
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