DarrenDelmore just released his new three wines. We tried them at Laura's on Sun afternoon:
1. Delmore PinotNoir EdenRiftVnyd/CienegaVlly/SanBenitoCnty (13.4%; 2 brls; U; www.DarrenDelmore.com) PasoRobles 2019: Dark color; quite fragrant cherry/black cherry/PN slight herbal bit SanBenito/jammy light toasty/oak quite fragrant nose; lightly tart/tangy fairly strong PN/cherry/black cherry slight herbal balanced/supple/smooth/polished light toasty/oak flavor w/ light smooth tannins; very long strong PN/cherry/black cherry slight herbal/earthy bit jammy finish w/ smooth tannins; a very attractive balanced/smooth PN that could but on weight w/ some age; shows that slightly jammy character of SanBenitoCnty; reminds a bit of JoshJensen's PN but not as much weight or oak. $45.00
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2. Delmore PinotNoir JohnSebastianoVnyd/SantaRitaHills (13.8%; 2 brls; U) 2019: Med.color; fairly fragrant deeper black cherry/cherry/PN/black cherry cola bit more earthy/dusty light pencilly/Fr.oak less ripe quite attractive nose; quite tart/tangy lighter black cherry/black cherry cola/PN bit tannic/hard some pencilly/oak flavor w/ stronger hard tannins; very long strong black cherry/PN/black cherry cola light pencilly/oak slight earthy/dusty finish w/ somewhat harder tannins; not as supple/smooth, more structure w/ harder tannins & needs some age; a bit more depth & extract than the EdenRift. $45.00
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3. Delmore Syrah BassiVnyd/CentralCoast (13.4%; 3 brls; U; Grower: MikeSinor; SyrahNoir & Estrella clones) 2019: Very dark color; very strong spicy/blackberry/Syrah light peppery slight earthy/Rhonish/roasted/w-c(??)/bit Cornas-like/rustic modest toasty/oak bit complex very attractive nose; lightly tart/tangy fairly strong blackberry/Syrah/spicy/blueberry bit peppery/c-c some roasted/Rhonish/earthy some toasty/oak bit rustic/earthy/blocky/Cornas-like flavor w/ modest chewey tannins; very long/lingering strong blackberry/spicy/Syrah/blueberry bit earthy/Rhonish somewhat rustic/blocky/hard finish w/ some chewey tannins; a rather structured bit blocky/rustic Syrah that'll benefit from 3-6 yrs of age. $36.00
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4. Delmore Syrah StoloVnyd/Cambria (13.0%; U) 2017: Dark color; very strong blackberry/Syrah/spicy fairly c-c/black pepper some floral/violets/bit Cote-Rotie-like/Rhonish/roasted fairly complex nose; fairly tart/tangy strobg c-c/black pepper strong blackberry/Syrah/very spicy structured some toasty/oak slight floral/C-R-like/Rhonish lovely flavor w/ some chewey tannins; very long/lingering strong blackberry/Syrah/spicy/black pepper bit floral/violets complex finish w/ some chewey tannins; quite a structured Syrah a bit more perfumed/high-toned/Rhonish than the Bassi; still needs 3-6 yrs of age; a beautiful example of c-c Syrah that is developing quite nicely.
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A wee BloodyPulpit:
1. Prices are early pre-release prices. I have, of course, followed DarrenDelmore from the very start, when he became NationalMarketingDirector of TablasCreekVnyds. He has written two books that I highly recommend. Like the man himself, they are an absolute hoot. They describe his wanton life before he became a button-down/tie corporate-type at TablasCreek. They will leave you shocked.
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2. Pinots: Don't recall that I've had Darren's Pinots before. I liked both of these a lot and slightly preferred the Sebastiano for its greater structure & depth.
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3. Syrahs: The BassiVnyd, owned by MikeSinor, is outside any AVA and only about 1.2 miles from the Pacific, which you can see from the top of the property. This is Darren's first Syrah from this property. I believe it is near the Latetia vnyd, but not sure.
His first two Syrahs were from the StoloFamilyVnyd, just to the East of Cambria. One of the coldest Syrah vnyds in Calif. Darren lives in Cambria in a mansion that puts SanSimeon to shame, so just a hop/skip/jump from Stolo. This '17 was Darren's first commercial release.
Of the two, I slightly preferred the Stolo for its more high-toned/c-c/Rhonish character. But both are quite good expressions of c-c Syrah.
Tom