We had last night (6/17/15) Some Rhones from the Archives:
1. SierraVista Syrah ElDorado (12.5%) 1987: Med.dark color w/ some bricking; some herbal/earthy rather cedary/
pencilly/oldRed slight blackberry/Syrah bit mushroomy some complex nose; soft rather cedary/pencilly/tobaccoy/
oldRed slight coffee/blackberry/Syrah flavor w/ light/smooth tannins; med.long some earthy/mushroome/ElDorado
rather pencilly/tobaccoy/oldRed slight blackberry/Syrah/coffee/roasted finish w/ light tannins; speaks quietly
of ElDorado red and Syrah and still hanging on and rather pleasurable.
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2. ZacaMesa Syrah ChapelVnyd/SBC (13.5%) 1993: Light reddish/brown color; strong oxidized/maderized/sherry earthy/
tired nose; quite bitter/metallic/tired/oxidized/sherry flavor w/ no tannins; very long oxidized/sherry/tired
very bitter finish w/ strong wet dog fur far in the aftertaste; pretty much dead & gone and not even good as
a sherry because of the bitterness.
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3. JosephPhelps Syrah VinDuMistral NapaVlly (12%) 1986: Med.light color; rather cedary/pencilly/oldRed some coffee/
smokey slight oldRhonish nose; soft quite cedary/pencilly/oldRed slight blackberry/Syrah smokey complex flavor
w/ very light/bitey tannins; med.long cedary/pencilly/tobaccoy/smokey slight Syrah fruit finish w/ light tannins;
in surprisingly good condition and some like an old CdR Syrah.
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4. Swanson Syrah NapaVlly (EB; 13.5%) 1993: Med.dark some brown color; very light almost no nose slight blackberry/
Syrah slight eucalyptus very quiet/loy-key nose; soft very light blackberry/Syrah slight eucalyptus flavor
w/ very little tannins; short light blackberry/Syrah bit eucalyptus finish w/ almost no tannins; still speaks
of Syrah but a wine that speaks barely in a whisper. $27.00
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5. EdmundsStJohn Syrah SonomaVlly (12 1/2%) 1989: Med.color w/ slight bricking; lovely roasted/Rhonish/smokey/pungent
bit earthy/dusty some peppery/spicy/Syrah/blackberry quite complex oldRhone nose; soft smokey/roasted/Rhonish/
coffee some spicy/blackberry/Syrah very complex oldRhone flavor w/ light smooth/velvety tannins; long roasted/
Rhonish/coffee/smokey/pungent slight blackberry/Syrah/peppery/spicy complex finish w/ light gentle tannins;
not a profound Syrah but a very nice/attractive little old lady fading into the sunset w/ still a little
piss&vinegar left in her. $26.00 (SWC)
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6. EdmundsStJohn Syrah DurellVnyd/SonomaVlly (12 1/2%) 1990: Med. bit murky/cloudy color w/ some bricking; very
badly TCA/corked nose; very musty/wet cardboard/TCA/corked flavor w/ slight fruit underneath; pretty much
destroyed by the TCA; too bad. $28.00
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6a. EdmundsStJohn Syrah DurellVnyd/SonomaVlly (12 1/2%) 1990: Another btl; Med.dark color w/ little bricking;
beautiful smokey/Rhonish/roasted/espresso some blackberry/Syrah/spicy/peppery light earthy bit rustic rather
complex nose; slightly tart some blackberry/Syrah/spicy quite roasted/Rhonish/espresso slight earthy/dusty complex
flavor w/ light/smooth tannins; very long/lingering very Rhonish/roasted/smokey/espresso/smoked meats some
peppery/blackberry/Syrah quite complex finish w/ light tangy tannins; a classic example of fully mature
EdStJ Syrah that still has fruit left; some like an old Clape Cornas; a beautiful old Syrah and best of this
bunch. $28.00
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7. EdmundsStJohn Syrah GrandHeritage Calif (13.5%; 58% DurellVnyd/SonomaVlly, 42% FenaughtyVnyd/ElDorado) 1993:
Med.color w/ slight bricking; rather acrid/metallic/burning metal/
ozone/reduced nose that eventually clears to somewhat Rhonish/smokey/roasted some earthy fairly complex nose; bit
tart/metallic/acrid (that clears w/ time) light roasted/Rhonish/smokey/pungent some earthy/dusty bit complex
flavor w/ light/gentle tannins; med.long light roasted/Rhonish/smokey/coffee flavor w/ light/smooth tannins;
not much fruit left but quite a pleasant oldRhone/smokey Syrah in the twilight of its yrs.
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8. EdmundsStJohn Syrah DurellVnyd/SonomaVlly (13.6%) 1993: Med.color w/ slight bricking; some roasted/Rhonish/coffee/
earthy slight bretty/funky somewhat complex nose; slightly tart slight funky/bretty some cedary/pencilly/oldRed
light roasted/Rhonish/smokey/coffee complex flavor w/ light/gentle tannins; med.long slight funky/bretty/wet dog
fur some cedary/pencilly/smokey/oldRhone/coffee complex flavor w/ light/smooth tannins; the funky character
eventually clears to a smooth/gentle strawberry/oldRhone character.
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9. OjaiVnyd Syrah Calif (TW) 1988: Med.color w/ slight bricking; strong toasty/smokey/oak rather tobaccoy/cedary/
pencilly/oldRed bit earthy/dusty/pungent/graphite some oldRhone/roasted complex nose; slightly tart smokey/toasty/
oak/tobaccoy/cedary oldRhone/roasted/smokey flavor w/ light smooth tannins; long roasted/smokey/Rhonish/cedary/
pencilly quite complex finish w/ light/smooth tannins; shows the best development of all these relics; quite an
interesting/complex oldRhone. $14.00 (Arg)
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10. OjaiVnyd Syrah Calif (13%) 1993: Med.color w/ slight bricking; very funky wet dog fur/wet ashtray unpleasant
nose; tart almost no flavor w/ little tannin; an hour lateer this wine had cleared and evolved into a much
better smokey/roasted/oldRhonish/earthy some cedary/pencilly bit complex wine but still on the rather quiet
side; pleasant enough but a bit on the tired side.
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11. Dehlinger Syrah RRV (EB; 13.5%) 1992: Med.light color w/ some browning; dreadful funky/wet dog fur some oxidized/
tired nose; tart some oxidized/tired wet dog fur/funky flavor w/ light/dried-out tannins; pretty much shot.
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12. AlbanVnyds Syrah Reva AlbanEstate/EdnaVlly (13%) 1993: Med.dark color w/ slight bricking; some blackberry/Syrah
rather toasty/charred/burnt/oak slight earthy slightly complex nose; bit tart rather smokey/toasty/charred/oak
light blackberry/Syrah flavor w/ light/bitey tannins; med.long strong burnt/charred/toasty/oak some blackberry/
Syrah w/ light tannins; still has plenty of fruit but not showing much evolution nor complexity; starting to
dry out a bit and may never become a great Syrah.
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13. AlbanVnyd Lorraine AlbanEstate Syrah EdnaVlly (15.9%) 2002: Very dark near black color; very intense very ripe
boysenberry/blackberry/Syrah/black cherry cola/DrPepper quite toasty/charred/oak some alcoholic very primary
nose w/ no evolution or complexity; fairly tart somewhat alcoholic/fumey very intense chocolatey/licorice/
very ripe/boysenberry/blackberry/Syrah/blackberry liquer/framboise rather charred/toasty/oak very extracted/
structured flavor w/ modest ripe/lush tannins; very long very intense very ripe boysenberry/framboise/
blackberry/Syrah/licorice quite charred/burnt/toasty/oak finish w/ some very ripe/lush tannins; huge extract
and very structured so not a fruit bomb; an awesome wine for its size; my favorite of the Albans. $73.50
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14. AlbanVnyd Seymour'sVnyd Syrah EdnaVlly (16.2%) 2002: Very dark near black color; rather alcoholic/late hrvsty/
milk of magnesia very intense overripe boysenberry/blackberry/Syrah/chocolaty/herbal strong charred/burnt/oak
bit complex nose; soft/very ripe/late harvesty intense boysenberry/blackberry/framboise/chocolaty/Syrah some
hot/alcoholic/fumey flavor w/ massive/extracted tannins; very long/lingering very ripe/late harvesty/chocolatey
somewhat fumey/alcoholic very intense boysenberry/blackberry/Syrah/licorice very strong toasty/charred/burnt/
Fr.oak finish w/ huge tannins; a bit more interest than the Lorraine but a bit over-the-top; an awesome wine
w/ huge intensity & extraction; to be taken in small doses. $93.50
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15. Chapoutier Monier de la Sizeranne AC: Hermitage (13.4%) 1990: Med.color w/ some bricking; rather earthy/loamy/
dusty little fruit slight unclean/bretty slight smokey/oldRhone bit complex nose; bit tart some unclean/bretty
light smokey/oldRhone some earthy/loamy flavor w/ light/drying tannins; med. loamy/earthy/dusty slight oldRhone/
smokey bit unclean/bretty finish w/ light/dried-out tannins; no fruit left and a big disappointment for an
Hermitage that should still be alive.
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The usual stuff from TheBloodyPulpit:
1. Phelps: JosephPhelps was, of course, the one who started it all, with their '73 Syrah, made from badly
virused ChristianBros Syrah grapes the Joe turned up just afore it was ripped out. Made by WalterShug much
like a Calif PinotNoir w/ loads of charred/toasty oak. The wine was not very good, spoke little of Syrah,
and probably set back the Calif Syrah market by 10 yrs.
This wine was a CraigWilliams wine made when they started labeling their Rhone wines Vin Du Mistral, both
a Syrah and a Viognier. The Viognier was always quite nice and made in a non-DP/leaner style. The Syrahs nothing
to get excited about. It always puzzled mme that why a wnry as good as JosephPhelps never did a better job
w/ Syrah. The only really great one I ever had was a special barrel blend of Syrah and Insignia made for the
NapaVllyAuction. The '86 Syrah was in much/much better condition than I expected it to be....not great but
some like an older CdR Syrah.
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2. Swanson: In the late '80's, until 1992, Sean Thackrey was making old-vine Syrah from the PhillipsVnyd in
Rutherford. There was a stand of eucalyptus on the adjacent ranch, but Sean's strong eucalyptus signature
came from his open-air wnry in Bolinas in the middle of a huge eucalyptus grove.
In 1992, ClarkeSwanson came along and bout the PhillipsVnyd out from under Sean, and started making their
on Syrah. It, too, always had a hint of eucalyptus to it. They eventually paid the neighbor to take down
that stand of eucalyptus. Thru the '90's, MarcoCapelli made some outstanding Syrahs. They eventually pulled
out that old-vine Syrah at Phillips and planted...gack....Merlot. End of Swanson Syrahs. Too bad.
So this '93 was the first Swanson Syrah. I first tasted it at the Aspen F&W Festival and was blown away
by it. I was expecting great things from this btl. Alas...it spoke in such a whisperr, you could barely find
anything in the wine.
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3. Breathing: I'm not a big believer in breathing of wines. I almost always pop&pour. Both the EdStJ GrandHeritage
and the Ojai '93 had very unpleasant/funky noses when first poured. But when I went back to them an hour later,
they had both vastly improved into the kind of wine I was expecting.
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4. Alban: I have, of course, followed JohnAlban from the very start. I first met John at the Taste of Vail in 1995.
Being interesting in Calif Syrah, I had heard his name about for planting Rhone stuff in the EdnaVlly. At Vail,
in this large ballroom of the grand tasting, there was this quiet guy tucked way off in the quiet corner w/
nobody visiting his table. It was John and we had a very long chat on Rhone varietals. I was quite struck by
his passion for what he was doing. It was the start of a long friendship. The wines were not particularly
good. The '93 Viognier was way over-oaked w/ burnt Fr.oak. The Syrah was rather similar in style, not particularly
big or much Syrah fruit. But I was struck by his passion. It was not until the '95 vintage that John started
to make huge, alcoholic, extracted, oaky, reduced Syrahs that sorta has become his signature style.
I made a bunch of visits to Alban in the '90's. It was here that I first met ManfredKrankl, making his wine
at John's while he was still at Campanile and driving LaBreaBakery to success down in LosAngeles. Well before
his discovery by Parker. It was here that I also first met AugieHug, who was making wine there at John's. One
went on to fame & fortune, the other sorta fading into the woodwork, hobbled by his mediocre bowling skills.
I don't follow the Alban wines much anymore. I'll occasionally try the Patina Syrah or the CentralCoast Viognier,
but that's about it. After I bought these '02 Syrahs about 2004, I was tossed off the Alban mailing list. I had
sent in my check for the latest release and, alas, it arrived two days late, was returned to me, and I was
dropped from the list by Glenn. Not much of a way to treat a customer who'd followed you from the very start.
A few yrs later, John asked me at HdR why I didn't buy his wines anymore. I explained the situation and John assured
me he'd be glad to put me back at the head of the list. I quietly demurred, explaining that the demand for his
wines, driven by big scores out of Monktown, was so great that there were others out there far more deserving
of his wines than I. The real reason was the rapacious manner that I felt John was running the business. Rentless
price increases driven by the claims of tiny yields, very high shipping costs, bundling the wines so you had to
buy a bunch of the entry-level wines to get a btl of the treasured stuff, etc. I would usually try the Alban wines
at HdR, but you had to move fast. They would only bring a few btls of their highly sought-after wines, pour
until they were gone, usually in the first hour, and then close up shop....not very good form, I thought.
So....I don't try the Alban wines much anymore. Too bad, because I really liked them a lot...world-class wines.
But, then, I don't drink ScreamingEagle nor RomaneeConti anymore, either. I am such a loser when it comes to wine.
Given the background of the '93 Reva (John's Mom...an absolutely charming lady), I did not have high expectations
for this wine. I expected it to be rather charmless and on its last legs. It was not...it was still very much alive.
OTOH...it had not developed much in the way of complexity you find in an EdmundsStJohn or Qupe or Jaffurs or
Ojai or Novy. It was just sorta in a state of suspended animation, not losing a lot of fruit or anything, just
dropping a bit of tannin. I've no idea how long it'll continue that trend. Maybe it'll just fall over the cliff.
I think one of the big attractions of the Alban reds, especially back in Monktown, is, when you try them, you
just stand in awe of the intensity and level of extraction they show. Sorta like going down to the local gymn
and viewing some of those bodybuilders with their glistening/bronzed bodies, six-pac abs, bulging pects and
biceps. You're in awe of what they've constructed w/ their bodies, but not sure you'd wanta sit down w/ them
and discuss the nuances of the Higgs' Bosun over a mug of beer. That would be the Albans. I don't think I've ever
had one that developed the nuance & complexity of a Qupe or EdmundsStJohn, but you still look at them in awe.
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5. Ojai: These two were Adam's basic Syrah. The '88 may have been the last of his Estate Syrah afore it succumbed
to Pierce's disease. When you drive up the driveup to his wnry, you can still see a few of those scraggly old
Syrah vines out there in the field to your right. Both of these are probably mostly RollRanch and BienNacido
Syrah from lesser barrels.
Tom