Grilled veggies so cracked:
1. EdmundsStJohn Heart of Gold ElDorado WTW (59% Vermentino/41% GrenacheBlanc; 13.3%; http://www.EdmundsStJohn.com) P&B by ThumbnailMoonlight/Fairplay 2008: Med.gold color; beautiful floral/fragrant/carnations/jasmine/exotic some minerally/stoney/earthy very aromatic nose; tart some stoney/minerally/earthy very floral/jasmine/exotic/honeysuckle rich/lush structured spicy/cardammon flavor; long exotic/floral/jasmine/perfumed some stoney/minerally finish; beautiful aromatics w/ a nice minerality; this wine is really developing nicely & will go another 2-6 yrs I would guess; dishonest to buy a wine this good at this price. $21.00
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2. CarnerosCreekWnry CabernetSauvignon EsolaVnyd/AmadorCnty (14.6%) 1991: Dark color w/ some bricking; some herbal/Cab strong cedary/pencilly/old Cab bit briary/dusty/Zin-like/licorice complex/old-Cab nose; soft some herbal/Cab/tea-like rather pencilly/cedary/old-Cab slight earthy/briary bit astringent/dried-out slight licorice/menthol fairly complex flavor; med.long bit metallic/astringent/dried-out light herbal/menthol/Cab quite cedary/pencilly/old-Zin finish; some lovely aromatics but starting to dry out and become astringent/tired on the palate. $12.00
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A wee BloodyPulpit:
1. HoG: This wine has really started to evolve beautifully in the last few months. One of Steve's best whites yet; loadsof lush fruit, a nice minerality, and structure to take it out ?? yrs. The aromatics are amazing and very exotic.
As I was looking at the label, one thing finally struck me. The varietal composition was specified as "59% Vermentino/41% GrenacheBlanc". Instead of a blank, Steve had inserted a "/" in there. Jeez...wonder where the heck he got that sort of weird notation??
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2. ErnieEsola: Also known locally in Plymouth as "Ornery Ernie" because he could be a ornery/curmudgeonly SoB at times. But FrankMahoney got along w/ Ernie just fine. Back in the mid-late '70's, Frank made some terrific Zins from the EsolaVnyd (as well as the EschenVnyd); Zins that were some of the best AmadorZins ever made. There was a bit Cab on the vnyd that Frank took of Ernie's hands as a kind gesture. It made a pretty big Cab that Frank used in his Napa Cabs to give them a boost. And then would btl the leftover separately as his AmadorCab...tiny amounts. In the early '90's, Frank went back to Ernie for Cab and a bit of Zin again...sort of for old times sakes I think. Took those grapes only a couple of yrs.
In the mid-'70's, I was writing an article on the Zinfandels of the Esola and Eschen vnyds for Vintage magazine (Philip Seldon...anybody remember him??) and made an appt to visit Ernie & Lena (D'Agostini) Esola. They lived just a few doors North of the main (only) intersection in Plymouth on Hwy 49. Modest house w/ an incredible amount of junk out back and surrounding the garage. Kinda looked like a hill-billy spread out of the Ozarks. Ernie & Lena were sooo excited that a "famous" wine writer was actually interested in talking to them that they insisted I stay for lunch, after walking the vnyd w/ Ernie. Friendly/down-home simple fare but really great company.
During lunch, I mentioned that my car ('68 Dodge Dart) was making a strange knocking noise. So after lunch, Ernie insisted that I pull the car around back so he could take a look at it. He jacked it up, crawled under the car, and immediately discovered that my U-Joints were going out. If it hadn't been a Sunday and the auto parts store closed, he probably would have replaced them for me right there on the spot.
Ernie ded in the late '90's when an actelyene tank exploded on him while he was doing some welding in his shop. I understand Lena is still alive annd doing well. Really nice folks..the kind you find all across on the farms of Kansas. Don't know where those grapes go anymore.
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3. AmadorCab: I've followed AmadorCab from the very start, when Cary Gott planted a bunch at Montevina in the early '70's. Back then, in my young and foolish days, I was very excited about Calif Cabs and bought quite a few...they were, after all, Calif's great red wine. I was also excited by the power and the intensity of Amador/ShenandoahVlly Zins. If ever there was to be a cosmic convergence, it was Cabernet meets AmadorCnty.
Alas, such was not to be. It was a case where terroir trumped varietal character. Most of those early Amador Cabs (LibertySchool, Montevina, Baldenelli, Gemello) had very little Cabernet character and resembled Amador Zin, w/ their brambly/briary/blackberry character, then anything. Good Amador Zins, but not great Calif Cabs. The Montevinas were easily the best of them. Actually, Cary's RubyCabernet was more Cab-like than his actual Cab.
I think BillEaston continues to make Amador Cab, but I've not had it in some time. The last few I tried were really quite good...not NapaCab..but very good Amador Cab w/ some Cabernet character.
Tom