Edmunds St. John recommendations

Wines from Edmunds St. John are not readily accessible to me locally, and, therefore, I have not had an opportunity to try them. I have recently found a source for a few of their wines. Any recommendations on trying these wines?


- (E.S. John) "Heart of Gold" White 2008
- (E.S. John) "Bone Jolly" Gamay Rose 2008
- (E.S. John) Syrah "Bassetti Vnyd" San Luis Obispo County 2005
- (E.S. John) "That Old Black Magic" 2006
- (E.S. John) "Bone Jolly" Gamay Noir 2008

Yes, my rec is to try them all!
I've not had the Gamay Noir, and own the 05 Bassetti (thanks to David B) but haven't tried yet. But others are all both good and interesting.

I just bought and tried the '06 Old Black Magic and as with all of Steve's wines I found it very well made. It is majority syrah with a good dose of grenache. This wine is very approachable and a little more lush that what I have learned to expect from ESJ syrahs. Recommend this wine and it certainly was ready to drink although would probably age several years. My only complaint was the goofy label so I just put it in a brown bag.

Major fan of the Bassetti but be prepared to age it. Have enjoyed several bottles of Bone Jolly gamay. In my opinion you can't go wrong.

Walt

Depends what you are looking for. The Bassetti is probably the 'best' in terms of being impressive, ageworthy, etc. It is also the most expensive. And it probably doesn't show well now. But if you know you like Steve's syrahs you should buy some for the future and you will not be disappointed.

Steve's fame originally emerged from the Rhone varieties so That Old Black Magic is probably a must buy for getting a taste of what that is like from a wine that is more approachable now.

But even if he started there, plenty of folks like the Bone Jolly/gamay wines and the whites. They are less of a priority for me but if you haven't tasted them you will not go wrong!

Depends what you are looking for. The Bassetti is probably the 'best' in terms of being impressive, ageworthy, etc. It is also the most expensive. And it probably doesn't show well now. But if you know you like Steve's syrahs you should buy some for the future and you will not be disappointed.

Steve's fame originally emerged from the Rhone varieties so That Old Black Magic is probably a must buy for getting a taste of what that is like from a wine that is more approachable now.

But even if he started there, plenty of folks like the Bone Jolly/gamay wines and the whites. They are less of a priority for me but if you haven't tasted them you will not go wrong!

I personally think that Heart of Gold is a great apertif wine or with any shellfish recipe. I have to admit to an interest in a good wine store and owning more of Steve's wines in my celllar than other single producer.

My recco (for what it's worth) is to try every ESJ you can find. I've not been disappointed yet.

[David M. Bueker]

Back up the truck! Those are all really good wines.

My recco (for what it's worth) is to try every ESJ you can find. I've not been disappointed yet.

What he said.

Thanks all. Much appreciated. I will pick up these wines.

I just had my first experience with ESJ recently:

viewtopic.php?f=3&t=31239

I recommend the Bone Jolly unreservedly.

Based on your recommendations, I picked up 4 different ESJs this week. Opened a 2008 ESJ Heart of Gold last night. You were right. What a nice wine. I will have to add more to the cellar.

Thanks all for your input.

Greg

I'll just echo Rahsaan here. While all of Steve's wines are worth trying the Basetti will more of an academic exercise to see what it tastes like when it's too young. If it weren't for an upcoming tasting I wouldn't touch another one until at least age 10.

I do have some of the Bassetti which I will cellar. I also picked up the Bone Jolly Gamay Noir and Old Black Magic. Drinking rec on the latter two?

[David M. Bueker]

You can start in on the Gamay any time. The Magic is fine now, but should improve with a couple of years in the cellar.

What David said but if you do drink the Black Magic now I think a bit of air time helps it out.

Had a 2005 Whyle-Fenaughty recently that was really very oaky. It was okay. Come to think of it, wines from this producer have always been far oakier than I expect, given its hipster cred. I have limited experience though, so perhaps some bad luck.

[David M. Bueker]

Had a 2005 Whyle-Fenaughty recently that was really very oaky. It was okay. Come to think of it, wines from this producer have always been far oakier than I expect, given its hipster cred. I have limited experience though, so perhaps some bad luck.

Pretty strange given that he uses virtually no new oak.

Had a 2005 Whyle-Fenaughty recently that was really very oaky. It was okay. Come to think of it, wines from this producer have always been far oakier than I expect, given its hipster cred. I have limited experience though, so perhaps some bad luck.

Pretty strange given that he uses virtually no new oak.

As I say, I've been surprised myself! But even 1-2 year old oak can leave its mark (especially, perhaps, on wines that don't turn on high levels of extraction?).

[David M. Bueker]

I've never noticed an oak signature on any of Steve's wines, but YMMV.

I've never noticed an oak signature on any of Steve's wines, but YMMV.

For whatever it's worth, I drank that particular bottle with a few teachers in the MW certificate program who are far wiser souls than myself, who insisted there was new oak, and guessed a new-school Rioja blind. I argued otherwise, actually, but still, as I said, found it to be quite clearly oakey.

All this being said, I'm still willing to assume I've just had some uncharacteristic bottles, and (as a fan of "classically styled wine") genuinely look forward to seeing what the hype is all about.

[David M. Bueker]

Wow. That's the last thing I would ever guess blind.

We should get Steve in on this thread but I always thought his oak was well past one or two years old and much closer to 20 years.

Sometimes the wines can show hot or weird when in awkward stages, as one would expect for the 2005 WF. But, we should hear from him!

We should get Steve in on this thread but I always thought his oak was well past one or two years old and much closer to 20 years.

Sometimes the wines can show hot or weird when in awkward stages, as one would expect for the 2005 WF. But, we should hear from him!

We need Claude Kolm here to mention that some people confuse certain flavors in Syrah with oak.

I've got to wonder about someone who thinks that Steve's wines taste like Rioja, since they are about as true an expression of Syrah as I've had outside of the N Rhone.

Mark Lipton

We need Claude Kolm here to mention that some people confuse certain flavors in Syrah with oak.

Yes, I was going to mention that as well, but didn't remember if his comments were restricted to the Northern Rhone.