2008 Scholium Project Naucratis Lost Slough Vineyards (Verdejo) 16.3%
Having enjoyed two bottles of the 2007 last year, weighing in at a paltry 14.9%, I was amazed to note the 16.3% on the 2008; a Stoli, not a Scholi. Decanted for four hours then put back in the bottle for one of cooling in the fridge. Pale gold, zero interest in being orange. Mineral (lime, chalk) and floral aromas, with damp earth. Unctuous but not heavy, surprisingly unspirited, though some heat began to show as it warmed. Acidity was merely adequate; expected more given that malos were arrested with SO2. Some bitterness, not all of it pleasant, takes up the slack. Sweetness is candylike, veering on candied. No sign of wood. Most supermature wines are heavily oaked, so it's neat to taste one that isn't. But there's something poorly integrated about the piss & the vinegar that left me uneager for more. What's the point of this particular eccentricity? To be supermature without wood? Why supermature in the first place? What's the point of investing in the most natural microbial ecology possible if you're going to pick after the water begins to evaporate? I could understand any Faustian pact, but the tradeoff riches here simply didn't register. I'm a sucker for a maverick, and Scholium is a winery I'd love to visit someday, like Coturri and ESJ. At least they do things their way. But there has to be good reason.
