We tasted tonight (10/25/17) Two New Wineries:
1. LaClarine Farm Albarino SierraFoothills WW (13.5%; U/U; www.LaClarineFarm.com) 2016: Light gold
somewhat cloudy color; slight VA/EA rather earthy/appley bit stony/chalky slight candied/lemon drop/
angel food cake somewhat interesting/unusual nose w/ little Albarino character; fairly tart rather
appley/apple cider/apple juice bit candied/angel food cake rather unusual/interesting flavor; very
long quite appley/apple juice/alpple cider tart/tangy/metallic very dry/bit austere bit stony/mineral
finish; a rather interesting/peculiar expression of Albarino like I've not seen before; certainly
not a bad wine, just unusual; would be better w/ food. $24.00
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2. LaClarine Farm al basc Albarino SierraFoothills WW (8 mo. skin contact; U/U; 11.4%;
www.LaClarineFarm.com) HankBeckmeyer/Somerset 2016: Med.gold bit burnished bronze quite cloudy color;
very strong appley/apple juice/apple cider rather phenolic/resiny baked/spiced apples rather complex
nose; very tart/tangy/metallic rather phenolic/apple cider/resiny some baked spiced apples bit bitter
quite tannic/apple skin quite skin-contact white flavor; very long quite tart/tangy bit bitter/apple skin
rather phenolic/resiny/apple cider some earthy some baked spicy apples quite resiny finish; no obvious
Albarino character and lots of resiny/skin-contact white character; quite an interesting/unusual/maybe
bizarre skin-contact white; needs food w/ it to tame the bitterness. $28.00
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3. LaClarine Farm PetitManseng SierraFoothills WW (13%; U/U) 2016: Med.light gold color; very strong appley/
apple juice slight stony/mineral rather interesting nose; tart/tangy/acidic very appley/apple juice bit
metallic little fruit flavor; long very acidic/tart/tangy apple juice/apple cider slight stony/mineral/
metallic finish; no PetiteManseng character that I can identify and lots of apple cider character. $30.00
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4. LaClarine Farm Gar-Ma SierraFoothills RW (74% Grenache/26% Mataro; 12%) 2016: Light garnet slight bricked
bit cloudy color; rather earthy/dusty/loamy somewhat mushroomy/rustic/coarse slightly volatile nose; very
acidic/screechy/teeth chattering rather earthy/dusty/loamy/rustic no Grenache some slight Mataro/mushroomy/
plummy flavor w/ light raspy tannins; med. rather earthy/loamy/dusty mushroomy/rustic/bit coarse quite
acidic/screechy little fruit finish w/ light gritty tannins; no Grenache character that I can identify and
only slight Mourv character; not sure how the fruit was obliterated in a Grenache; a rather bizarre wine.
$24.00
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5. LaClarine Farm Mourvedre CedarvilleVnyd SierraFoothills RW (12.7%) 2016: Med. bit cloudy color; rather
earthy/dusty/loamy/mushroomy bit funky light plummy/Mourv light apple cider bit spicy nose; lightly tart
earthy/dusty/mushroomy some Mourv/plummy slight cherry/cpicy flavor w/ light tangy tannins; long light
Mourv/plummy/bit cherry rather earthy/loamy/dusty/root cellar bit apple cider lightly tart finish w/ light
grippy tannins; only LaClarine to show any varietal character; best of the LaClarines. $30.00
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6. muRder riDge PinotNoir PerliVnyd/MendoRidge (14.6%; 70 cs) SteveAlden/LeslieSisneros 2015: Med.color; strong
oaky/vanilla/ZagNutBar/toasted coconut some blackcherry/PN/black cherry cola bit earthy/dusty some bright
cherry rather attractive nose; fairly tart strong oak/toasted coconut/coconutty/vanilla some earthy/dusty
bright cherry/black cherry/PN/bit spicy flavor w/ light smooth tannins; very long strong cherry/black cherry/
PN/black cherry cola some vanilla/toasted coconut/oak slight earthy/rustic finish w/ light smooth/polished
tannins; not the bright high-toned character of AndersonVlly Pinot and a bit of a sauvage character but quite
an interesting Pinot. $48.00
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7. muRder riDge Zin Wildlands/MendoRidge (15.3%; MurderRidge.com; "Farming in the Wilderness";
70 cs; Fashauer Vineyard+PerliVnyd) Sebastapol 2014: Med.darl color; strong blackberry/black cherry/Zin/spicy
some earthy/dustylight vanilla/oak/toasted coconut nose; fairly tart strong blackberry/black cherry/black cherry
cola/Zin some toasted coconut/vanilla/oak bit earthy/dusty/forest floor flavor w/ modest smooth/bit tangy tannins;
very long strong blackberry/black cherry cola/Zin/spicy some vanilla/toasted coconut/oak some earthy/dusty/
pungent/forest floor finish w/ smooth/ripe tannins; alcohol doesn't show at all; lots of blackberry/Zin w/ an
interesting forest floor/pungent/damp pine needles component; quite an interesting Zin. $35.00
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8. muRder riDge Zin PerliVnyd/MendoRidge (15.5%; 70 cs) 2014: Med.dark color; light earthy/dusty/forest floor strong
blackberry/black cherry/Zin/quite spicy very light toasty/oak more spicy lovely nose; somewhat tart/tangy very
spicy/blackberry/Zin/boysenberry light toasty/oak bit earthy/dusty/forest floor/slight loamy flavor w/ modest
smooth tannins; very long/lingering very strong blackberry/Zin/boysenberry/very spicy some earthy/dusty/forest
floor slight herbal/pungent/thyme light toasty/oak finish w/ some smooth/round/ripe tannins; a bit less intrusive
oak and a bit more extraction than the Wildlands; quite an interesting/attractive Zin. $38.00
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9. muRder riDge Maylena PerliVnyd/MendoRidge (15.3%; Syrah/Merlot) 2014: Dark color; very strong blackberry/
boysenberry/Syrah/spicy light dusty/earthy light vanilla/oak fairly aromatic nose; fairly tart strong blackberry/
boysenberry/Syrah/ripe/very spicy slight plummy/herbal some dusty/earthy light toasty/oak bit complex flavor w/
light tangy tannins; very long strong blackberry/boysenberry/ripe/Syrah/plummy/black cherry light toasty/oak
slight herbal/forest floor complex finish w/ light tangy tannins; carries the alcohol well; a bit on the rustic
side compared to the Drews but a very interesting/complex if somewhat burly Syrah. $45.00
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10. Drew Syrah PerliVnyd/MendoRidge (14.2%) 2010[/b]: Very dark color; very strong toasty/oak very espresso/roasted/
coffee bean bit herbal/pungent/thyme/rosemary strong blackberry/Syrah very Rhonish complex nose; some tart
very strong espresso/coffee bean/roasted/Rhonish very strong blackberry/Syrah/pungent bit herbal/thyme/rosemary/
pungent almost Hermitage-like flavor w/ light smooth tannins; very long/lingering very strong blackberry/Syrah/
spicy some toasty/Fr.oak herbal/thyme complex finish w/ light gentle tannins; lots of spicy Syrah fruit w/ loads
of Rhonish/Hermitage-like character; fully mature and hitting on all cylinders. $40.00
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11. Drew Syrah PerliVnyd/MendoRidge (13.7%; 3 yr.old Fr.oak; 30% whole-cluster; 100% native fermentation;
5% Viognier coferment; 1.5 tons/acre; Drk: 2014-2024: JD) 2012: Very dark color; strong smokey/toasty/Fr.oak very
strong blackberry/boysenberry/Syrah/very spicy/licorice bit herbal some w-c/peppery beautiful nose; fairly tart
spicy/peppery/w-c very strong blackberry/Syrah/spicy light smokey/oak slight herbal/pungent flavor w/ light crunchy
tannins; very long/lingering very strong blackberry/Syrah/boysenberry/spicy some w-c/peppery some smokey/oak bit
complex finish w/ light chewey tannins; much more Calif in style and less Rhonish; beautiful Syrah. $38.25
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12. Drew Syrah PerliVnyd/MendoRidge (13.7%; 30% w-c; 5% Viognier co-frmtd; 1.8 tons/acre) 2013: Very dark/near black
color; strong w-c/peppery very spicy/blackberry/Syrah strong toasty/oak/smokey slight herbal/thyme/pungent complex
nose; rather tart bit Rhonish/smoked meats/coffee very strong blackberry/Syrah/very spicy some toasted/charred/
Fr.oak fairly peppery/w-c flavor w/ ample hard tannins; very long/lingering very strong blackberry/Syrah/very spicy
slight Rhonish/roasted fairly strong peppery/w-c fairly toasty/smokey/oak slight herbal/thyme finish w/ ample
hard tannins; much like the '12 but a bit more intense and Rhonish; a beautiful Syrah that needs age. $45.00
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13. Drew Syrah PerliVnyd/MendoRidge (13.9%; 30% w-c; 25% 1 yr old Fr.oak puncheon; Clones: McDowell/Cote-Rotie
Slctns; Drk: 2018-2027: JD) 2015: Very dark color; some earthy/dusty/ bit w-c/peppery spicy/blackberry/
Syrah/black cherry slight herbal/earthy/dusty/forest floor light toasty/oak classic Drew Syrah bit sauvage
complex nose; lightly tart rich/lush quite blackberry/black cherry/Syrah/very spicy some toasty/oak light
w-c/peppery structured slight herbal/thyme complex flavor w/ modest firm tannins; verylong/lingering very
strong blackberry/black cherry cola slight herbal/forest floor some toasty/oak structured finish w/ some
ripe/firm tannins; will benefit from 5-10 yrs of age; a rather unusual expression of Calif Syrah and more
like a Perli Zin than a classic Calif Syrah. $48.00
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14. Jaffurs Syrah BienNacidoVnyd/SantaBarbaraCnty (14.0%) SantaMaria 1999: Med.dark color; rather charred/smokey/
Fr.oak roasted/Rhonish/smoked meats/espresso light blackberry/Syrah/licorice very complex nose; bit soft
very strong charred/smokey/Fr.oak rather Rhonish/smoked meats/roasted/espresso light blackberry/blueberry/
Syrah/licorice pungent complex flavor w/ light bit drying tannins;very long very strong charred/toasty/Fr.oak
light blackberry/Syrah/licorice rather roasted/Rhonish/espresso finish w/ light drying tannins; starting to
drop its fruit and drying out but loads of interesting Rhonish character. Sterbenz mystery wine.
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More alt-pontifications from TheBloodyPulpit:
1. LaClarine: These are the "natural" wines of HankBeckmeyer, one of the darlings of SweetAlice. I wanted to like
these wines. Alas, I didn't. Most of the group actively disliked them. The wines were not "bad", per see. I
suspect they would show better if taken w/ food.
The three whites had pretty much the same apple cider character and not any varietal character that I could
detect. I was excited to try the PetiteManseng, as I find that an interesting variety. Alas...disappointing.
The "natural" winemaking interfered any take on the potential of this variety in Calif.
I will go back and retry these w/ food over the next few weeks.
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2. MurderRidge: I happened to come upon this producer a few months ago when I was looking up some info on the
PerliVnyd. I've liked quite a lot what JasonDrew does with these Syrah grapes over the yrs. I discovered that
the grower, SteveAlden, makes his own wines under the muRder riDge label. The WebSite tells an interesting story
about a murder up on this isolated ridge many a yr ago. The strange puncuation is ment to convey a sense of a
typed ransom note sent to a newspaper. Kinda dark humor. The winemaker is LeslieSisneros.
The Maylena Syrah was sold out, but Leslie sprung for a library btl to include in my tasting. It was my favorite
of her wines. Alas, there will be no '17 Syrah. A local bear (presumably...but, who knows, he may have come from
miles away because the PerliRidge Syrah grapes are so special!!) took a liking to their Syrah grapes and devastated
the crop. There's a great video on their WebSite of this voracious bear. I bet one CaseyHartlip would not have
let this nefarious bear have his way w/ the Syrah.
I liked the two Zins quite a lot. They both had an interesting forest floor component that reminds me of
digging thru a pile of rotting pine needles out in the forest. A bit of a sauvage/rustic character w/ not a lot of
high-toned fruit notes. Neither had any signs of overripeness that the alcohol levels would suggest. They reminded
me some of JedSteele's old Anzilotti Zins w/o the overbearing oak. Both unusual renditions of Zin for Calif.
I would dearly love to see what JasonDrew would do with this Zin fruit.
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3. PetiteManseng: I tried another btl of this Fri afternoon. As I expected, it was much better w/ food (oven roasted
peppers/artichokes/onions w/ a very garliky aioli) to tame the acid on the palate. More interestingly, after
being opened for two days. it finally started to show a bit of floral/pineapple aromatics. Still not a wine that
I'd seek out, though.
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4. Drew Syrahs: I've been a big fan of Jason & Molly Drew's Syrahs from their days down in SantaBarbara. They moved
up onto MendoRidge, planted a vnyd, and have been making wines that have been darlings of the IPoB kids. They
also make a Valenti Syrah that I like quite a lot, though I think I prefer the Perli.
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5. PerliVnyd Syrah: So from this tasting, I should be able to identify the PerliVnyd Syrahs blind?? Not a chance.
The Syrahs seem to show a wild/sauvage/rustic side that you don't often find in Calif Syrah. Maybe I'd
characterize it as the Cornas of Calif Syrah vnyds. The muRder riDge seems to show more of that character than
the Drews. Jason use of w-c probably his Syrahs a bit more of a Rhonish character. At any rate, clearly this
tasting gives me a much greater appreciation of Perli as one of Calif's best Syrah vnyds.
Tom
