1997 Edmunds St. John, Sangiovese Matagrano:
14% alcohol; there is some cherry in the nose but it runs in the background of a soulful, umami profile that’s all about earth and undergrowth; much the same on the palate, balanced, complex and engaging; medium length finish. A bit of bottle bouquet in with it all. A beautiful wine for the table; maybe best with the flavors of fall but still delightful and engaging with grilled chicken and Caesar salad.
A recent library re-release.
2010 Soliste, Sauvignon Blanc Lake County:
13.1% alcohol; this is about as pretty an SB as I have had – deep and ripe but plenty of cut, no cat pee/grass, really complex with salty minerality; ready to drink now. Absolutely delicious.
(I don’t think this has been released yet.)
2005 Chignard, Fleurie Les Moriers:
12.5% alcohol; a complete wine on both the nose and palate, round and full flavored, lots of different layers and scents, dense and intense, and very long. Has years to go in the cellar but is so expressive, integrated and succulent, now.
2008 Calcareous, Pinot Noir Twisted Sisters:
15.5% alcohol from Paso Robles; thick, smooth and sweet (possibly some RS?); opaque, noticeably alcoholic and monolithic. Approaching dessert wine character. Not for me.
However . . .
One of the women at the table loved it. She has difficulty with very dry wines and noted that this was something that she could drink on a regular basis. The off-dry sweetness and the smoothness were what she zeroed in on.
Another lesson for me; “different strokes . . .”
2005 Dom. Vissoux, Fleurie Poncié:
12.5% alcohol; almost painfully intense when first opened so I decanted; black raspberry, black cherry and cream soda nose; similar flavors in the mouth but not sweet; dense and rich, good cut, medium weight and still quite intense; very long. This wine has shed its baby fat and is now a powerful, concentrated and structured example of its place. Let it rest.
2002 Gravity Hills, Syrah Killer Climb:
13.9% alcohol from the Westside of Paso Robles; smells like Côte-Rôtie amped up, with that distinctive stem/ash/green olive element in the nose and considerable brooding dark fruit; similar flavors in the mouth, with a worsted texture, complexity and savory richness; very long. Showing very young and needs another decade in the cellar just to stop being so raw. But the material here is exciting and may, given time, live up to its roasted slope nose.
Best, Jim