Susan & I had lunch last Wed at BayWolf with SteveEdmunds. I'll swear the guy didn't look a day over 59. We tried:
1. Domaine Zind-Humbrecht Hengst/GrandCru GWT (14%) 1991: Deep gold color; beautiful complex old GWT/very spicy/nutmeg very perfumed/aromatic nose; huge/lush/ripe old GWT/light lychee/very spicy/nutmeg dry very complex flavor; very long/lingering complex old GWT very spicy/nutmeg slightly bitter finish that goes on and on; get acid & balance and totally dry; stunning old GWT.
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2. EdStJohn PinotGris WittersVnyd/ElDoradoCnty (13.2%) 2006: Light gold/yellow color; very fragrant/perfumed rather floral/aromatic somewhat smokey loads of PinotGris fruit nose; lush/rich/ripe some smokey very floral/aromatic/perfumed slight earthy flavor; very long rich/ripe very floral/aromatic slight smokey finish; very good Alsatian-style PG.
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3. EdStJohn Rocks&Gravel Calif RW (14.2%) 2005: Dark color; lovely Grenache/strawberry some earthy/CdP-like/dusty very interesting nose; tart very attractive Grenache/strawberry some earthy/dusty/Rhonish slight smokey/pungent/spicy/peppery flavor; med.long earthy/dusty rather strawberry/Grenache finish w/ light tannins; another very good R&G; contains a bunch of Casey's EaglePoint fruit.
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4. EdStJohn Wylie-Fenaughty/ElDoradoCnty Syrah (14.6%) 2005: Dark color; lovely earthy/dusty rather French/Rhonish/smokey/peppery/roasted some blackberry/Syrah tart/structured flavor; very long earthy/dusty/ElDorado somewhat blackberry/Syrah Rhonish/smokey finish w/ fair tannins; needs another yr and should go 10+ yrs; quite Rhonish in character; another terrific W-F Syrah.
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5. EdStJohn Parmalee-Hill SonomaVlly Syrah (14.4%) 2005: Dark color; very strong blackberry/Syrah/spicy big fruit slight smokey/pungent nose; big/rich/ripe blackberry/Syrah slight earthy/pungent/smokey tart flavor; long big/blackberry/Syrah slight earthy/pungent finish w/ some tannins; needs a yr or two; not the Rhonish character of the W-F and much more Calif in style; a bit simple now but should develop w/ time.
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And a wee BloodyPulpit:
1. I noticed that Steve has a new wine out. You might want to check it out at: Steve'sNewWine
I'm buying some.
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2. Z-H GWT: This was, I thought, a terrific example of old Alsatian GWT. It's lost most of that powerful lychee/cheap hair oil character young GWT has and as developed that wonderful old GWT character that is very spicy like nutmeg/cinammon. I see no reason this wine won't go another 10 yrs.
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3. EdStJohn PinotGris: This wine is what Steve used to sell has his PinotGrigio. That ElDorado terroir character gave it a rather earthy character that was not too unlike Friuli PinotGrigio. They actually age rather well I've found. This '06 version 'tis a whole nuther beast. Much more resembling good Alsatian PinotGris (hence the name change) than Italian PG. It is one of the best Alsatian-style wines produced in Calif, IMHO. And it has developed wonderfully in the last 6 months. I see no reason it won't go on for another 10 yrs.
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4. EdStJohn Reds: These three reds are scheduled for a November release. Price on the W-F Syrah about $25 and $18 for the Rocks&Gravel. Very/very good values, as usual. This is only the 2'nd Parmalee-Hill that Steve as made. My experience is that the R&G undergoes quite a few changes as it ages over the first few yrs and can be a bit elusive at times. It was showing a lot of that strawberry/Grenache character now, but I suspect that will slip into the background in a few moths and it will start showing even more Rhonish character.
Tom