WTN: Edmunds St. John 2006 "Bone-Jolly" El Dorado County Witters Vineyard.

Edmunds St. John 2006 "Bone-Jolly" El Dorado County Witters Vineyard Gamay Noir Rosé California. 13.2% alcohol. 100% Gamay. $16.00 at Wine Cellars, Ridgewood.

Pretty pink color, clear hue, lovely strawberry aromas with hints of flowers and minerals, very good citrus and red fruit and berry flavors, bright acidity, long finish with minerals, flowers, fruit and a bit of tannic bite. An excellent wine for a roasted vegetable wrap on a very hot summer evening, when we thought it was too hot to eat. Steve's wine proved us both wrong. Delicious! 4*

Notes:

Winemaker's Notes:

VINEYARD SOURCE: Witters Vineyard, at 3400' elevation, above Camino, in El Dorado County, planted, at my instigation, by Ron Mansfield, who also farms Wylie and Fenaughty vineyards for us. The elevation, the slope to the north, and the volcanic clay-loam soil all work together to produce grapes that will ripen fairly slowly, which is critical for the development of perfume and finesse.

On the 2006 vintage: It's a pretty, vibrant pink-red, with an edge of blue. it's got a fresh, bright nose, slightly grapey. You might smell wild strawberry, a little woodsmoke, a little pepper. Nervous and wild in the mouth, with great focus, and electric tension between sweetness of fruit and snappy acidity. Juicy, and long. [More on the history of the wine at http://www.edmundsstjohn.com/TheNewslet ... ans73.html

Robin Garr: Clear and very attractive pink-rose color. Fresh strawberry and delicate floral scent; ripe strawberry flavor, dry and crisp, wrapped up with mouth-watering acidity. A wisp of tannic astringency becomes evident in the finish as the wine warms in the glass. Simply put, this is one of the most enjoyable rosés I've ever tasted.

Stephen Tanzer/Josh Reynolds: "Bright pink. Fresh strawberry and orange zest aromas show bright mineral lift. Crisp and energetic, with clean citrus and red berry flavors and a long, brisk finish. This is way too easy to drink."

[David M. Bueker]

Nice note Bob. I opened one of these last night & posted some notes in Wine Focus. It is too easy to drink.

I've read several nice notes on this (including yours Bob) but I'm having a tough time finding anyone in DC that carries it.

Question regarding the tannic bite: Last night I had another rosé (can't recall what it was) and it had a strange aspiriny finish. The wine didn't seem flawed otherwise, and I'm wondering if this sensation might be chalked up to the tannins? My experience w/ rosé is pretty limited so I don't know if this is common.

I don't see a DC or a MD retailer on Wine Searcher Pro, but http://www.finewine.com/ has it in McClean and perhaps other outlets.

I haven't experienced the aspirin taste -- hopefully someone will chime in here.

Regards, Bob

Thanks for the link, Bob. I'll run out there this weekend...

Bummer - I called and they're sold out. Which is what I'm finding at most of the oulets around here. Speaks volumes about the wine though!! Now I'm on a mission

That is a bummer. Steve often audits here, and he may be able to help.

You can reach him at info@EdmundsStJohn.com and I've found him very helpful in searching out his wines.

His website gives:

District of Columbia
Potomac Selections
(703) 751-9416

Hope this helps in the quest; like a number of other ESJ wines, this one is worth searching out.

Regards, Bob

Again, Bob - thanks! I contacted Potomac who put me in touch w/ someone near me that they do business with. They didn't have it in stock but they're ordering three bottles for delivery tomorrow to put aside for me. The price was a bit more than what I'm seeing elsewhere, $19, but I'm psyched to try it so I'm willing.

I appreciate your help!!!

On the aspirin finish on the other rose' wine, that's probably more a feature of the acidity than the tannins. In a demonstration put on by a wine educator from Robert Mondavi, as a wine received more acid, it began to taste very aspirin-like. Acetylsalicylic acid is more commonly known as aspirin.

That's great -- I see prices all over the place -- Robin paid $18 I think, and a store near here was advertising it as a "special" for $22.

Love to read what you think of this wine.

Regards, Bob

[James Roscoe]

The problem with Steve's wines is that they fly off the shelves. Trying to find them in the DC area is like tring to find the proverbial needle in a haystack. The best selection and most reliable source in the area is at the Wine Source up in Baltimore. The Wine Specialsit in DC carries ESJ wines, but they're NEVER in stock. The same is true with Iron Bridge in Columbia, MD. Let me know if you score another reliable source.

[David M. Bueker]

The problem with Steve's wines is that they fly off the shelves.

Perhaps a problem for you...I rather suspect that Steve is happy about it.

On the aspirin finish on the other rose' wine, that's probably more a feature of the acidity than the tannins. In a demonstration put on by a wine educator from Robert Mondavi, as a wine received more acid, it began to taste very aspirin-like. Acetylsalicylic acid is more commonly known as aspirin.

JC - well that certainly would explain it! Thanks.

James - Scott at Potomac Selections says he's got 82 bottles of this stuff. Not sure why they're not distributing it to any retailers, or why the retailers aren't ordering more of it. Joe Riley at Ace Beverage on New Mexico Ave (202-966-4444) is ordering the three bottles for me.

'The problem with Steve's wines is that they fly off the shelves."

My impression is a little different based on my experience in this area of Northern New Jersey and to an extent in NYC. Retailers tell me they stock ESJ wines but that they rarely sell off the shelf.

And, there are often remarkable discounts available -- the 2002 Shadow was on sale for $6.50 a bottle three weeks ago at a shop in our area; a month earlier I bought a case at $8.00 a bottle.

"On the aspirin finish on the other rose' wine, that's probably more a feature of the acidity than the tannins."

Thank you Jane for a very interesting bit of wine knowledge. Like so many things in this hobby, I didn't know that.

Regards, Bob

I used to be a retailer, ages ago, and I actually sold wine. Retailers these days seem to be too busy for that, most of the time. I feel like a wanderer from another planet. I don't think any ESJ wines fly off the shelves, either, and, of course it's frustrating, especially seeing how much people seem to enjoy them when they taste them.
If somebody's selling the Shadow for $6, they should never have bought it. (Maybe they stole it?)
cheers
Steve

[James Roscoe]

Every retailer I go to that stocks Steves reds can't keep them on the shelf. I was at Iron Bridge on Sunday and asked for the reds and it was a no-go. They were out and didn't know when they could get more. I am not up there enough to order.

Alizarin crimson.

I worked a late shift last night, and when I got home my wife had a chilled glass of the Bone Jolly waiting for me. What a pretty color. I thought translucent ruby, somewhat darker than pink.

My wife, the artistic talent in the Davis family, corrected me. The color is Alizarin Crimson. A tube of oil paint was produced, smeared on some paper, and was a match to what was in the glass.

Tasty wine, beautiful color. My last bottle...sigh.

For those reachable from California retailers, I just ordered and received some '06 Bone Jolly through K&L wines (klwines.com) this week. I'll be opening it this week with my friend Margaret whose father Larry Moss introduced me to ESJ wines (and a big thanks to him for that!) All the best, Jim

James, would one or another store hold some wines for you if you prepaid? I shop in a store in Northern Ky several times per year, and often a wine I know they have that is a very good buy, I call them and ask them to hold a case for me. They have held as few as 2 bottles. Of course the general manager knows me so I don't know if he would do it for everybody. I suspect he would for at least some set length of time. Might be worth a try.

My last bottle...sigh

Get some more, man! It's not too late!

"Alizarin crimson"

Thanks for adding to my vocabulary Mark -- I knew madden but not Alizarin. The OED thinks it comes from Arabic from the word for "expressed" or "extracted".

I'm going to buy another bottle -- mostly to drink -- but I didn't pick up the yellow tones that are supposed to be in Alizarin crimson.

Regards, Bob