WTN: ESJ 2001 Bassetti Syrah

Yowza! Tonight, alongside strozzapreti with Italian sausage, rapini, Calabrian peppers, and pecorino, I grabbed a Edmunds St. John 2001 San Luis Obispo County Syrah, "Bassetti Vineyard". 13.7% ABV. On pulling the cork, an intense olive aroma, which weakens over time but luckily never blows off entirely. Slightly funky, meaty, still juicy and lively purple fruit, tannins almost resolved (we opened a bottle of this a decade ago and regretted it). This is in a really good place now, but in no danger of decline, and I'm inclined to set our last bottle aside for 3-5 more years to see what happens to it.

[David M. Bueker]

Oh my! I have one bottle left.

Well, now, so do I. It's a conundrum!

Yowza! Tonight, alongside strozzapreti with Italian sausage, rapini, Calabrian peppers, and pecorino, I grabbed a Edmunds St. John 2001 Sonoma County Syrah, "Bassetti Vineyard". 13.7% ABV. On pulling the cork, an intense olive aroma, which weakens over time but luckily never blows off entirely. Slightly funky, meaty, still juicy and lively purple fruit, tannins almost resolved (we opened a bottle of this a decade ago and regretted it). This is in a really good place now, but in no danger of decline, and I'm inclined to set our last bottle aside for 3-5 more years to see what happens to it.

Patchen,
That should be SanLuisObispoCnty, rather than SonomaCnty. I believe Steve had it correct on the label.
Just nit-picking.
Bassetti was, at one time, one of the truly great cold-climate Syrah vnyds of Calif.
Tom

Hey Tom,

Sure enough... having already consigned the bottle to the recycling box, I pulled that info off of my spreadsheet, which I now see has a note to self: "check appellation." Now, 13 years later, I can confirm I entered it incorrectly. I'll correct the original note... Thanks!

Nice, I remember comparing 01, 03 and 05 when they were younger, but I only ended up keeping 05s for the long haul. Sounds great though.

Hey Tom,

Sure enough... having already consigned the bottle to the recycling box, I pulled that info off of my spreadsheet, which I now see has a note to self: "check appellation." Now, 13 years later, I can confirm I entered it incorrectly. I'll correct the original note... Thanks!

It's OK, Patchen....I wasn't going to lose any sleep over it. I knew exactly which wine you meant.
Tom

[David M. Bueker]

Nice, I remember comparing 01, 03 and 05 when they were younger, but I only ended up keeping 05s for the long haul. Sounds great though.

I remember that tasting!!!

Nice, I remember comparing 01, 03 and 05 when they were younger, but I only ended up keeping 05s for the long haul. Sounds great though.

I remember that tasting!!!

I too remember the tasting but I actually drank more of the three vintages when they first came out when I was still in Berkeley. By the time of our tasting (in 2010 I believe), I was down to just 05s.

[David M. Bueker]

I still have some (but not enough) of all 3. Might have to do a side by side with my last 2001.

Drat; I seem not to have bought 03s or 05s. What was I thinking? Of the vineyard-specific Syrahs I seem only to have a couple of 05 Wylie-Fenaughtys and a 99 Durell left, plus that last 01 Bassetti... and one of the 01 "California" Syrahs, which were so lovely when they were young -- I really wonder if this last one has held up!

[David M. Bueker]

The '01 Syrah was still delicious in 2014. I can't believe it has fallen off a cliff since then.

I too last had the 2001 Syrah in 2014, also thought delicious, also don't think has fallen off a cliff (but don't think any reason to hold longer).

I seem to have finished my '01 Bassettis, though still have couple WFs

Very encouraging, thanks! I can't remember when I last had one; I think it's been at least 5 years.