Lunch With SteveEdmunds (Tues/Aug 19)
When I go to NorthernCalif, I almost always get together w/ SteveEdmunds and OliverMcCrum and
the venue of choice is usually BayWolf in Oakland, one of my favorite restaurants. Alas, Oliver
was in Italy this trip, so missed out. An added bonus was that today was also Steve's BD (#61).
He got a very silly & appropriate card. Gotta say...he looked pretty good for a 61 yr old codger.
As usual, the meal was simple but very/very well made. Lunch out on the front deck of BayWolf
on a bright/sunny day w/ good wines and great company...just don't get no better. The wines:
1. DeRose CienegaVlly Viognier DryFarmed/OldVines (15.6%) 2006: Light gold color; clean/bright
pear/Viognier slightly alcoholic slight minerally nose; tart clean bright/pear/Viognier
vibrant light minerally flavor; med.long bright/pear/Viog finish; carries the alcohol well, though
Steve thought it noticible; very atractive very non-DollyParton Viognier.
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2. EdmundsStJohn Calif Viognier (DurellVnyd+MiloVinaVnyd/Mendocino/Hopland; 14.7%) 1998: Light
gold color; very ripe rotted apple rather peachy slight nutty/oxidized nose; soft/fat rotted
fruit very ripe/peachy/Viog slight oxidized flavor; long rotted fruit/very ripe/peachy/Viog
finish; Steve thought the wine was noticibly oxidized but I didn't get a lot of that nutty/
oxidized character and it just seemed to have that overripe/rotted fruit character; not a
good example of aged Viognier.
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3. EdmundsStJohn BoneJolly GamayNoir WittersVnyd/ElDoradoCnty (12.9%) P&B by Hook or by Crook
2007: Med.light color; rather earthy/mushroomy/ElDorado some strawberry/Gamay rather Beauj-like
nose; tart earthy/mushroomy slightly spicy/cinammon strawberry/Gamay flavor; med. tart
Gamay/strawberry rather earthy/dusty/mushroomy finish w/ light tannins; nicely done Gamay
that speaks of Beauj GrandCru w/o the tannins.
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4. EdmundsStJohn Porphyry GamayNoir BarsottiRanch/ElDoradoCnty (13.0%) C&B by ThumbnailMoonlight
2007: Med.color; slight ElDorado/earthy/mushroomy quite bright/vibrant/strawberry/Gamay spicy
nose; tart bright/strawberry/Gamay very slight earthy/dusty flavor; med.long bright/vibrant
strawberry/Alpine strawberry/Gamay light earthy/ElDorado finish w/ light tannins; lots of
bright/vibrant Alpine strawberry/Nehi soda pop fruit.
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And a wee BloodyPulpit:
1. As most people are aware, Steve is pretty passionate about Beaujolais (the real stuff). When
he convinced RonMansfield to put in (true) GamayNoir (as distinguished from the usual Gamay/
Valdiguie in Calif), he was eager to make his own Beaujolais, which his word-play name is
BoneJolly. And a pretty darn good one 'tis. Instead of being the usual tooty-fruity style of
Calif Gamay, the ElDorado terrior gives the BJ a slightly earthy/mushroomy character you find
real Beaujolais GrandCru.
The BJ comes from WittersVnyd that has rather volcanic soil. The new planting at Barsotti
is on soil that is mostly decomposed granite, hence the name Porphyry (there's an Terlan
AltoAdige Lagrein that carries the Porphyr name on the label). The two Gamays are noticibly
different in character, with the Porphyry having a much brighter Gamay fruit to it, maybe a bit
less GrandCru in character. If the BJ is bright red, the Porphyry is a shocking neon pink.
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2. Steve thought the '98 Viog was noticibly oxidized, though that was not as obvious to me. It
did have something wrong with it, though. I've had a few of Steve's older Viogniers that have
aged amazingly well. Aging Calif Viog is ot a slam-dunk.
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3. Steve has a new wine waiting in the wings.."That Old Black Magic". Co-fermented Syrah from
Wylie & Fenaughty vnyds, Syrah & Grenache from Fenaughty, and Grenache & Syrah from Eaglepoint.
Have a btl to try but not yet done so.