Recent tastes

2006 Tomas Cusine, Vilosell: 62% Tempranillo, 14% Cabernet Sauvignon, 13% Merlot, 5% Syrah, 3% Garnatxa, 3% Carinyena; smells a little like Loire cab. franc - with that herbaceous note up high - but also carries the cab. sauvignon markers of cassis - not much tempranillo in evidence on the nose; fairly rich but not plush, silky, bright, no oak noticeable, dark fruit and some complexity; medium length finish. A good balanced wine that is more interesting than first expected. 14% alcohol and about $17.

2009 Edmunds St. John, Gamay Bone Jolly: Bright, granite driven gamay with a freshness and vibrancy that has to be tasted; beautiful color, alluring aromas and invigorating flavors; a wine you want to drink.

2009 Edmunds St. John, Rocks and Gravel: Cement tank fermented and aged; take the 2006 Old Black Magic and make it ready immediately; the co-ferment of syrah and grenache works very well and the wine delivers purity and focus ready to enjoy now. No doubt it will age but, since it tastes so good now, why wait?

2008 Dom. de la Chanteleuserie, Bourgueil: Clean, fresh, non-green, cabernet franc that is thirst quenching and charming. Good with or without food.

2007 Movia, Ribolla Gialla: Slightly cloudy; smells of pears, dried grasses, flint and pencil lead; tastes bone dry, flavors follow the nose, good acidity, fresh and intense; moderate length. The more I taste this grape the more I like it. I hear there is some in CA; time for me to seek it out.

2005 Pepiere, Muscadet Granite de Clisson: Took an hour to open and then, stole the show. Expansive nose of lemon skin, rain-water, stone and fresh air; bright but round in the mouth and showing considerable depth, intense, perfectly balanced, very fresh and extremely long. As good as the AOC produces.

1998 Lagier Meredith, Syrah: The first vintage from LM - it comes out of the bottle with the brief impression that it is just past peak but then “youngs-up” within minutes; showing a floral, cold climate profile yet with good concentration and balance; a lovely wine in its prime.

1999 J.L. Chave, Hermitage: Lots of tobacco and slightly closed upon opening, this opens to all it should be - meat, olive, warm fruit, lavender - a very complete wine with more weight then most vintages but nothing to suggest a heavy hand or too ripe fruit. Years to peak but delicious today.

2008 Cowan Cellars, Syrah Dry Stack Vineyard: The more I taste this wine the more I think it needs five years in the cellar - showing like a barrel sample and so young as to be hard to assess. Nonetheless, it has its pretty moments and its powerful ones. The cellar will be its friend.

2007 Bjornstad Cellars, Chardonnay Sonoma County: Starts off with a blast of French oak but the wood dissipates quickly and the crisp, clean minerality of the wine takes over. Nothing round or soft here but rather, bright acidity and etched flavors. The bottle says 14.2% alcohol but I know this is more like 13.7%. Quite a nice chard. Much more old world than new.

Best, Jim

[David M. Bueker]

Thanks for the '09 ESJ R&G note. I already "reserved" a case note unseen. Looks like it was a good idea.

So when will that Cowan Cellars mailer hit the in box?

Drinking very nicely as always, Jim. What closures were used for the two ESJ wines?

Drinking very nicely as always, Jim. What closures were used for the two ESJ wines?

Screw-cap for the gamay, cork for the Rocks and Gravel.

David,
That is a very good question.
I hesitate to release anything that I don't think is ready to drink.
FWIW, I had decanted the bottle I wrote about for 6 hours prior to service - and it still was showing like it just came from a barrel.
Best, Jim

Make that Diam for the Rocks, not exactly cork.

Speaking of your wines Steve, have you (or anyone else) had the 04 ESJ Tablas Creek Roussanne recently? A bottle last night seemed a bit shy and flat in the fruit department. Not sure if that is an aging stage and the wine will reemerge in the future, or if it wasn't meant to hold this long.

I've had three or four bottles in the past couple of months, and my impression has been that the wine is still ascending, Rahsaan. Wonder if you might have had a TCA-affected bottle?

Drinking very nicely as always, Jim. What closures were used for the two ESJ wines?

Screw-cap for the gamay, cork for the Rocks and Gravel.

David,
That is a very good question.
I hesitate to release anything that I don't think is ready to drink.
FWIW, I had decanted the bottle I wrote about for 6 hours prior to service - and it still was showing like it just came from a barrel.
Best, Jim

Jim, are you going to be the Lopez de Heredia of California, sitting on your wines until you believe they are 'mature' enough?
Good thing you're small production!

Mark

I've had three or four bottles in the past couple of months, and my impression has been that the wine is still ascending, Rahsaan. Wonder if you might have had a TCA-affected bottle?

I was actually just thinking that, because my primary memories of the wine were 'dull, muted, not expressive', which are often tell-tale signs of TCA, even though I didn't necessarily pick up the cardboardy smells. But it was a fairly casual drinking environment, and we didn't give the wine a ton of time (maybe 30-45 minutes milling around the garden before the wine was gone) so I was just wondering what others thought. And glad to hear that it is still ascending!

2007 Movia, Ribolla Gialla: Slightly cloudy; smells of pears, dried grasses, flint and pencil lead; tastes bone dry, flavors follow the nose, good acidity, fresh and intense; moderate length. The more I taste this grape the more I like it. I hear there is some in CA; time for me to seek it out.

Just didi a quick search, there are a few wineries in CA that do this varietal. I'd love to try it too and hope that it is handled with the same restraint that it is in Italy.

Wineries are : Vare, Palmina. Looks like Luna Vineyards also grows this (planted in 04 so it should start to produce something soon).

I love this variety, started with Gravner of course but have strayed and found others to be compelling as well.

I don't think that restraint is the issue in Friuli; it just won't ripen there the same way it might here. Friuli makes the Sonoma Coast look like the Gulf Coast.

I also hear that Wind Gap and Arnot-Roberts have a ribolla in the offing.
Best, Jim

[David M. Bueker]

Not been impressed by Wind Gap so far. I've tried 4 or 5 different wines, and none of them have done much for me.

Glad the Rocks & Gravel is under DIAM.