Impressions

[Florida Jim]

Impressions 10-23-17

Bubbles:
N/V Bereche et Fils, Champagne Brut Reserve - Not too sweet, not too dry, just right
N/V J. Laurens, Cremant de Limoux - 100% chardonnay and a delight at about $14

White:
2014 Ladd Cellars, Chardonnay Cuvee Voile - 50% normal elevage, 50% sous voile; a complex, captivating wine with a great future in the cellar; fascinating
2015 Idlewild, Cortese - IMO the best cortese on earth; 50% skin fermented and loaded with character, depth and promise for development. My wine of the year.
2012 Leo Steen, Chenin Blanc The Steen - from the Jurassic Vineyard in SBC and showing depth and length. Excellent wine.
2015 Birichino, Chenin Blanc Jurassic Vinyd. - another beauty from the same vineyard as The Steen and slightly less expensive.
2015 Vincent, Pinot Blanc - lovely, feminine but not thin; charming.
2015 Vincent, Chardonnay Tardive - solid chardonnay fruit without artifice and more depth than expected. I’dlike to try this in five years.
2016 Kerrias, Pecorino - fresh, crisp, perky white with some substance
2015 Didyme, Malvasia - the musky edge is a bit too much for me but its true to its variety
2016 Ryme, Vermentino Hers (mag.) - as always, brilliant stuff and as pretty as its namesake
2015 Pierre-Yves Colin-Morey, St. Aubin Le Banc - J.J. Prum sulpher levels obscure what might just be a nice wine
2015 Nada Bianco Langhe - 55% SB, 40% arneis, 5% favorite and lip smackingly delicious. Buy alot of this.

Red:
2014 Piedrassasi, Syrah SBC - think St. Joseph from Chave
2015 Birichino, Cinsault Bechthold Vnyd. - almost ethereal but with depth and sustain. A remarkable wine leaning toward the feminine.
2014 Birichino, Mourvedre - correct and well made with really good length; another wine I’d like to try in 5 years
2014 Birichino, Pinot Noir Antle Vnyd. - quite closed and edgy now but has the stuffing; give it time
2014 Dirty and Rowdy, Mourvedre Especial - Hardy thinks this wine is short term; I’m not so sure. This bottle showed all I want for the grape.
2009 Ladd Cellars, Pinot Noir Cuvee Abigail - continues to develop in bottle and is becoming a tour de force pinot; reminds me of Echezeaux
2012 Piedrassasi, Syrah Rim Rock Vnyd. - Thierry Allemand would be proud. Take your breath syrah.
1999 Michel Lafarge, Volnay Clos du Chateau des Ducs - finally, showing its pedigree 18 years later. A good, maybe even very good version but does not rise to the heights this producer and vineyard can acheive
2015 Poderi di Lugi Enaudi, Dogliani - about as big as Dolcetto can get and still be recognizable - not my cuppa
2010 ArPePe, Valtellina Sassella Stella Retice Reserva - Nebbiolo can be so expressive and this wine has it all. Exceptional
1996 Havens, Merlot (mag.) - its not Pomerol but its not far removed; what a treat
2015 Bellamarsilia, Morellino di Scansano - needs time
2015 Vajra, Nebbiolo Langhe - more please
2015 Pianconello, Rosso di Montalcino - balanced, broad and beautiful
2011 Podre San Giacomo, Brunello - deft but rich
2012 Cascin Adelaide, Barolo - quite rich
2013 Ettore Germano, Barolo Prapo - equally so
2014 Cave Dog, Red Blend - merlot/franc I believe and actually reminds me some of Cheval Blanc. More restrained than expected and more focused. Time will be good to this wine.
2014 Knez, Pinot Noir Cerise - Anderson Valley pinot with some nuance. Hold.
2014 Rose Rock, Pinot Noir Eola-Amity Hills - finesse and nuance
2014 Piedrassasi, Red Wine Harrison Clarke Vnyd. - 50/50 syrah/mourvedre from Ballard Canyon. Decant for at least an hour or more or wait ten years. I suspect this will be one of the great wines of SBC but it requires patience.
2014 Vincent, Pinot Noir Armstrong Vnyd. - this house has a deft hand with pinot and that hits my sweet spot. Nothing overdone or outsized but a faminine rendition of pinot with character. What could be better?
2015 Sandlands, Trousseau - I think of the Trousseau as the class of the field from this house but I caught this bottle at an angry stage; all angles and acid.
1995 Williams Selyem, Pinot Noir Rochioli Vnyd. - reduced to the point of flaw
1990 Laurel Glen, Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve (mag.) - too green for me but the underlying material is good - maybe with air?
2001 Vieux Telegraph, CDP - not much there there
1958 Prandi, Barolo - past its prime and mostly soy sauce now but breif glimpses of what must have been beautiful in its day
1994 Gallo, Cabernet Sauvignon Southern Sonoma - solid, correct wine without flair
1997 Dehlinger, Bordeaux Blend - great texture, multi layered, wonderfully flavored easy to drink wine. Any night of the week.
1973 Beaulieu, Burgundy - fair but not impressive
2000 Texier, Cote Rotie - Hold. Hold.
2007 Chateau des Tours, Vacqueyras Reserve - adequate
2006 Chateau Leoville Barton - we are into this before it is ready but its still quite nice
1996 D. Laurent, Mazis-Chambertin (mag.) - drying but still good wine
2013 Sandro Fay, Valtellina Superior Ca Morei - ethereal nebbiolo
2008 Pride, Syrah - not for me
1970 Lopez de Heredia, Rioja Vina Tondonia - tending toward acid and pretty much thinned out but others thought very highly of this so maybe I got it to early in the bottle
2005 Pharaoh Moans, Syrah - from the west side in Paso; so much better than expected; excellent flavors, nuance, focus and length with a satin texture. Who’d a thought?
1999 Domaine Tollot-Beaut, Aloxe-Corton 1er - tight but full of good stuff and a joy with food
1996 Cornerstone Cellars, Cabernet Sauvignon - too green for me
2007 Montelciego, Rioja Crianza - complete, correct and a nice drop
1979 Joseph Swan, Pinot Noir - like an older Gevrey with sous bois and still some fruit. For me, interesting but not fascinating.
1973 Joseph Swan, Zinfandel - others loved it, I didn't
1974 Ridge, Gamay York Creek - not even remotely Gamay to my palate and like it was made yesterday. Interesting wine but nothing typical - more like petite sirah.

Post prandial wines:
1932 Cazes, Rivesaltes - too sweet for me
1933 Blandy’s, Madeira Malmsey - great acidity and considerable nuance

Best, Jim

 

[Peter Creasey]

Wow, Jim, you obviously found a way to occupy yourself amidst all the turmoil.

Nice notes! (And I'm not surprised the Beaulieu Burgundy '73 showed pretty well).

. . . . Pete

 

[Eden Mylunsch]

Sounds like it was quite the afternoon.

Sashi Moorman continues to impress (if not amaze) me with the quality of wine he's producing in Lompoc. The Piedresassi releases hit closest to home for me (he's got that Rhône thing happening) but the La Côte bottlings are my favorite wines coming out of the Sta. Rita Hills these days. I still haven't been up when Melissa is baking, but I suspect the bread will be as reflective of its terroir as the wines are.

Glad to hear that the Pharoah Moans wine has finally calmed down. I had it on release and it was kind of a soupy mess, if you furrowed your brow hard enough you might be able to catch the glimmer of a hint of the possibility that it was worthy of about 10% of its suggested retail price at the time (the first SBC Rhône-variety wine over $100, IIRC). Nice packaging though.

Sorry to hear about the Sandlands Trousseau -- I'm usually allocated one bottle whenever they're doled out so I'll save mine for awhile longer. It's the only mailing list I still respond to with verve and alacrity; I like what he's doing with Chenin, and your notes are inspiring me to dive back into that milieu with the Steen and Birichino. I also need to get on the Idlewild bandwagon (they play accordions on there, right?) before it leaves the tent.

-Eden (tentatively tense tents, but tensile Tenzing told me to climb that mountain when I get to it)

 

[Steve Edmunds]

the "Gamay"at York Creek is Valdiguie.

 

[Jim Hanlon]

originally posted by Steve Edmunds:
the "Gamay"at York Creek is Valdiguie.

The 1970 Swan "Gamay" is one of the most memorable wines I've ever had (as is Steve's 1992 Grand Heritage). A friend's tasting note from the same bottle:

Deep, purple/black color and so dense it looks like printer's ink. It has a vibrant nose of black fruit and meats. Sitting in the glass, it looks like primal wine. The palate is amazing, mouth-coating isn't exactly right.. more like exposed tissue coating! It tastes like raspberry jam, except that it is not sweet. It has depth and intensity like a Shiraz, but it doesn't taste stewed or overripe. The finish goes on forever. The label reports 13.6% alcohol, and sure enough it proclaims "GAMAY" in big black letters. This is a legendary wine and now I know why. A 1975 review suggested decanting for three hours before drinking. The secret to this wine appears to be that "Napa Gamay" of circa 1970 is actually Valdiguié and it was picked fairly ripe. Swan only made one other "Gamay" — in 1971 and it was a pale imitation of the 1970, reportedly because the grapes were picked too soon. Most "Napa Gamay" has been pulled up, and the odds of anyone ever seeing a wine like this again are quite slim. I saved the empty bottle as a trophy. Wow.

 

[Steve Edmunds]

in 1971 there was a lot of late-Summer heat (where the Fall of '70 had been coolish, and there'd been a bit of rain, early), and perhaps the worry of fast-rising sugar levels, too fast for the ripeness of the fruit, which may be why Joe picked a little early that year.
Valdiguie does ripen very late, and Gamay quite early. It's hard, in CA to find a place where Gamay can do what it does best, where growing it makes any economic sense.