WTN: Four New Edmunds St John Wines...(short/boring)

Tried these four over the last few days:
1. EdmundsStJohn Bone-Dry Riesling Fairplay/ElDorado (11.8%) ThumbnailMo0onlight 2018: Light yellow color; lovely R/floral/mango quite fragrant rather chalky/mineral/slight Mosel valve oil slight herbal/new mown grass quite interesting nose; quite tart/tangy some chalky/mineral quite floral/R/mango bit metallic/steely very slight pungent/Mosel valve oil lovely bracing flavor; very long/lingering quite tart/tangy/bracing some R/mango/floral/carnations rather chalky/mineral slight valve oil finish; reminds some of AltoAdige R, more of the Ser or Bedrock EnzVnyd R; really sort of an intellectual/contemplative expression of R; will probably put on weight over the next few yrs and should age well for maybe 10 yrs; a steal at $14.75
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2. EdmundsStJohn Heart of Gold ElDorado WW (12.0%; 55% Vermentino/45% GrenacheBlanc) ThumbnailMoonlight 2019: Light gold color; very fragrant/perfumed floral/honeysuckle/GB/Verm slight chalky very aromatic nose; fairly tart/tangy very strong floral/honeysuckle/gardenias/Verm/GB light mineral/chalky quite perfumed flavor; very long/lingering very strong Verm/GB/floral/honeysuckle/gardenias some mineral/chalky finish; not as rich & lush as previous editions but still packed w/ aromatics & flavors; reminds a bit of Liguria Pigato; quite a lovely white at a great price. $21.00
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3. EdmundsStJohn Bone-Jolly GamayNoir Rose ElDoradoCnty (12.45%) ThumbnailMoonlight 2019: Light salmon/copper color; very fragrant fresh/strawberry/cranberry/Gamay/spicy light earthy quite attractive nose; fairly tart/tangy/bit metallic totally dry strong strawberry/cranberry/spicy/Gamay bit floral/rose petal slight earthy/ElDorado flavor w/ little tannins; very long strong cranberry/strawberry/Gamay/spicy lightly floral/earthy fairly tart/bracing finish w/ little tannins; just a very pretty/brisk/bright Gamay rose. $21.00
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4. EdmundsStJohn El Jaleo ShakeRidgeRanch/AmadorCnty RTW (13%; 14% Tempranillo/28% Grenache/32% Mourv/26% Graciano; 265 cs) ThumbnailMoonlight 2017: Med.dark color; very fragrant very spicy/Temp/cherry/strawberry/bright slight earthy/briary/dusty light toasty/oak quite attractive perfumed/fresh nose; lightly tart/tangy bright/cherry/strawberry/Temp/Grenache light earthy/dusty lithe/bright structured flavor w/ light bright tannins; very long/lingering bright/spicy/cherry/strawberry/Temp/quite spicy lightly tart/tangy bright/zippy light toasty/oak finish w/ modest tangy tannins; quite a spicy structured red that needs some 3-6 yrs; quite atypical of AmadorCnty where ripeness usually prevails; reminds a bit of a Spanish red w/o the Am.oak. $32.00
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A wee BloodyPulpit:
1. My 2 cs of EdmundsStJohn arrived last Tues. Normally, I'd give them several months of rest to recover from travel shock but since most of them were under screwcap, I felt confident enough to Pobega them.
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2. Riesling: This is Steve's first stab at Riesling. The grapes are fairly old planting of David Bush's SumuKaw vnyd in Fairplay. This is exactly the kind of Riesling I would expect Steve to make. Not like many other Reislings I can recall. Although it's fairly tart & lean & bracing, it's not at all green nor eviscerated.
Actually, some of the higher elevation sites in ElDorado have real potential for R. I remember visiting with Dick Bush on my first journey into ElDoradoCnty in the mid-late '70's at MadronaVnyd in the AppleHill area in Camino, east of Placerville at about 3,000' elevation. His Riesling was the wine that most impressed me, with lots of that Mosel valve character. Dick died in Jan of this year and the Madrona property is now run by his other son, Paul.
Be forewarned. The Bone-Dry label looks suspiciously like another label I've seen that Steve must have ripped off.
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3. ElJaleo: This is a wine Steve has been making for some 4-5 yrs now. I've tasted it several times at wine tasting events and lunch w/ Steve but, for some reason, have never purchased any. I am an idiot.
The grapes come from AnnKraemer's ShakeRidgeRanch. Located NE of SutterCreek, it is one of Amador's great vnyds from which many Calif's best winemakers take grapes. Located at fairly high elevation amidst heavy forest, it's about 14 yrs old. Planted w/ a lot of interesting varieties. The spiciness of the ElJaleo reminded me a lot of the Rhone blends that come from StuBewley's AlderSprings vnyd up in the western mtns of MendoCnty. Another interesting vnyd w/ lots of interesting varieties.
Tom

You beat me to the punch, Tom. We also just got 3 cases of various ESJ wines, and the Bone-Dry Riesling with its glowing green screwcap was the first one we’ve cracked.

I’d have said that it had a lot of lime/citrus zest and pith as well as chalky minerality, and that with time it definitely fleshed out and took on some weight, relatively speaking; what you’re calling mango I think I read as lemon curd. It’s a really good wine, and you’re right about the value for money; at the same time, it’s a real outlier for ESJ, sort of like looking out the north-facing window of a south-facing house, and seeing a view that you don’t associate with the place! I’ll be interested to follow this over several years; if it reminds me of anything it’s probably a too-young Grosset Polish Hill.

The Riesling is actually from Gwinllan Estate Ranch in Fairplay, and not connected to Madrona or Apple Hill, or the Bushes. Riesling at Madrona is at almost 3,000 feet elevation; the Gwinllan place is about a half hour South and about 2,600 feet, in granite soil (Madrona is volcanic).

[David M. Bueker]

The 2017 El Jaleo came out a while ago. Had you not tasted it yet? Who are you, and what have you done with Tom Hill?

My Riesling and Gamay just arrived a few days ago. Will let them rest then try.

The benefits of living in the northeast are that you can still get these shipments. I got the email from Steve in late March and told him I was excited to try the riesling, but our prudent shipping window won't open again until October!

[David M. Bueker]

Riesling note:

The back label says bone dry, and it is. Crisp apple and lemon tones rides over a stony backbone. It fans out a bit with some air, but it’s still largely a hyper-focused expression of the grape. Well done for a first try at the greatest white grape.

I have some dry Rieslings from Fox Run , Finger Lakes. Also semi-dry.