WTN: NewWines..EdStJ's..(long/boring)

We tasted last week (2/20/08) Some New Wines:
1. Fortitude Semillon NapaVlly (LuvisiFamilyVnyd/Calistoga; 13.5%; http://www.FortitudeWines.com)
EtudeWines/Napa 2006: Very pale color; rather fragrant/figgy slight earthy/waxy nose;
tart bit lean earthy/figgy slight green olive/metallic simple flavor; med.long some
lean/metallic slight earthy/figgy finish; pleasant enough white but doesn't speak much
of Calif Semillon and on the simple side. $18.00
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2. Etude PinotGris Carneros (14.2%; http://www.EtudeWines.com) 2006: Pale gold color; very
attractive floral/PG perfumed nose; soft/lush rather floral/pear/PG somewhat Alsatian-
like flavor; med. soft/lush off-dry(?) floral/pear/PG finish; a pleasant PinotGris in
an Alsatian style; attractive if a bit undistinguished. $24.00
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5. EdmundsStJohn Bone-Jolly GamayNoir WittersVnyd/ElDoradoCnty (12.8%) 2006: Light/bright red
color; very attractive bright/strawberry/cherry/Gamay light earthy/mushroomy Beaujolais
nose; tart very bright/strawberry/cherry/Gamay light earthy/ElDorado flavor; med. bright
cherry/strawberry finish w/ little tannins; a pretty/bright BeaujolaisVillages-level
of Gamay. $18.00
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6. Brick House RibbonRidge GamayNoir (Biodynamic Wine; 14%; http://www.BrickHouseWines.com)
2006: Med.dark bit murky/cloudy color; deep floral/violets/black cherry slight yeasty/
funky nose; some toasty/oaky bit hard/tannic fairly rich/attractive/floral/violets/black
cherry slight funky/earthy flavor; med.long floral/violets bit smokey/oaky/toasty finish
w/ some tannins; needs several yrs; more like an OR Pinot than a Gamay; interesting
rendition of Gamay. $24.00
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7. HugCllrs CentralCoast ElPape (14.6%; http://www.HugCellars.com, 52% Grenache, 17% Syrah,
31% Mourvedre; 190 cs) 2006: Med.light color; attractive floral/spicy/strawberry/Grenache
light toasty/oak quite perfumed/fragrant big fruit nose; tart very pretty/strawberry/
kirsch slight earthy light toasty/oak flavor; med.long bright/spich/floral/kirsch/
strawberry finish w/ light tannins; a bright/vibrant Rhone blend w/o the jammy
character of PasoRobles can sometimes have; terrific drinking wine at a great price.
$17.50
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8. Neyers Mourvedre PatoVnyd/ContraCostaCnty (14.8%) 2006: Very dark color; big/deep ripe/
plummy/licorice/bit tarry rather smokey/charred/oak slight earthy/mushroomy/ContraCosta
nose; soft rich/lush tarry/licorice/plummy/Mourvedre slight black cherry/bing cherry
some toasty/oak flavor; long bit tannic licorice/plummy some earthy/mushroomy some
toasty/oak finish; needs 2-6 yrs; very good Mourvedre w/ lots of classic ContraCosta
character. $30.00
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9. Neyers Zin HighVllyVnyds/ChilesVlly/NapaVlly (15.3%) 2006: Very dark color; big/rich
spicy/blackberry/raspberry/Zin/boysenberry some toasty/oak bit floral/lilacs nose; tart
fairly rich blackberry/boysenberry/Zin slight earthy bit toasty/oak/pencilly flavor; med.
long ripe/blackberry/boysenberry/spicy/Zin light toasty/oak finish w/ some tannins;
needs several yrs; a very attractive NapaVlly Zin. $30.00
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10. Consilience Zin RhodesVnyd/RedwoodVlly/MendocinoCnty (16.5%) 2005: Very dark color;
intense boysenberry/raisened/pruney very ripe quite alcoholic/hot/fumey very much over-
the-top nose; soft ripe/very ripe pruney/jammy/raisened/late harvesty framboise liquer
very hot/alcoholic flavor; med.long hot/fumey overripe/boysenberry/framboise/jammy finish
w/ light tannins; waaay to over-the-top/hot/fumey for my tastes. $30.00
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11. Verdad Tempranillo Ibarra-YoungVnyd/SantaYnezVlly (13.5%; 15% Syrah/BienNacidoVnyd,
10% Grenache/PurisimaMtnVnyd; http://www.VerdadWines.com; 720 cs) 2005: Very dark color; some
toasty/oak quite cherry/sour cherry/Temp quite spicy/fragrant slight bretty lovely nose;
tart/acid very spicy bright/cherry/sour cherry light toasty/oak slight dusty flavor; long
bright/cherry/sour cherry/vibrant tart/acid light oak finish w/ some tannins; loads of
Tempranillo/bright/cherry fruit; a zippy/vibrant wine that should go out 10 yrs or more;
great price at $20.00
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12. Spencer@Roloson Tempranillo MadderLakeVnyd/ClearLake (15%) 2003: Very dark color; very
strong toasty/charred/oak licorice/tarry/boysenberry almost Syrah-like nose; soft/fat
ripe/boysenberry/blackberry very strong toasty/charred/oak flavor; long quite toasty/oak
soft/fat quite ripe/boysenberry/black cherry finish w/ light tannins; none of the bright
cherry character of Tempranillo; just another overblown red wine w/ a ton of oak. Not
well-priced at $30.00
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13. EdmundsStJohn Syrah Wylie-Fenaughty vnyds/ElDoradoCnty (14.6%) 2005: Very dark color;
beautiful Phonish/roasted/spicy/peppery rather Graillot-like intense blackberry/Syrah/
blueberry slight earthy/ElDorado nose; tart quite roasted/Rhonish/coffee rather blackberry/
Syrah some floral/violets lovely flavor; very long spicy/peppery/roasted/Rhonish/coffee
strong balckberry/blueberry/Syrah slight earthy finish w/ some tannins; drinkable/balanced
and Rhonish now and will undoubtedly go out another 10 yrs and beyond; another terrific
W-F Syrah and a steal at $26.50.
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14. EdmundsStJohn Syrah BassettiVnyd/SLOCnty (14.2%) 2005: Black color; slight reduced/
sewer gas nose that clears to a very intense spicy/blackberry/Syrah/blueberry slight
peppery/roasted/herbal some pungent/roasted/coffee/smokey beautiful big fruit nose;
tart big/blackberry/blueberry/Syrah pungent/coffee/roasted slight herbal/cracked black
pepper some tannic complex flavor; very long intense blackberry/Syrah/blueberry some
pungent/smokey/roasted/Rhonish/cracked pepper finish w/ fair tannins; ho-hum...just
another killer Bassetti Syrah at the office. $44.00
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15. EdmundsStJohn Syrah Wiley-Fenaughty/ElDoradoCnty (14.1%) 1999: Very dark/black color;
very cracked black pepper/pungent/roasted slight herbal/earthy some blackberry/Syrah
rather pungent/smokey/coffee/roasted/Rhonish pretty complex nose; tart earthy/dusty/
ElDorado some cracked black pepper/herbal/smokey/pungent some blackberry/Syrah smooth/
elegant/balanced complex flavor; very long smooth/elegant some pungent/cracked pepper/
roasted/herbal some blueberry/Syrah finish w/ some tannins; a lovely/mature complex
Syrah that still will go another 4-8 yrs I suspect; terrific Syrah. James mystery wine.
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16. EdmundsStJohn LesCotesSauvage "Fin de Siecle" Calif RTW (14.5%) 1996: Dark color w/
slight bricking lovely very complex smokey/pungent/coffee slight toasty/pencilly/cedar
slight blackberry nose; smooth/complex pencilly/cigar box slight strawberry/blackberry/
Grenache slight smokey/pungent very complex/mature flavors; long cedary/cigar box/
pencilly slight strawberry/berry smooth/complex/mature slight earthy/dusty finish w/
light tannins; smooth/elegant/polished old Calif red. Larry's mystery wine.
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17. Novy Garys'Vnyd/SantaLuciaHighlands Syrah 1999: Dark color w/ very slight bricking;
slight funky/Burgundian/oak some blackberry/Syrah/herbal lovely/complex nose; soft/lush
coffee/pungent/toasty/oak/Burgundian some herbal/SLH/blackberry/Syrah/boysenberry
smooth/rounf/lush flavor; long soft/plush rather toasty/smokey/Burgundian/oak some herbal/
blackberry/Syrah smooth/round/plush finish w/ light tannins; very nice lush drinking
that speaks as much of Calif Burgundy as it does Syrah. Sterbenz mystery wine.
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18. Novy Syrah JudgeFamilyVnyd/BennettVlly (14.1%) 2005: Very dark/black color; intense
blackberry/blueberry/Syrah huge fruit quite peppery/spicy rather toasty/oak some charred/
roasted lovely nose; soft very rich/lush very spicy/peppery intense blueberry/blackberry/
Syrah somewhat toasty/oak flavot; very long/lingering lush ripe/blackberry/Syrah some
spicy/peppery rather toasty/smokey/oak/pungent finish w/ some tannins; loads of Syrah
fruit w/ a nice peppery undertone; terrific Syrah at $25.00
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Random preachings from TheBloodyPulpit:
1. BoneJolly: The BoneJolly GamayRose that Steve released last summer was one of my
favorite Calif roses. Not quite sure why he waited to the Fall to release this red
version, as this is a great summertime wine as well. His previous BoneJollys I recall
as being a bit bigger/richer, more on the target of a BeaujGrandCru, w/ more earthy/
terroir flavor you get from ElDorado. This '06 edition seems more about bright Gamay
fruit and more on the level of a simple BeaujolaisVillages. Nonetheless, quite a
pretty Gamay.
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2. BrickHouse Gamay: This is another authentic GamayBeauj, made by DougTunnel. We had him
for dinner at the Taos WWF last month and that is where he told me he was making real
Gamay. Managed to track down a few btls of the one case that came to NM.
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3. Gamay: Beauj GrandCru, made from true GamayNoir a jus Blanc, is one of my favorite
wines. Gamay in Calif has a very checkered and unsavory past. What was originally labeled
as GamayBeauj in Calif turned out to be plantings of Valdiguie or a feeble PinotNoir
clone. I believe GamayBeauj is no longer a permitted term.
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4. Consilience: Just don't get this wnry at all. Nearly all their wines are over-the-top
and too alcoholic. A pain to drink.
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5. Verdad: The Verdad label is Louisa Lindquist's venture into winemaking. And she obviously
knows a thing or two about making wine. Her Albarino is maybe the best made in Calif.
This Tempranillo is equally impressive. This is the wine Calif Sangiovese wants to be.
I see no reason that this wine won't go out 10+ yrs and longer.
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6. EdStJohn Syrah: This '05 W-F struck me as Steve's best W-F young yet. Oodles of Rhone
character much like a Graillot C-H. And it's only going to get better. We went back
for another case & a half. The Bassetti struck me as not so intense cold-climate Syrah,
a bit more balanced & forward at this point in its life, then previous Bassettis. Not
quite as big/extracted/tight on release as before. But, have no doubts, this is one
of Calif's great Syrahs. Shoulda bought more...the classic EdStJohn lament I hear from
everyone in my group.
I sometimes wake up in the middle of the night and feel horrendous pangs of guilt for
buying Steve's wines for so cheap a price. So I jump out of bed & start to write another
check for the fair price...but always stop short. I figure when you're a famous
winemaker, then fortune just follows right along behind like a goofy/slobbery GoldenLab.
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7. EdStJohn LesCotesSauvage/R&G: The LCS was the name Steve used for his CdP Rhone blend.
The R&G is the name he currently uses for his CdP blend. The LCS wines always struck
me as bigger/richer and more NorthernRhonish then the R&G's. The R&G are more closer
in profile to my palate to CdP...which is not a compliment IMHO. A lot of pretty Grenache
character, but I'm usually underwhelmed when I taste a young one. But..then...the R&G's
have this uncanny knack of sneaking up and biting you on the a$$. I'll try one 3-5 yrs
down the road and it's really evolved into a beautiful old Rhone-like wine. Frustrating
as hell...it is.
Not sure what the blend on the '96 LCS was nor the source of the grapes. But it has
turned into a lovely old Calif red, not very old CdP-like IMHO, at right about the point
that it's probably going to dry out on the palate and not be such a pleasure to drink.
But...then...I could very well be fooled once again by a SteveEdmunds wine...it's
happened plenty of times before.
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8. Novy Syrah: The '99 was in wonderful condition and a classic Siduri Syrah. Because of the
oak treatment, the Novy Syrahs and the Siduri Pinots start to converge in character as
they mature it seems to my palate. The JudgeFamily was a simply dynamite classic-Novy
Siduri. The BennetVlly his producing grapes, particularly Syrah & Grenache, that's as
good as anything in Calif.
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9. According to Steve, the '96 LCS is 40% PalliniRanch/Ukiah Grenache, 40% Syrah from Durell/Fenaughty, and the balance BrandlinRanch Mourvedre and Carignan.
Tom

Thanks for notes, I wondered if the B-J rose was the only Gamay for 2006, will look for the red.
'05 ESJ Syrahs sound great.

The R&G are more closer in profile to my palate to CdP...which is not a compliment IMHO. A lot of pretty Grenache character, but I'm usually underwhelmed when I taste a young one.

What did you think of the 05 Rocks and Gravel?

I don't have your Extensive Experience, but I have found it pretty darn flattering to drink young, and perhaps a bit more flattering young than my experiences with other recent vintages of R&G.

Put a whole case of the 05 Bassetti in my cellar, don't do that very often with any wine. (I check actuary tables now, not vintage charts.)

[David M. Bueker]

As a Southern Rhone fan I prefer Steve's R&G and S&B wines these days. I love the garrigue type aromas and the warmth to the fruit.

Put a whole case of the 05 Bassetti in my cellar, don't do that very often with any wine. (I check actuary tables now, not vintage charts.)

It's a neck & neck race to the end-point between you and the Bassetti '05???
I think the smart money is on LouKessler!!

I heard a rumor that Lou is older than God, so he's got pretty good odds

Steve. any news when we can expect to see your wines here in Alberta...PLEASE!!

Otherwise it means meet up with Rahsaan somewhere. Gripes!

Put a whole case of the 05 Bassetti in my cellar, don't do that very often with any wine. (I check actuary tables now, not vintage charts.)

It's a neck & neck race to the end-point between you and the Bassetti '05???
I think the smart money is on LouKessler!!

Yeah, but it was you who told me to bet on Landon over FDR.

Put a whole case of the 05 Bassetti in my cellar, don't do that very often with any wine. (I check actuary tables now, not vintage charts.)

Lou, I put away a few of the 2005 Bassetti too, and had the opportunity to ask Steve when to drink them. He said that he thought that they certainly had the stuffing to go 20 if not 30 years. And, I am nearly as old as you are.

Otherwise it means meet up with Rahsaan somewhere. Gripes!

Well, if you come here to meet up with me (and I do have two ESJ wines opened at the moment, waiting for tonight's dinner - the 02 Shadow remnants from last night which were good as always, and the 03 WF, also good as always), you'd be pretty darn close to the Source Itself.

So you wouldn't need me.

If you lack heirs that would be interested in the ESJ from your cellars, please note that I am always willing to do my part to ease your minds about such matters. I would be most happy to forward to you my attorney's contact information so you can include it in your respective wills.

Yes, yes, I am always thinking of others! It's just my nature.

If you lack heirs that would be interested in the ESJ from your cellars, please note that I am always willing to do my part to ease your minds about such matters. I would be most happy to forward to you my attorney's contact information so you can include it in your respective wills.

Yes, yes, I am always thinking of others! It's just my nature.

Very interesting, we have good friends who live in Santa Fe so the logistics would be easy. We do have a couple of children who were looking forward to making wine coolers with good Burgundy when we're gone. This is a dilemma.

Very interesting, we have good friends who live in Santa Fe so the logistics would be easy.

Sounds like a plan, Lou. And if you have any other really interesting and bound-to-be-unappreciated wines, you could include those too!

Yeah, but it was you who told me to bet on Landon over FDR.

Of course....good ol' Alf is/was a fellow Kansas!! It was the pinko liberals back East and all the dead
people in Chicago who voted that done stole it from Alf.
Tom

Tom

Very interesting, we have good friends who live in Santa Fe so the logistics would be easy. We do have a couple of children who were looking forward to making wine coolers with good Burgundy when we're gone. This is a dilemma.

Long shot here, Lou. There's a Celia Kessler in SantaFe involved in Irish Dance (not to worry...I don't do that sissy stuff like dance or fence foil). No relation I assume??
Tom

Very interesting, we have good friends who live in Santa Fe so the logistics would be easy. We do have a couple of children who were looking forward to making wine coolers with good Burgundy when we're gone. This is a dilemma.

Long shot here, Lou. There's a Celia Kessler in SantaFe involved in Irish Dance (not to worry...I don't do that sissy stuff like dance or fence foil). No relation I assume??
Tom

No relation Tom, when did you give up Irish dance? Actually I was thinking of the Kruegers who we've known since they lived in Palos Verdes when we did. People who drink a lot seem to know each other.

Well, how about that? Both my daughters were champion Irish step-dancers! Maybe that counts for...something?

Well, how about that? Both my daughters were champion Irish step-dancers! Maybe that counts for...something?

Wouldn't count on that talent paying for your nursing home!!!

Susan & I went to an Irish dance performance ystrday because two of my best fencing kids were in it. I was amazed at the
talent those kids all showed. Turns out there's a lot of commonality in the movements between Irish dance and fencing.
Both have to have incredible footwork. Irish dance is not something that you just do by "Blind Luck & Intuition"!!
Tom

"Blind Luck & Intuition"!!
Tom

Didn't I see that catchy phrase on a bottle of wine vinified in Texas?????