WTN: Three EdmundsStJohns...(short/boring)

We had some friends from NO over for CajunChicken last night and I cracked these three:
1. EdStJohn Shell&Bone RozetVnyd/PasoRobles (14.2%; Viognier/Roussanne/Marsanne) Intuition & Blind Luck/Berkeley 2004: Med.dark cold color; strong nutty/toasted hazelnuts appley/smokey complex oldRhone white slight honeyed/orangey nose; fairly tart slight oxidized/nutty/toasted hazelnuts/smokey oldViog/oldRhoneBlanc complex flavor; very long/lingering bit oxidized/toasted hazelnuts/nutty slight honeyed/smokey finish; pretty good example of an oldRhoneBlanc/Viog w/ lots of nutty character.
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2. EdStJohn Roussanne TablasCreekVnyd/PasoRobles (14.5%) 2004: Med.dark gold/burnished bronze color; very strong toasted hazelnuts/nutty/oldRhoneBlanc quite smokey/honeyed/orangey slight chalky/mineral rather perfumed/complex nose; bit softer rich/lush smokey/toasted hazelnuts/nutty/oldRhone/bit oxidized rather honeyed/orangey bit chalky/earthy complex flavor w/ slight bitterness; very long rich/lush strong toasted hazelnuts/nutty/oldRhoneBlanc some honeyed/orangey/earthy/chalky very complex finish; noot quite as edgy or advanced as te S&B; a lovely old Calif RhoneBlanc.
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3. EdStJohn Syrah Wylie-FenaughtyVnyds/ElDoradoCnty (14.6%) ThirstyPagans w/ BigIdeas/SuisunCity 2005: Very dark color w/ slight bricking; beautiful strong blackberry/blueberry/Syrah/very spicy light smokey/toasty some earthy/mushroomy/ElDorado quite Rhonish/roasted/bacony very fragrant/complex nose; rather tart very spicy/peppery quite Rhoniish/roasted/espresso very strong blueberry/blackberry/Syrah light mushroomy/roasted porcini/ElDorado complex flavor w/ light tannic bite; very long/lingering bit herbal/rosemary/peppery rather Rhonish/roasted meats/espresso/pungent very spicy/blueberry/blackberry/Syrah complex finish w/ light gentle tannins; a beautiful EdStJ Syrah that is in a perfect place right now.
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A wee BloodyPulpit:
1. The two whites were pretty classic examples of Calif mature whiteRhones w/ their very nutty character. I thought they worked very well w/ the spicy CajunChicken but the NO guests were not as taken by them as Susan & I were.
The Syrah was as perfect an EdStJohn Syrah that I can recall. I'm starting to think that that Edmunds guy knows a bit about making Syrah. Gawd knows...he's been doing it long enough.
Tom

[David M. Bueker]

Thanks for the data points Tom. Maybe when fall hits I can try an '05 W-F Syrah.

Seems like the bottles of '04 Roussanne are very inconsistent. Not sure why that would be true, but virtually every other one seems, still, quite fresh and almost electric, and the ones in between more... kind of in between. Wish I'd had more opportunities to work with the Tablas fruit!

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3. EdStJohn Syrah Wylie-FenaughtyVnyds/ElDoradoCnty (14.6%) ThirstyPagans w/ BigIdeas/SuisunCity 2005: Very dark color w/ slight bricking; beautiful strong blackberry/blueberry/Syrah/very spicy light smokey/toasty some earthy/mushroomy/ElDorado quite Rhonish/roasted/bacony very fragrant/complex nose; rather tart very spicy/peppery quite Rhoniish/roasted/espresso very strong blueberry/blackberry/Syrah light mushroomy/roasted porcini/ElDorado complex flavor w/ light tannic bite; very long/lingering bit herbal/rosemary/peppery rather Rhonish/roasted meats/espresso/pungent very spicy/blueberry/blackberry/Syrah complex finish w/ light gentle tannins; a beautiful EdStJ Syrah that is in a perfect place right now.

I know everyone has different preferences, but I had a bottle last night and FWIW I found it very delicious but also with plenty of room for further development. I don't necessarily know what to expect, but the fruit was still quite juicy and fresh and the texture wasn't overly tannic but it also seemed quite vigorous and lively. I imagine there's plenty of mellowing harmony still to come? And while I enjoyed it, I think I'll save my last two bottles (as well as the 05 Bassettis) for the future.

And I say this as someone who does not fetishize old tertiary wine.