We tasted tonight (7/5/17) Some Whites & Lighter Reds:
1. Charisse Ad'OP: Picpoul de Pinet Blanc (13%; www.TheArtisanCollection.US) Marion & Guillaume/Pomerols
2015: Light gold color; strong appley/Picpoul/pear some stony/mineral/perfumed talc rather simple
pleasant nose; surprisingly soft apple/pear/watermelon bit off-dry light stony/mineral flavor; med. apple/pear
off-dry quite soft rather simple finish; rather dull for a PdP w/o the usual stony character and the
lip-stinging acidity; dull at any price. $13.00 (KK)
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2. Forlorn-Hope Picpoul RorickVnyd/CalaverasCnty (12.62%; 152 cs) 2015: Med.yellow color; very fragrant floral/
pear/pear blossom/very spicy light stony/mineral bit earthy lovely aromatic nose; fairly tart/tangy very
strong floral/pear/pear blossom/spicy rather rich/lush/balanced light stony/earthy beautiful flavor; very
long/lingering floral/pear/pear blossom light earthy/stony fairly tart/rich/lush finish; this is world-class
Picpoul and better than any I've had from France. $30.00
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3. Dirty&Rowdy and Cruse Furmint AlderSpringsVnyd/MendoCnty (14.3%) P&B by Get Yourself a Cast Iron Skillet/
Petaluma 2015: Med.gold color; some peppery/Furmint/floral/fragrant bit apple blossom/mango/orange slight
fresh sawn pine/lumber yard/herbal light stony/earthy lovely very exotic/fragrant nose; lightly tart very
strong pineapple/mango/tropical fruits bit graham cracker/fresh pine/herbal very spicy/exotic flavor; very
long/lingering very strong pineapple/tropical fruits/dried mango/floral light stony finish; huge fruit and
almost like a R in perfume; a very exotic world-class Furmint. $42.00
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4. EdmundsStJohn Heart of Gold ElDorado WTW (53% Vermentino/47% GrenacheBlanc; 11.5%)
ThumbnailMoonlight/Fairplay 2015: Light yellow color; light appley/pear/perfumed talc light earthy quite
spicy/honeysuckle/GB fairly fragrant nose; very tart/tangy/lean very appley/spicy/apple pie/spicy/perfumed talc
light earthy flavor; very long appley/apple pie/earthy/very spicy quite tart/lean slight earthy finish; on the
leaner/austere side for HoG but not thin/eviscerted; lovely flavor & aromatics but should put on weight w/ age.
$23.00
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4a. Schroeder-Smith Estate Norman C. Schroeder Sr. Memorial (1923-2012; 70% GreyRiesling/20% Muscat/10% GWT)
LosAlamos 2012: Med.dark gold/burnished bronze color; slight phenolic strange beer-like/cider-like very
orangey/orange muscat/floral some hybridy/Isabella-like/vinyl waste basket rather Labrusca-like strange nose;
soft/underacid slightly sweet (5%?) slight phenolic quite orangey/orange muscat slight tangy/metallic flavor;
very long soft/underacid fairly sweet very Labrusca-like/Isabella-like quite earthy bit beer-like sweet/orangey
finish; quite a strange wine w/ lots of orangey character and resembles mostly an Isabella.
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5. EdmundsStJohn Bone-Jolly GamayNoir ElDoradoCnty (12.6%; BarsottiVnyd) 2014: Fairly light almost rose color;
very grapey/Gamay/strawberry soda pop/raspberry soda pop bit bubble gum (Fleer's) light earthy/BoJo-like nose;
lightly tart/grapey/raspberry soda pop/Gamay/spicy light earthy flavor w/ light tannins; long grapey/Gamay/
raspberry soda pop bit earthy finish w/ light tannins; more interesting & more BoJo-like & less bright fruit
than the '15; quite nice-drinking Gamay. $24.00
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6. EdmundsStJohn Bone-Jolly GamayNoir ElDoradoCnty (13.5%) 2015: Med.light color; very strong fragrant ruhbarb/
strawberry/strawberry soda pop/Gamay light earthy slight bubble gum (Bazooka) very attractive nose; lightly
tart bit richer/lusher more grapey/strawberry/Gamay slight earthy flavor w/ light tannins; long very grapey/
strawberry soda pop/Gamay lightly tart finish w/ light tannins; a very pretty Bojo-like Gamay; distinctly
younger and more strawberry soda poppy/fruity, $23.00
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7. Arnot-Roberts GamayNoir ElDorado (12.5%) 2016: Med.light color; rather earthy/herbal/BoJo-GC-like light
Gamay/strawberry light fruit rustic nose; quite tart/lean/austere fairly herbal/earthy light Gamay/fruity/
strawberry flavor w/ light bitey/crunchy tannins; med.long quite tart/lean/austrer bit eviscerated some
herbal/earthy slight Gamay/strawberry finish w/ light hard tannins; a bit painful to drink; rather strange
Gamay but somewhat interesting and may develop into something good but it's a gamble. $30.00
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8. EdmundsStJohn Rocks&Gravel UntiVnyd/DryCreekVlly/SonomaCnty (47% Mourv/39% Grenache/14% Syrah; 13.2%) 2015:
Med.light color; light plummy/Mourv bit strawberry/Grenache some earthy/dusty somewhat fragrant/simple nose;
lightly tart light plummy/Mourv/strawberry/Grenache lightly earthy/dusty simple balanced flavor w/ light smooth
tannins; med.long fruity/plummy/Mourv/Grenache/strawberry light earthy simple finish w/ light gentle tannins;
a very balanced simple/pleasant GSM blend that should develop really well. $29.00
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9. BrocCllrs Mission Lodi (13.3%; www.BrocCellars.com) Berkeley 2016: Very light garnet red color; very fragrant/
perfumey lovely spicy/strawberry slight earthy/herbal light cranberry very pretty nose; bit soft very perfumey/
strawberry/cranberry/light some earthy/herbal/mushroomy slight metallic/tangy slightly coarse very pretty flavor
w/ very light tannins; med.longlight/strawberry/cranberry/fruity slight earthy/dusty/herbal somewhat coarse
finish w/ very light tannins; quite a pretty perfumed expression of a light-weight red; good summertime
drinking when you want something a notch above a rose. $26.00 (WoP)
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10. Hendry Mission HendryVnyd/NapaVlly (14.2%; Grafted in 2012; 300 btls; Aged: 11 mo. in neutral Fr.oak;
www.HendryWines.com) 2014: Med.light garnet color; some grapey/earthy/strawberry/cherry slight volatile light
toasty/oak bit more depth nose; soft grapey/earthy/strawberry/cherry light toasty/oak bit coarse/clunky flavor
w/ very light delicate tannins; med.long soft grapey/earthy/light strawberry light toasty/oak finish w/ light
tannins; a bit on the coarse/clunky side but shows a more serious side of Mission. $28.00 (BB)
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11. Harrington Mission SomersVnyd/MokelumneRiver/Lodi (13.2%; OldVine/Carbonic) 2016: Rather light garnet color
somewhat cloudy; strong strawberry/C-M/grapey bit bannana oil slight earthy nose; rather tart strong C-M/
bannana oil/grapey strawberry/BoJo slightly sour bit earthy/dusty flavor w/ light soft tannins; med.long strong
C-M/grapey rather strawberry bit earthy/dusty finish w/ very light soft tannins; speaks strongly of C-M. $25.00
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12. Harrington Mission SomersVnyd/Lodi (13.4%) 2015: Light garnet red clear color; rather grapey/strawberry more
serious/winey bit earthy/dusty fairly fragrant nose; lightly tart fairly earthy/Lodi/mushroomy/dusty strong
strawberry/cherry/grapey bit spicy flavor w/ light tannins; very long strong cherry/strawberry/grapey some
earthy/Lodi/dusty slightly tart finish w/ light tannins; quite a pretty red and a more serious expression of
Mission. $25.00
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More fake stuff from TheBloodyPulpit:
1. Schroeder-Smith: This was a Ho-Made wine by a member in my wine group. It was made as a freezer ice wine.
The grapes were harvested at a nominal 23%-24% sugar, pressed, and the juice frozen. As the juice thawed,
the water was drawn off. No idea of the must weight at ferment, nor the RS.
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2. Picpoul: Grape from southern France. The name, "lip-stinger", comes from its usual high acidity. My Gold
Standard for Calif Picpoul has always been TablasCreek. This new F-H may be even better.
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3. Furmint: This wine is a cooperative effort between HardyWallace/D&R and MichaelCruse in Petaluma. I was
mightly impressed by the Furmint, the best (dry) Furmint I've ever tasted. When I visit HeidiSchrock in
Rust next year, I'm taking a btl of this for her.
There's precious little Furmint grown in Calif. The only other one is LimerickLane. It, also, is quite
good w/ some age on it, but this D&R takes Furmint to a whole nuther level.
The AlderSpringsVnyd, way up in the Northern reaches of MendoCnty, is a very interesting vnyd. StuBewley
is growing some very interesting varieties up there. I don't know if the climatic conditions favor botrytis
and a LateHrvst/botrytis Furmint can be made there or not. (www.AlderSpringsVineyard.com)
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4. HoG: This is probably the lowest-alcohol/leanest HoG that Steve has made. Usually it's much richer/lush and
speaks strongly of honeysuckle/GB. Yet the wine doesn't seem thin & eviscerated and has plenty of flavor.
Just needs more time in the btl.
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5. R&G: Steve's HoG has always been a bit of a puzzle to me. I taste them right at release and always shrug
my shoulders at how quotidian the wine is; pleasant enough but not very interesting. Yet R&G has this uncanny
ability to, w/ btl age, to rise up and bite you on the a$$ by how good it is. Unvariably. Sometimes you just
gotta believe Steve knows what he's doing.
But believe no more. The Unti's decided to keep all their grapes for teir own wines and have put an end
to their long relationship. I believe the partying was amicable.
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6. Mission: This is a grape that has long been dissed for making dry wine in Calif. It was traditionally used
to make Angelica dessert wine. But there has been interest, over the last few yrs, of making Mission as a
drinkable/quaffable dry red. Recently, there has been more interest in Calif in making these more quaffable/
pretty/easy-drinking reds; wines that don't play well in Monktown. Often w/ Trousseau and Carignan, it looks
like Mission is muscleing its way to this table.
ine. But there has been interest, over the last few yrs, of making Mission as a
drinkable/quaffable dry red. Recently, there has been more interest in Calif in making these more quaffable/
pretty/easy-drinking reds; wines that don't play well in Monktown. Often w/ Trousseau and Carignan, it looks
like Mission is muscleing its way to this table.
Tom