We tasted the other night (11/7/07) Some New Rhones:
1. AlainGraillot Crozes-Hermitage Blanc (13%) 2006: Med.gold color; rather strong
appley/Marsanne slight floral rather cracked white pepper slight earthy nose;
tart/rich/lush slight minerally/appley/Marsanne slight metallic flavor; long
appley/Marsanne delicate floral/perfumed talc finish; speaks mostly of
Marsanne; a lovel Crozes Blanc that can use another couple of yrs. $30.95
_____________________
2. Etinne Pochon AC: Crozes-Hermitage Blanc (12.5%) 2005: Med.gold color; slight
gunpowder/used fireworks slight appley/earthy/fruity nose; soft/lush/ripe/
glycerined light fruity/appley slight metallic/earthy flavor; med. soft/lush/
ripe slight appley/earthy finish; a bit low on fruit but pleasant drinking
at a fair price. $23.00
_____________________
3. Ch. Saint Esteve d'Uchaux AC: CdR Blanc (http://www.Chateau-Saint-Esteve-d-Uchaux.com; 12%;
MeBaC) Gerard & Marc Francois 2002: Light gold color; very attractive perfumed/floral/
Viognier slight Condrieu/minerally lovely nose; soft bit stoney/minerally light floral/
pear/Viognier flavor; short light earthy/minerally finish; a pleasant CdR Blanc w/ a
nice touch of minerality; speaks mostly of Viognier. $18.00
_____________________
4. Dom.Bernard Gripa AC: St.Joseph Blanc (13%) 2005: Light gold color; beautiful fragrant/
perfumed/floral/peachy very Condrieu/minerally stunning nose; soft very lush/ripe/
floral/honeysuckle some minerally/earthy lovely flavor; very long lush/ripe floral/
honeysuckle slight minerally finish; a beautiful Blanc w/ nice minerality. $36.00
_____________________
5. Laurent Miquel Nord Sud Viognier Vin de Pays d'Oc (13.5%) 2006: Light gold color;
very attractive fragrant/pear/peach/Viognier slight minerally nose; tart bit lean
light pear/Viognier/floral bit simple flavor; med.short light floral/pear/Viognier/
peach finish; a pleasant Viognier for Pd'Oc; palate doesn't quite deliver on what
the nose promises. $18.00
_____________________
6. Casa Barranca Viognier WulfVnyd/Madera (14.8%) M from Organic Grown grapes by William
Moses/Ojai 2006: Med.gold color; huge bannana oil/CircusPeanuts very ripe/overripe/
fruit little fruit nose; very soft/fat very bannana oil/overripe rotted peaches bit
alcoholic flavor; very ripe/overripe soft/fat bannana oil finish; rather on the
overripe/porky side but good considering it's Madera Viognier; can't make a silk
purse from a sow's ear. $20.00
_____________________
8. ClarendonHills OldVines Grenache HiggenbothamVnyd/ClarendonHills (14.5%) 2001:
Med.color; rather bright/raspberry/strawberry light toasty/Fr.oak some buttery/
perfumed nose; rather hard/tannic bit dried out strawberr/raspberry/Grenache bit
perfumed loads of Fr.oak flavor; long hard/tannic bright strawberry/Grenache pretty
toasty/oak finish; lovely Grenache nose but rather hard/tannic/dried out on the
palate; not going to go anywhere.
_____________________
9. Matariki Syrah GimblettRd/HawkesBay/NZ (13.0%) 1999: Med.dark color; very spicy
cracked black pepper slightly unclean/funky some blackberry/Syrah interesting nose;
tart slight cracked black pepper some unclean/funky/brett slight blackberry/Syrah
flavor; med. some cracked black pepper bit funky some blackberry/Syrah rather hard/
tannic finish; lovely/complex nose w/ cracked black pepper but a bit hard/austere
on the palate; interesting NZ Syrah but just that. $20.00 (CB)
_____________________
10. MarcSorrel Crozes-Hermitage (12.5%) 2005: Med.dark color; some blackberry/Syrah
slight peppery/roasted/classic NR attractive nose; tart bit lean/hard some peppery/
roasted light blackberry/Syrah bit tannic flavor; med.long light roasted/peppery/NR
light blackberry/Syrah finish w/ some tannins; needs several yrs; a pleasant light-
weight NR but a bit disappointing. $29.00
_____________________
11. AlainGraillot St.Joseph (13%) 2005: Very dark color; rather reduced very strong
roasted/charred/peppery slight herbal some blackberry/Syrah lovely/classic/NR nose;
tart very roasted/charred/smokey/peppery slight herbal/blackberry/Syrah classic NR
flavor; very long roasted/charred/smokey/pungent some herbal/blac(LCSWS)
_____________________
12. Dom.Lagueans AstrologySeries Syrah ElDoradoCnty (14%; http://www.DomaineLaguens.com)
ZodiacCllrs/Sebastopol 2004: Very dark/black color; very ripe/overripe bit earthy/
mushroomy/Eldorado little fruit nose; rather dusty/earthy/mushroomy some blueberry/
Syrah bit funky rather hard/tannic some overripe flavor; med. very ripe/overripe
dusty/earthy/mushroomy rather Am.oak/buttery low fruit finish; big/hard/tannic and
pretty funky/overripe ElDorado Syrah; overpriced at $19.00
_____________________
13. WineSmith Calif Roman Syrah (14.1%; http://www.GrapeCraft.com; no sulfer? high Sierras?)
WineSmithCllrs/Sebastopol 2004: Med.dark color; very funky/bretty/barnyardy/horsecollar
little fruit nose; soft overripe/pruney/raisened little fruit rather bretty/
horsecollar/barnyardy very unclean flavor; med.long very unclean/bretty/horsecollar
raisened/pruney finish w/ some tannins; way too unclean for my tastes. $30.00
_____________________
14. Jaffurs Syrah SantaBarbaraCnty (14.9%) 2006: Black color; big/huge/intense
blackberry/Syrah/boysenberry some toasty/Fr.oak bit peppery nose; tart intense
blackberry/boysenberry/Syrah light toasty/oak ripe/lush flavor; very long ripe/lush/
intense boysenberry/blackberry/Syrah light toasty/oak w/ some tannins; a terrific
almost Oz-style Syrah w/ huge Syrah fruit character at a great price; worth buying
in quantitity; maybe the best Jaffurs SBC Syrah yet. $26.00
_____________________
15. Jaffurs ThompsonVnyd Syrah (14.9%) 2000: Very dark/black color; strong peppery/
toasty/smokey/pungent rather spicy/blackberry/Syrah some toasty/oak some complex nose;
tart rather tannic strong toasty/oak/smokey/pungent some blackberry/spicy/Syrah rather
rich very structured flavor; very long rather toasty/smokey/oak very spicy/blackberry/
Syrah fairly tannic finish; classic Thompson Syrah that still needs time. Larry's
mystery wine.
_______________________________________________________________
And stuff from TheBloodyPulpit:
1. Jaffurs Syrah: My group was mightly impressed w/ the newest Jaffurs SBC Syrah. Big/
huge Syrah fruit; maybe the best Jaffurs SBC Syrah yet, at a very/very good price.
_____________________
2. WineSmith Syrah: This is a wine made by Clark Smith, owner/head honcho of Vinovation
in Sebastopol, the outfit that does RO and micro-bullage for all sorts of clients.
The WebSite sorta implies it was made w/o sulfite additions and states it has
"incredibly intricate aromatics full of mystery and soul". I guess. But I found it was
so loaded w/ brett and uncleaness that it would do a Coturri wine proud. For such
a high-tech guy as Clark, I was pretty disappointed in this wine. It had lots of
overripe character that suggests, given the alcohol level, it was RO'd.
TomHill