Tried this last night:
1. EdmeadesVnyds Zin CiapusciVnyd/MendoCnty (14.8%; Hrvstd: Oct 6-10; TA: 0.67; RS: 0.48; pH: 3.40; 861 cs) Philo/AndersonVlly 1982: Med.dark murkey color w/ some browning; rather cedary/pencilly/oldZin slight mousey/wet Army blanket slight boysenberry/Zin/licorice interesting bit complex nose w/ no oxidation; bit tart/lean/tangy/dried out some pencilly/oldZin/cedary light raspberry/boysenberry/Zin slightly spicy flavor w/ light/astringent/drying tannins; med.long tangy/lean/tart/bit dried out some pencilly/cedary/oak slight wetArmy blanket/wet wool light raspberry/boysenberry/Zin finish w/ light/astringent tannins; still a bit of fruit hiding in there and holding on for dear life, but has seen better days; more an intellectual pleasure than a sensual pleasure.
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A wee BloodyPulpit:
1. Edmeades: This was a wnry that was started in the early '70's by DeronEdmeades, a Pasadena cardioligist. The wines were dreadful. In fact, w/ my tasting group, if we ran into a really bad wine, we'd dismiss it w/ the sobriquet "Edmeades" (or "Husch"...another baddie). That all turned around when they hired JedSteele, fresh out of UC/Davis, as winemaker. He totally turned that place around. The wines became some of the truly greatest wines ever made in MendoCnty.
Jed made Zins from the Zeni/Ciapusci/DuPratt/Pacini/Anzilotti vnyds, all up on MendocinoRidge, an AVA that did not exist then (nor did the AVA system). The DuPratt was always the flagship Zin, but the others were close behind, w/ maybe the Anzilotti being the least of a very good batch.
The DuPratt vnyd (now Arietta-DuPratt) is owned by DaveArietta and was planted in the 1920's. It is still made by Jed and now by MikeOfficer as well.
The LarryPacini vnyd was planted in the 1940's. The Zeni vnyd, off FishRockRd, was planted in the 1910's. The Anzilotti vnyd is owned by PerryAnzilotti, but is not in the HVS registery. His father, Irece, was very influential to JohnChiarito (who has, I understand, closed his wnry).
The Ciapusci vnyd is owned by CharlesCiaspuci off FishRockRd and contains 136 yr old vines. Can't find where these grapes are going these days.
Jed also used to make Cabernet from MendoRidge grapes. Cabernet in the AndersonVlly?? Yup. Darrell bought a large oak puncheon of the '78 for a CortiBros Reserve Cabernet. It was probably one of the greatest Calif Cabernets I have ever tasted at 15 yrs of age.
Jed also made some wines that were less than stellar. I recall the Rain Wine and Whale Wine as not so good.
Edmeades was sold in 1988 to JessJackson, where it still remains. VanWilliamson used to be their winemaker..don't know if he still is. I've not tried them of late.
Jed still makes wine (w/ his son) under the SteeleWnry label. Continues to make a DuPratt Zin. The wines are decent/solid wines and good values, but, alas, nowhere near the stature of what he made in his hey-day at Edmeades. Some of those Zins were as great as any ever made in Calif.
Anyway, this Edmeades was a nice trip down memory lane for me.
Tom