Tried these last night w/ dinner:
1. TablasCreekVnyd Roussanne PasoRobles (EG; 14.1%; www.TablasCreek.com) 2010: Med.dark gold color; strong honeyed/honeysuckle/figgy/waxy slight nutty/toasted hazelnuts light chalky/mineral/stony bit complex lovely nose; fairly tart some chalky/mineral rich/lush floral/honeyesuckle/honeyed/ripe fig slight metallic/tangy/saline flavor; very long tart/tangy/metallic rich/lush/ripe fig strong honeyed/honeysuckle/floral/Rouss bit complex finish; quite a lovely Roussanne and will go out another 10 yrs; a lot more interest & character than most Calif Roussannes; great price at $25.00 (AV)
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2. WildHogVnyd Zin FtRoss-Seaview (15%; EB) Cazadero 2011: Med.dark color; beautiful intense blackberry/Zin/boysenberry/licorice/pungent/spicy rather cold-climate/black pepper very spicy/pungent complex nose; very tart intense blackberry/Zin/boysenberry/framboise/black cherry cola/ripe rather peppery/cold-climate licorice/pungent some toasty/smokey/oak colpmex flavor w/ some hard tannins; very long/lingering pungent/peppery/cold-climate intense blackberry/Zin/boysenberry/black cherry cola/DrPepper structured/complex finish w/ some hard tannins; reminds a lot of the old Ridge Occidental w/o the oak or the EricRoss/SeaRidge Occidental Zins; a terrific Zin that will go another 6-10 yrs because of the acidity; fairly priced at $29.00 (BWM)
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A wee BloodyPulpit:
1. WildHog: Now here's a wnry that you don't hear much about. Winemaker/owner is DanSchoenfeld. Founded in 1990 about 5 miles from the Pacific, east of FtRoss. Planted in 1982.
I've had a number of their Porter-Bass Zins and DryCreekVlly Carignans over the yrs and thought them pretty good wines. Even a SaraLee Dolcetto that I liked quite a lot. I've had 3-4 of Dan's SonomaCoast Zins over the yrs and have always been struck by their level of acidity, for Zin. This '11 version was no exception. But it had a richness & power to it that matched up to the acidity. Easily the best WildHog Zin I've yet had.
Why, on God's green earth, somebody would plant Zin out west of Cazadero boggles the mind. Since the PierreLaFond Zin was pulled in the StaRitaHills, Dan's Zin vnyd is probably the coldest Zin vnyd in Calif. And, like Syrah, it reflects this cold-climate w/ a distinct pepperiness that makes for a very interesting Zin unlike any I can recall since the RidgeOccidental, the EricRoss/SeaRidge, and the LaFond renditions of cold-climate Zin, or maybe some vonWeidlichs.
Anyway...amazingly good Zin from a producer who should be better known.
Tom