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WTN: Two Relics Performing Above Their Pay Grade...(short/bo

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TomHill

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WTN: Two Relics Performing Above Their Pay Grade...(short/bo

by TomHill » Mon May 28, 2018 10:32 am

Cracked these two relics last night:
1. DeLoachVnyds Chard O.F.S. RRV (14.5%) SantaRosa 1997: Deep golden color; strong ripe/melony/Chard/celery seed slight earthy rather pencilly/smokey/Fr.oak slight nutty/oxidative complex nose; soft/rich/lush bit tangy/metallic/nutty/oxidative ripe/melony/Chard/slight herbal rather pencilly/smokey/caramel/Fr.oak light nutty/oxidative rather complex flavor; very long/lingering strong/ripe/melony/Chard/celery seed/herbal rich/lush/mouthfilling strong pencilly/smokey/butterscotchy slight metallic/tangy pretty complex/old Chard finish w/ slight bitterness that disappears as the wine warms; a lovely example of a fully mature or beyond complex Calif Chard that is way better than it has any right to be; some nutty/oxidative character but still offers up a lot of pleasure. $nc (MS)
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2. Terra DorA Di Paolo DOCG: Taurasi Campore Riserve (Aglianico; 14%; www.TerreDora.com; ViasImports) Montefusco/Campania 2004: Very dark color w/ little bricking; strong quite earthy/dusty/OV/bit loamy some plummy/blackberry/licorice/bit spicy bit rustic/hot-climate/but clean fairly complex nose; rather soft slight rustic/tannic/rough/coarse strong plummy/licorice/blackberry/Aglinico/bit sauvage some earthy/dusty/rustic fairly round/smooth complex flavor w/ light smooth bit rough tannins; very long/lingering bit rough/rustic/tannic/hot-climate rather plummy/blackberry/licorice/pungent some earthy/dusty/OV/loamy complex finish w/ light smooth tannins; a bit on the rustic/hot-climate side but quite smooth & complex a well-matured. $nc (MS)
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A wee BloodyPulpit:
1. The top-of-the-line DeLoach wines are designated O.F.S. This is an old Navy term (CecilDeLoach served in the USNavy before going on to become a fireman in Oakland) that stands for "Our Finest Selection" (wink/wink...nod/nod).
This OFS Chard was, in its day, the poster child for fat/over-oaked/over-ripe/alcoholic/full M-L Calif Chard. And we "know" that those kinds of Chards don't age worth a hoot. So I was quite surprised at how well this wine had withstood the test of time.
Tried again this morning; the wine was pretty oxidized and far gone.
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2. Several weeks ago, Bob Sherwood's widow, Melody, gifted me Bob's cellar, gratis, as she had to get the wines outta there so she could sell the house. Some 8 cases worth.
Bob & I go way back to the days of alt.food.wine UseGroup, when everybody had their punched card readers hooked up to the InterNet via USB cables. He listened to me for a lot of advice on what to buy in Calif wines. One of the first TomHill sheep. One of the early buyers, thru me, of Carlisle & Bedrock. Alas, none of those were found in his cellar. It was about 2/3'rd whites that he'd been buying on his own. Bob must have liked those Carlisles & Bedrocks and drunk them all up. (Sh)It happens.
So I separated out a few of his wines that I was confident was dead&gone. Whatta surprise these two were.
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3. Taurasi: I had heard that Taurasi Aglianico had the potential to age well but had never had any old ones. Now I have and they were right. Look forward to see how my Calif Algianicos age.
Tom

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